Ngulu reliquary figure - Kota - Gabon - SOLD
The reliquary figure Ngulu Boho Na Bwete in traditional African art
Initially, the Kota (Bakota) used to leave their dead exposed to the elements in the forest. Under the influence of neighboring tribes, they began to bury their chiefs, then to exhume their bones (mainly the skull) to place them in bark boxes or baskets called bwete, on which a tribal statue was placed.
"Such reliquaries were entrusted to clan leaders who kept them hidden, sometimes relying on the power of relics for the benefit of the clan.When serious crises affected the village (a village with several clans), the chiefs gathered their reliquaries so This cult was known as the bwiti by the Mahongwe and their neighbors, for whom the guardians were the "faces" of the bounty.
This reliquary keeper Bakota was bought by a collector. Our art gallery certainly has others, contact us.
62 x 29 cm
00153
Data sheet
- Presumed dating
- Mid XXth century
- Size
- Ethnic group
- Country
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The reliquary figure Ngulu Boho Na Bwete in traditional African art
Initially, the Kota (Bakota) used to leave their dead exposed to the elements in the forest. Under the influence of neighboring tribes, they began to bury their chiefs, then to exhume their bones (mainly the skull) to place them in bark boxes or baskets called bwete, on which a tribal statue was placed.
"Such reliquaries were entrusted to clan leaders who kept them hidden, sometimes relying on the power of relics for the benefit of the clan.When serious crises affected the village (a village with several clans), the chiefs gathered their reliquaries so This cult was known as the bwiti by the Mahongwe and their neighbors, for whom the guardians were the "faces" of the bounty.
This reliquary keeper Bakota was bought by a collector. Our art gallery certainly has others, contact us.
62 x 29 cm