Bulu or Fang Power Figure (Ngi)

Bulu or Fang People, Early 20th Century, Beti-Pahuin, Cameroon or Gabon, Central Africa

An extraordinary Ngi power figure, masterfully carved from a single log of wood, depicting three seated ancestral figures surrounding a small animal. The surface is richly adorned with an array of bilongo—magical substances and ritual attachments—including hammered nails, cloth wrappings, pigments, and even a monkey skull. These materials were believed to activate the figure’s spiritual potency, transforming it into a living conduit between the physical and ancestral realms.

The Ngi figures embody the vital force (evu) within the Fang-Bulu spiritual system, serving as protectors of lineage, guarantors of oaths, and avengers of wrongdoing. They were activated through complex rituals conducted by initiated members of the Ngil or Ngi society—secret associations tasked with upholding moral order and punishing malevolent forces within the community.

The Beti-Pahuin cultural complex, encompassing the Bulu, Fang, and related groups, extends through the dense equatorial rainforests of Cameroon, Gabon, and Equatorial Guinea. Within this tradition, sculptural art such as this was central to religious and judicial life, reflecting both artistic mastery and profound spiritual meaning.

This rare composition, with its dynamic clustering of three figures and extensive ritual embellishments, stands as a compelling testament to the symbolic and aesthetic power of Bulu and Fang ancestral art.

Good condition. Age-related heavy wear and signs of ritual use over many years. Light and fragile old wood. Worm holes and cracks. Fine encrusted patina. Traces of libations. Size approx. 29,0cm x 9,5cm x 59,0cm. 

Provenance: Dutch private collection

References and further reading:

Fang Religious Experience - Bwiti. An Ethnography of the Religious Imagination in Africa, J. W. Fernandez, Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1982.

Fang, 101lasttribes, (https://www.101lasttribes.com/tribes/fang.html)

A Masterwork That Sheds Tears... and Light: A Complementary Study of a Fang Ancestral Head, Roland Kaehr, UCLA James S. Coleman African Studies Center. 40, pp. 44–57 (https://www.jstor.org/stable/i20447849)