Fang (Fan, Mpangwe, Pahuin, Pamue, Pangwe), Gabon, Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon

Bellows.  The peoples that are called “Fang” in the geographic and ethnographic literature number 800,000 and constitute a vast mosaic of village communities, established in a large zone of Atlantic equatorial Africa comprising south Cameroon, continental equatorial Guinea and nearly the whole north of Gabon, on the right bank of the Ogowe River. The bellows had considerable cultural importance, since it was both a tool of trade and a symbolic figurative sculpture. Objects of this type are found among the Fang of Northern Gabon. These bellows used apparently for jewelry making is a rare piece where artistic work combines with functionality.

Material: wood, animal skin

Size:   H. 28”, W. 14 ½”, D. 12”