Figure | mwete/ m'bulu-ngulu
Reliquary guardian figure, 1880 - 1930
About the object
Guardian figures, Mwete or M'Bulu-Ngulu, depict deceased ancestors of the Bakota. The face and the ear decoration of this reliquary guardian are covered with a sheet of brass. The Bakota kept relics (skulls, remains of bones) of high-ranking people in tall bark boxes or baskets. The "guardians" were placed on the edge of these boxes or baskets. Like oracles, the reliquary guardians were consulted before important decisions were made.
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Until the 1950s, the Bakota made figures as guardians of ancestral spirits. The guardians symbolised ancestors and were supposed to protect them at the same time. They stood on baskets in which the bones of the deceased were stored. Via votive gifts and worship, the beneficence of the ancestors could be influenced or induced to the advantage of the living, because great power was attributed to them.