| Location: |
Northern frontier of Gabon, along the Congo border. | | Population: |
250,000 |
| Language: |
Mbete, Kaning'i, Mbaama, Nduum |
| Neighbors: |
Obamba, Punu, Teke |
| Types of Art: |
They carved three types of sculpture: heads, busts and full figures. The latter are thought to have a connection with the ancestor cult and they were either used as reliquaries or placed alongside ancestor bones in a basket. The massive reliquary figures, statues and masks of the Ambete are cubist in structure, the stepped hair-dress having clearly-marked gradations, and the face frequently being painted white. |
| History: |
Because of the scattered nature of most of the peoples of the Gabon, primarily due to the invasion of the Fulani into the area 200 years ago, there is almost nothing known of their history. Also the very nature of Gabon, being so densely forested, makes the study of its residents a daunting task. |
| Economy: |
Primarily farmers. |
| Political Systems: |
The Ambete do not have any centralized political organization |
| Religion: |
Their religion, bwiti, is based in the power of ancestral spirits. It was believed that small bones, such as finger bones and pieces of the skull, retained the power of deceased ancestors. By preserving these relics, the power of the deceased ancestor would provide protections and blessings on the family members caring for the remains.
The Mbete tradition was distinctive to the Ogowe River region in the sense that the guardian figures were also the containers of the ancestral remains. The sculptures were symbolic and decorative containers, with the true
value credited to the relics held within. This has allowed for the removal of such guardian figures without upsetting the significance of the traditional belief. Thus, most guardian figures produced in the Ogowe River
area today are created for tourist trade. |
| Credit: |
James S. Olson 1996, randafricanart.com |
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