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TRIBAL AFRICAN ART
Gabon
The Vuvi live in central Gabon. Vuvi bwiti association’s masks are characterized by the relative flatness of their design and the emblematic nature of the facial features and markings. These masks serve as agents through which ancestral spirits reappear during funeral ceremonies and solemn communal gatherings. The color white equates with death, and the simple blackened facial features are graphic signs, representing esoteric knowledge handed down from the ancestors. The ovoid face has strongly arched eyebrows often extending from the bridge of the nose to the edge of the mask. The eyebrows may demarcate a heart-shaped area with narrow eye slits and a slightly open, thin-lipped mouth. Each mask apparently had a special name related to the spirit it embodied. During nocturnal performances announced by drum music, the leader of the rite would intone a specific song that reminded the onlookers of the individual traits of the spirit represented by the masqueraders.
The Vuvi cast metal
bells with cephalomorphic handles, while their carvers decorated the ebanza cult
house with doors and posts. They were covered with white pigments, leaving the raised
geometric and figurative motifs plain.
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