Gabon : Photos

Discover every day Photographs of the various countries of Africa and the Caribbean

All the photos are from the photo sharing website flickr

Use the left menu to choose a country.

Reliquary guardian figure, Kota peoples, Gabon, Late 19th to early 20th century, Wood, brass, copper, bone, iron

A masterwork of abstract, geometric shapes, this stylized human form once guarded ancestral bones preserved in large baskets. While the transverse crest of the coiffure and the large concave face are striking, the most unique feature is the small face on the back. Perhaps the ritual efficacy of the figure was better with two pairs of eyes. Because metal was a precious material, the metal surface on this figure serves as both an offering of wealth and a tangible metaphor for diverting harm.

Mask, Tsogo peoples, Ogowe River region, Gabon, Late 19th to early 20th century, Wood, pigment

The striking disconnect between the divisions of the painted surface and the underlying carved form is an aspect of African art that first entranced Western audiences. The Western lack of awareness of context was such that when this mask was exhibited in the 1950s in France, it was identified as coming from another part of Africa. Later research attributed this mask to the Tsogo peoples as part of wider regional tradition of divided color faces.

Reliquary guardian head, Fang peoples, Gabon, Late 19th to early 20th century Wood, metal, oil patina

The Fang byeri cult existed to honor a family's ancestors and ask for their help. This was done by remembering names and deeds and by keeping physical relics in a barkwood box guarded by an attached, carved wooden head or figure.
This head was not an individual portrait but an idealized representation with a prominent forehead, open relentless gaze, small mouth and older style hairdo or wig. The characteristic shine results from frequent rubbing with tree oil.

Mask, Kwele peoples, Gabon, Early 20th century, Wood, pigment

Human features and bongo antelope horns are combined in this Kwele face mask that represents a benevolent forest spirit. It was used by members of Beete, a religious organization dedicated to dealing with crises and countering negative, anti-social behavior, thus ensuring order. Masks were danced during ceremonies and funerary and initiation rites or were hung on the wall of structures built for Beete.

Door, Tsogo peoples, Ogowe River region, Gabon, Late 19th to early 20th century, Wood, pigment, iron nails, plant fiber

An American writer visiting a Tsogo village in the 1860s was most impressed by the decorative work on the doors of many of the houses and commented on their complicated patterns in red, white and black. The human figure on the door probably has a protective function. Its stylization suggests Tsogo masks and its pear-shaped torso is an outline form of the much more naturalistic Tsogo reliquary guardian figures that are covered with red pigment.

Post, Tsogo or Sango peoples, Gabon, Early to mid-20th century, Wood, pigment, cloth

Villagers built a large, partly open-sided, oblong house to hold the sacred objects used in celebrating the rites of Bwiti, a cult of family relics. Figurative pillars and flattened posts supported the structure and defined the sacred space for an altar.

Mask, Lumbo or Punu peoples, Gabon, Late 19th to early 20th century, Wood, pigment

Masks that depict feminine beauty from the peoples of the Ngunie River basin are well known. Nearly all the masks that are in collections are coated with white kaolin. Black masks, such as this one, however, are rare.
The Punu link the color white with female beauty and call black ugly and male. The white masks (mukudj) appear in the daytime, in formal, structured performances by dancers on tall stilts. The black masks (ikwar) dance at night on short stilts and are thought of as more spontaneous. While they do not perform together, the Punu automatically compare and contrast mukudj and ikwar.

Gun Shells

aswingkido posted a photo: