African Arts Gallery

African statue embodying the ancestor and relating to the cult of Byeri. These sculptures act as "guardians".
A recurrence: bulging muscles, bulging pupils associated with trance.
Black matte patina. Erosions and desiccation cracks.

Among the Fang of Cameroon and Gabon, each family has a "Byeri", or reliquary box, in which the bones of the ancestors are kept. These boxes were guarded by the oldest man in the village, the “esa”. The reliquary boxes were topped with a statue or head which acted as guardian of the “byeri” boxes. These were kept in a dark corner of the hut, and were intended to divert evil influences towards someone else. They were also used during initiation ceremonies for young people linked to the "So" society. During festivals, the statues were separated from their boxes and carried on parade, held by the posterior peduncle.