Location: |
Southern Gabon, Congo |
Population: |
40,000 |
Language: |
Punu (Bantu) |
Neighboring Peoples: |
Ashira, Mpongwe, Lumbo, Kota, Fang,
Kongo |
Types of Art: |
The most common types of objects found are carved masks, which have
been stylistically compared to Japanese art. They also carve standing
reliquary figures, which watch over the bones of the deceased. |
History: |
Although not much is known about the history of the Punu, linguistic
evidence suggests that they moved into their current location from an area
to the north, possibly driven southward by the Kota and Fang who moved
into the area just north of Punu territory in recent centuries. This area
had been occupied by various Pygmy peoples prior to Bantu expansion. Punu
art forms suggest a connection with their neighbors that may have emerged
from a shared history or simply through contact. |
Economy: |
Punu economy is based on shifting hoe farming conducted in fields that
have been carved out of the rain forests through slash and burn
techniques. This is supplemented when necessary with hunting, fishing, and
livestock, such as goats, sheep, and chickens. The surrounding Equatorial
forests also provide various fruits, nuts, and tubers for consumption. The
main crops include banana, yams, cassava, maize, peanuts, and manioc. Most
labor is divided between the sexes, with men doing most of the hunting,
gathering and clearing of land and women doing the other agricultural
tasks. |
Political Systems: |
The Punu live in small villages in the Ogowe River Basin that each
include several lineages and are led by a individuals within the community
who have inherited their position matrilinearly, rather than by a
centralized force. |
Religion: |
There is very little known about the Punu religion, but similarly to
their neighbors to the north, the Fang and Kota, the Punu carve wooden
reliquary figures which are stylistically different, but similarly
attached to a basket carrying the bones of individual family ancestors.
This seems to indicate a similarity in religious practices in regard to
ancestor worship. There is also an abundance of female masks in this area.
Several reports from early travelers in this area link those masks to the
Mukui society, about which very little is known. Other reports link them
to dances celebrating the female ancestors of the Punu
peoples. |