MAHONGWE STYLE RELIQUARY GUARDIANS, Gabon

In spite of their forms and nice patina, we have no reason to believe that these pieces have seen tribal use.

Photographs © Hamill Gallery

MAHONGWE, RELIQUARY FIGURES, Gabon

Figures like these were mounted on containers holding relics of important clan ancestors, serving as guardians. The Mahongwe are a subgroup of the Bakota, who, like the nearby Fang, also make reliquary guardians. Sheathed in metal (brass or copper strips and wire), the figures are highly abstracted. They are dedicated to Bwitti, the spirit of the ancestors.

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