Fang mask from Guinea

Dimensions: 47 x 13 cm.

Sold without mask stand. This can be purchased separately on our website .

The Fang people, also known as Fãn or Pahouin, are a Central African ethnic group found in Equatorial Guinea, northern Gabon and southern Cameroon. The Fang people represent the majority of Equatorial Guinea's population, concentrated in the Río Muni region, and are the largest ethnic group. The Fang are also the largest ethnic group in Gabon, making up about a quarter of the population. In other countries, in the regions where they live, they are among the most important and influential ethnic groups. The Fang people are relatively recent migrants to Equatorial Guinea, with many of them moving from central Cameroon in the 19th century. The Fang people were victims of the great transatlantic and trans-Saharan slave trade between the 16th and 19th centuries. They were stereotyped as cannibals by slave traders and missionaries, in part because human skulls and bones were found open or in wooden chests near their villages, a claim used to justify violence against them and also slavery. The works of art by Fang people, especially in wood, iron and soapstone, are regionally famous. Their wooden masks and idols can be seen in numerous museums around the world. Fang artworks were the inspiration for many of the European avant-garde artworks created in the 20th century.