Byeri Reliquary Guardian

The so-called cult of Byeri, or Melan rite, is a family ceremony that initiates novices into ancestor worship after purification ceremonies. The Byeri is removed from the box and the ancestors’ skull is exposed. Through a hallucinogenic drug, alan, the young people come into contact with the ancestors and dance in their honour.

The Byeri is neither the ancestor nor a representation of the ancestor: it is the guardian that protects the relics, mainly pieces of skull, with small fragments of other bones and a small personal object. It may be a simple carved head with a kind of shaft or trunk, nlo byeri, inserted into the box, or a full statue, eyema byeri, placed on the relic box made of bark and sometimes fibres, called nsekh byeri. These reliquaries were kept by the Esa, the oldest elder in the family. Fang sculptures are, in most cases, linked to the Byeri cult as reliquary guardians. They generally represent seated men, although female statues also occur, with bent legs, an elongated torso, joined hands that sometimes hold a cup, and stylised facial features. They were often immersed in a palm-oil bath as soon as they were made, or periodically and generously coated with this oil.

On certain occasions these sculptures, custodians or guardians of reliquaries, may be removed from their relic boxes and carried through the village to honour the deceased. The statue is removed from its support and placed on a kind of platform made of plaited straw to make it easier to carry during ritual processions. Sometimes the Byeri, particularly those from Cameroon, have copper or brass inlays, which give them a bright appearance; their shine also wards off potential enemies and the forces of evil.

Initiation into the byeri cult involves a series of purification rites received by novices in an enclosed space. For hours, in a trance, they sing and dance after drinking “elan”, a hallucinogenic plant that helps them enter the trance in which they contact the ancestors. From them they receive advice for life and instructions to pass on to the elders.

Reliquary guardian holding an offering cup between its hands. A solid-looking figure. Heavy wood. Black patina.