A Kota Obamba reliquary figure is designed to guard the relics (bones) of important ancestors, acting as a spiritual link between the living and the dead in the bwete cult, featuring abstracted heads with prominent coiffures and diamond-shaped bodies inserted into relic baskets. These figures, made from wood with hammered brass/copper, symbolize wealth, lineage, and ancestral protection, playing a key role in clan rituals.
Kota Obamba reliquary figure
Gabon
Wood, metal
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