Harp

Object Details

Fang artist

Label Text

This Fang harp is missing the arching neck that once attached below the white head and neck finial and supported eight strings and tuning pegs. The harp or ngombi is one of the most sacred objects used by members of Bwiti, a 20th-century religious organization that combines local ritual practices with Western Christianity. The harp symbolizes the body and voice of Nyingwan Mbege, or Sister of God, and communicates between the living and the dead. It is played at every Bwiti ritual by an older male initiate, known as Beti Ngombi, who is considered pure of heart and mind and who is, in effect, "married" to Nyingwam Mbege. The music gives voice to the spiritual teachings of Bwiti and the harp can be said to contain the spirits of the dead.

Description

Wood harp with hide composed of tapering rectangular shape with neck ending in a white head with flat black coiffure. Hide is painted in red and white quarters with white cross emblems in the red quarters.

Provenance

Bevill Bressler & Schulman, Newark, New Jersey, -- to 1976

Content Statement

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Credit Line

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Bevill, Mr. and Mrs. Alan Bresler and Mr. and Mrs. Gilbert Schulman

Mid 20th century

Object number

76-10-36

Restrictions & Rights

Usage conditions apply

Type

Sculpture

Medium

Wood, hide, metal, pigment

Dimensions

H x W x D: 69.9 x 12.7 x 12.7 cm (27 1/2 x 5 x 5 in.)

Geography

Gabon

See more items in

National Museum of African Art Collection

National Museum of African Art

Topic

Ancestral

cross

male

Record ID

nmafa_76-10-36

Metadata Usage (text)

Usage conditions apply

GUID (Link to Original Record)

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ys7f0f37710-69f8-47ba-b655-ae3441b974cc