Gabon, Ngil Fang helmet mask

Gabon
Ngil Fang helmet mask
Second half of the XXth century
COA provided

50 x 19 Cm / 0,700 Kg
Wood
Optional base (contact us)

This Fang african mask illustrates the numerous stylistic variations of the Ngil Fang masks, starting from a long volume in which are carved cavities with small slits for the eyes, a very long nose and a generally small or even absent mouth. The cuts represent the scarifications, on the forehead and in diagonal on the cheek. Seing these masks covered in kaolin (the white evokes the power of ancestors) in the middle of the night could cause dread. These types of masks were used in the Ngil male society that doesn't exist anymore. This secret society was in charge of the initiations and fought against witchcraft. The Ngil was a purifying fire rite symbolized by the gorilla. The ones who wore these masks, always very numerous, came out at night, lit by torches. Their intervention was also linked to the judicial function as they designated the ones gilty of bad actions in the village. The Fang ethnic group, settled in a region streched out from Yaounde, Cameroon to Ogooue, Gabon, never had a political unity. The cohesion of the clans was maintained by the intermediary of religious and judicial associations like the So and Ngil.