African masks antiques tribal Face vintage carved wood Hanging fang-G1640

24.3/19.9 -CM
African fang rituals and African masks . Soft wood, velvety patina, granular kaolin African masks residues. . The appearance of these kaolin-coated African masks (the white color evokes the power of ancestors), in the middle of the night, can cause fear. This type of African masks was used by the ngil male society in northwestern Gabon, southern Cameroon, and Equatorial Guinea African masks . This secret society was responsible forinitiations and fought against witchcraft. The ngilwas a purifying fire rite symbolized by the gorilla. The wearers of these African masks , always in large numbers, appeared at night, lit by torches. Theirintervention was also linked to the judicial function by identifying the perpetrators of the bad deeds in the village. The Fang ethnic group, located in a region stretching from Yaounde in Cameroon to Ogooué in Gabon, has never enjoyed political unity. Clan cohesion was maintained through religious and judicial associations such as the zo and ngil.