139 - OBAMBA RELIQUARY FIGURE

OBAMBA RELIQUARY FIGURE Gabon, Haut-Ogooué region, Kota people. First third of the 20th century. Thick wooden core veneered with decorated sheets and strips of copper and brass. Height: 54 cm. (+ base) Provenance: Collection of a couple of scholars from Lyon, by inheritance The concave, almond-shaped face is divided into four quarters. On the two brass bands that intersect in the center of the face, half-moon-shaped eyes and a triangular nose are attached. The sides end in curls shaped like duck tails. The neck and upper parts of the diamond-shaped piece are plated with copper adorned with chevrons and grooves. The crescent is classic in style, adorned in the center with a geometric motif. On the reverse, a motif is carved in relief. The base of the wooden diamond-shaped piece has a patina. Devotion to the relics of the dead is one of the characteristics of the religions of many peoples in Gabon. Ancestors are made to feel even more present when their bones are carefully preserved, becoming the focus of specific rituals. The use of bone boxes was widespread in the Congo and Gabon, particularly among the so-called Kota people. The Kota are the only people in this region to use metal decoration covering almost the entire wooden frame. These types of portable tombs were displayed on many occasions: during the initiation of young people, the clan families would gather, bringing their reliquaries. On other occasions, the rites performed by the clan chief were intended to promote women’s fertility and the fertility of the land, or to ensure abundant hunting and fishing, or even to aid in healing. Experts: Messrs. Dodier and Meyer