Tribal art > African mask > Fang Mask
Ngil's Fang Mask (N° 19915)
In the category of the very large masks of Africa, the fang masks, generally coated with kaolin (the white color evokes the power of the ancestors), intervened in the middle of the night, their appearance arousing fright. They were used by the male society ngil which no longer exists today. This secret society was in charge of initiations and fought against witchcraft.
The ngil consisted of a purifying fire rite symbolized by the gorilla.
Matte and velvety patina, golden. Fingerprints of xylophagous animals now eradicated.
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The Fang, formerly called Pahouin, are divided into several subsets in three countries, Cameroon, Gabon, and the mainland of Equatorial Guinea. Mainly hunters, they also practice agriculture.
The wearers of these masks, always in large numbers, made their appearance at night, lit by torches. Their intervention was also linked to the judicial function by designating the culprits of bad deeds within the village. The Fang ethnic group, established in a region stretching from Yaoundé in Cameroon to Ogooué in Gabon, has never had a political unity. Clan cohesion was maintained through religious and judicial associations such as the so and the ngil.
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|Material(s)||wood et plant fibre|
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