Reliquary figure (byeri)
Fang peoples (southern Cameroon). c. 19th to 20th century C.E. Wood
The Fang figure, a masterpiece by a known artist or workshop, has primarily been reduced to a series of basic shapes—cylinders and circles.
- Form:
- Wooden carved figure
- Abstraction - emphasis on the geometric shapes of the object
- Emphasis on the idea of a guardian figure, instead of depicting a realistic human figure
- This figure is male, but female byeris were sculpted as well
- Elongated torso; downcast eyes; closed mouth
- Powerful musculature
- Function:
- Guard family reliquary boxes from the “forbidden gaze of women and uninitiated boys” & evil spirits
- reliquary - container for holy relics
- Bones of important ancestors & potent substances/herbs
- Like a talisman (an object with supernatural properties that protects from evil and brings good luck)
- Sometimes were consulted when considering an important decision
- Sometimes used as puppets to teach their ancestral history to young men of the society
- Express certain spiritual ideas (not naturalistic)
- Content:
- The head is symbolic of an infant, while the body represents that of an adult
- Highlights continuous cycle of human development
- Enlarged head - indicating intelligence
- Bulging belly button & high forehead - newborn traits
- Infants form link between living & dead
- Reflects importance of ancestors
- Bulging muscles contrast with a contemplative/serene, expressionless face and a symmetrical pose to highlight characteristics the Fang people valued
- Muscles represent readiness to ward off spirits/humans attacking reliquaries
- Patient expression suggests honor, tranquility, vitality, and the ability to hold opposites in balance
- Represents a popular hairstyle of high status men of the time
- Reduced to geometric abstraction of human figure
- About the idea of a guardian figure rather than portraying a human figure
- Context:
- Fang peoples lived in rainforests
- Equatorial Africa
- Over 300 years, they moved into the regions that are now Southern Cameroon & Northern Gabon
- This gradual movement stimulated a value of portable objects like the Reliquary figure
- Fang people believe ancestors had power even in the afterlife
- Worshipped & preserved men who founded lineages & women who successfully gave birth to many children
- These figures sit on top of the reliquary boxes
- The nomadic culture of the Fang people prevented them from placing these boxes in traditional cemeteries
- During the late 19th century, French colonizers perceived the byeri as idols, and banned them
- The Fang people were forced to destroy and sell many of the carved figures
- Themes:
- Ancestors
- Power
- Afterlife
- Spirituality
- Legacy
- Protection
- Wisdom
- Continuousness of development
- Connection between living and dead
- Patience & tranquility
- Status/role in society
- Cross-cultural Comparison
- Terra-cotta Warriors
- Both the Fang byeri and the Terra-cotta warriors were crafted for protection
- Reliquary figure guarded bones, linking living with ancestors
- Terra-cotta Warriors guarded the tomb of China's first emperor: Qin Shi Huangdi
