Fang Reliquary Figure (Byeri Figure) Start Price USD 390.00 Current Price USD 390.00 Time Left - Bid Count 0 Buy It Now Price - Reserve Price - Start Time Saturday, September 27, 2008 End Time Tuesday, October 07, 2008 Location Denver, CO See more about 'Fang Reliquary Figure (Byeri Figure)' Description Title: eyema-o- byeri Type of Object: Reliquary Figure (Byeri Figure) Ethnic Group: Fang (Ntumu Sub-group – Northern Fang) Country of Origin: Gabon, Equatorial Guinea. Materials: Wood,Basketry, Cloth, Brass Disks and Beads Approximate Age: 20th Century Dimensions: 13 Inches Overall Condition: Good with signs of wearInformation:The heart shaped face locates the figure among the Ntumu, a northern Fang sub-group. The well-worn surface and the remains of offerings through the years give the surface a dark brown patination. The quality of the sculpture is still striking after the years of use as a reliquary figure. The Fang people moved to their present area becoming part of a complex overlay of population of approximately 200,000, who stretch from southern Cameroon into Gabon and Equatorial Guinea. Living in small forest communities the Fang focused upon tightly knit kinship and lineage systems. Stressing continuity and relationships, the kinship system was to emphasize the veneration of ancestors through the use of figurative sculptures. Each lineage's ancestors were located in family shrines where memorials or reliquary boxes known as byeri, containing their bones were under the care of an elder known as the Esa. Containers made of either bark or woven basketry are surmounted by sculpted figures known as eyema-o- byeri that guarded the remains of Fang ancestors (Fernandez 1975: 723-46). When not in actual use the sculpted figures were generally hidden from view. Fang memorial sculpture has a long history of use and was in fact photographed as early as 1907 (Tessmann 1913/1972, vol. II). However the cult of Byeri began to lose its prominence after 1910 due to colonial government pressure. Further Reading:Binet, J. Societes de danse chez les Fang, Paris, 1972Fernandez, J. 'La statuaire Fang-Gabon', African Arts, 8, No.1, 1974.Fernandez, J. W. and R. L. 'Fang Reliquary Art: Its Quantities and Qualities.' Cahiers d'etudes africaines, 15, No. 5. 1975Perrois, L. Statuaire fang, Paris. 1972 Perrois, L. Sculpture traditionelle du Gabon, Paris. 1977Tessmann, G. Die Pangwe, Berlin and New York. 1913(1972) **029989** All content, including pictures, Copyright Africa Direct Inc., 2006 Add Us To Your Favorite Sellers! Please visit our About Us page. SquareTrade © AP6.0 PesaMember Place a Bid!