Existing comment:
Constant.
Those eyes see all -- through generations past, present, and future.
The byeri religious practice of the Fang served to honor a family's ancestors and ask for their help. Memorialized ancestors' names and deeds were recited in byeri practice, and physical relics were stored in a bark wood box guarded by an attached, carved wooden head or figure. This head -- with its prominent forehead, open relentless gaze, small mouth, and older style hairdo or wig -- was not an individual portrait but an idealized representation. The characteristic shine results from frequent rubbing with tree oil. This guardian stood for the continued presence of ancestral memories among a people forced to migrate throughout the 19th century. |