Mahongwe Reliquary Figure, Gabon

The Mahongwe people of northeastern Gabon and the Republic of Congo produced highly distinctive reliquary guardian figures known as bwete, used to protect ancestral bone relics housed in bark containers. These figures are characterized by their striking abstract, concave facial forms sheathed in brass or copper wire and strips, creating a flattened, almost two-dimensional appearance that distinguishes them from other African reliquary traditions. Created by specialist craftsmen within the Mahongwe community, these sacred objects served as intermediaries between the living and the spirits of powerful ancestors, and examples have been collected since the late 19th century, appearing regularly in major auction house sales as prized works of African art.