Fang (Fan, Mpangwe, Pahuin, Pamue, Pangwe), Gabon, Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon

Young girl ngontang  mask. The peoples that are called “Fang” in the geographic and ethnographic literature number 800,000 and constitute a vast mosaic of village communities, established in a large zone of Atlantic equatorial Africa comprising south Cameroon, continental equatorial Guinea and nearly the whole north of Gabon, on the right bank of the Ogowe River. They are principally hunters, but also farm. Fang social structure is based on the clan, a group of individuals with a common ancestor, and on the family. The Fang used masks in their secret societies. The ngontang mask symbolizes a ‘young white girl’. Despite its name, the mask was danced only by initiated men. The ngontang masks were worn in a ritual of the Bieri cult revering departed ancestors during funeral ceremonies and births. Among the Fang people, the white is the color of the dead, and those with white faces have come to visit the living, bringing magic from the realm of the supernatural. Today such masks serve primarily to entertain audiences on festive occasions.

Material:  wood

Size:  H. 24½”, W. 12”, D. 8”

Price:  $240+$40 (S&H)                                                [N4F7M203]