Reliquarium Head Nlo Biery

Reliquary guardian head. These stylized neck heads were placed on containers made of tree bark or braided raffia whose anterior contained the relics of the most notable ancestors, parts of the skull and fragments of bones from different parts of the body. They are used in the Melan rite, a family ceremony that initiates neophytes in the cult of ancestors after a purification ceremony. The "byeri" separates from the box, exposes the skull of the ancestors and the young dance in their honor.

In Gabon the group Fang occupies an important part among the sixty ethnic groups that make up the nation. Its geographical area extends from the northern part of the country, province of the Waleu-Ntem, to the center, province of the Moyen Ogué., passing through the northwest, province of the Ogué-Ivindo and the center west, province of the estuary.