Fang Passport Mask Ngil Society Gabon African Art

Description

Type of Object
Mask
Country of Origin
Gabon
People
Fang
Materials
Wood, pigment
Approximate Age
20th century
Height (in)
6.5
Width (in)
3
Depth (in)
2.5
Overall Condition
Good. Most of our pieces have spent decades on at least two continents, and have been treasured by several owners.   Small splits, scrapes and cracks are a normal part of their patina attesting to their age and extensive use.  We examine each piece carefully when we receive it and report any damage we find in our listings.  Please look carefully at the pictures which may also reveal condition and damage.
Additional Informa
Fang, also spelled Fãn, Bantu-speaking peoples occupying the southernmost districts of Cameroon south of the Sanaga River, mainland Equatorial Guinea, and the forests of the northern half of Gabon south to the Ogooué River estuary. They numbered about 3,320,000 in the late 20th century.
The Fang speak languages of the Bantu subgroup of the Niger-Congo language family. They can be divided into three linguistic groups: the Beti to the north, the main tribes being the Yaunde, or Éwondo, and Bene; the Bulu, including the Bulu proper, Fong, Zaman, and Yelinda; and the Fang in the south, including the Fang proper, Ntumu, and Mvae.
According to tradition the Fang migrated into the forest from the savanna plateau on the right bank of the Sanaga River at the beginning of the 19th century. They were fine warriors and hunters and cultivated a reputation for cannibalism in order to repel outsiders and attacks from others. Under colonial rule they engaged in ivory trading; after World War I, they turned to large-scale cocoa farming.
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