A reliquary post is a guardian figure traditionally used by the Fang people of Gabon to protect ancestral remains.
They are associated with the family lineage and are placed on or near reliquary boxes containing the bones or relics of ancestors.
In the belief that certain bones of great people retained their supernatural powers after death, the Fang venerated
and preserved such remains. The relics were kept in containers
called reliquaries made of bark or woven plant fibers. The sculpted
guardians protected the relics from malicious humans and evil spirits
and served as a point of contact between the ancestral relics and
designated family members.
Height: 28" x Width: 4 ½" x Depth: 4 ½".
It is mounted on a 5 ⅜" square base, which makes it even taller at 30 ½".
