|
Tribe Snapshots Mitsogo |
| Location: |
Mountains of central Gabon |
| Population: |
unknown |
| Language: |
Mitsogo (northwestern Bantu) |
| Neighboring Peoples: |
Punu, Fang, Kota |
| Types of Art: |
Most Mitsogo carvings in museum collections
are wooden reliquary figures that were used to
protect the spirits of deceased ancetors. |
| History: |
Oral histories of the Mitsogo indicate that
their ancestors immigrated from an area in northeastern
Gabon around the Ivindo River valley during the
13th and 14th centuries. Art styles and techniques
link the Mitsogo to other peoples in their region.
Like the Fang and Kota peoples who live to the
north and the Punu who live to the south, the
Mitsogo carve figures whose primary purpose is
to guard the relics of ancestors. They also practice
bwiti, which is an observed practice of various
other peoples throughout Gabon. |
| Economy: |
Mitsogo economy is based on shifting hoe farming
in fields that have been carved out of the rain
forests through slash and burn techniques. This
is supplemented when necessary with hunting, fishing,
and livestock, such as goats, sheep, and chickens.
The surrounding Equatorial forests also provide
various fruits, nuts, and tubers for consumption.
The main crops include banana, yams, cassava,
maize, peanuts, and manioc. Men do most of the
hunting and gathering and clearing of land, and
women perform the other agricultural tasks. |
| Political Systems: |
The peoples throughout this region of Gabon
share similar political systems. Each village
has a leader who has inherited his position based
on his relationship to the founding family of
that village. As a political leader, he often
serves as an arbitrator and is equally recognized
as a ritual specialist. This enables him to justify
his position of power based on his relationship
with the ancestors of the village. Each village
consists of bark houses in arranged in a balanced
pattern along straight streets, and the size of
the village is often determined by the resources
available. |
| Religion: |
Mitsogo religion centered around ancestors who
were believed to wield power in the afterlife
as they had as living leaders of the community.
The skulls and long bones of these men were believed
to retain power and are said to have control over
the well-being of the family of the relics' keepers.
Usually, the relics were kept hidden away from
the uninitiated and women. Wooden sculptures covered
with sheets of copper and brass, known as reliquary
or guardian figures, were attached to the baskets
containing the bones. Some believe that the figures
are an abstract portrait of the deceased individual,
while others argue that they are merely to protect
the spirit of the deceased from evil. It must
be remembered, however, that it was the bones
themselves that were sacred, not the wooden figures.
Thus, there is no apparent contradiction to individuals
selling what in effect was the tombstone of their
ancestors for considerable profit to art dealers.
During migrations the relics were brought along,
but the reliquaries were often left behind. |
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