Bakota Reliquary Guardian 9

African art and masks of the Bakota people of the Congo and Gabon

The Bakota people once placed these Guardians, called "Mbulu Ngulu", atop baskets containing the bones of revered ancestors to guard those remains. The figures are carved of wood, then covered with woven strips of copper and brass, and sheets hammered of copper and brass. This Bakota Reliquary Guardian measures 21.5 inches tall, 7.5 inches wide.