Ngulu reliquary guardian

The Kota of eastern Gabon practise the ancestor cult bwete – ancestors who are feared but whose protection is also sought.After the death of an illustrious member of the community, his bones are cleaned and carefully preserved in a woven fibre basket placed beneath a flat wooden core covered with brass and copper plates and wires – the stylized effigy of a human figure, the ngulu, guardian of the reliquary. The jutting nose throws the two studs of its eyes into relief and, beneath the head, a shimmering metal lozenge used to fix the sculpture to the basket, and doubtless also serving as a handle, forms a rudimentary body.During initiation rites presided over by the family priest, the relics are nourished with sacrificial blood and presented with food that is later consumed by the living.The sculptures themselves are rubbed with sand to keep their sheen before being brandished by the men in their ritual dances. Women, children and outsiders are forbidden to view these sacred ceremonies, which are only open to initiates.