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Rattle (Shekere)Fang Biri Reliquary Rattle Continental Equatorial Guinea and N. Gabon Wood and Raffia Height: 18 inches The ensemble of Fang peoples practice a cult devoted to ancestor lineages, the bieri, whose aim is to both protect themselves from the deceased and to recruit their aid in matters of daily life. The bieri, or ancestor figure, would be consulted when the village was to change location, when a new crop was planted, or before going hunting, fishing, or to war. The ritual consisted of prayers, libations, and sacrifices offered to the ancestor, whose scull would be rubbed with powder and paint each time. With its large head, long body, and short extremities, the Fang bieri had the proportion of a newborn, thus emphasizing the group’s continuity with its ancestor and with the three classes of the society: the “not-yet-born,” the living, and the dead. The relics were essentially skull fragments, or sometimes complete skulls, jawbones, teeth and small bones. The bieri also served for therapeutic rituals and, above all, for the initiation of young males during the great So festival.
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| © Hartenberger World Music Collection |
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