African Ngil Fang Mask

This mask, created by the Fang tribe of Africa, was used in a Ngil ceremony. The mask creates a sense of savagery amongst a group.

Origin
The Fang tribe are one of the four tribes of the Beti-Pahuin people of Africa. Individual ethnic groups include the Fang proper, the Ntumu, the Mvae, and the Okak. Fang territories begin at the southern edge of Cameroon south of Kribi, Djoum, and Mvangan in the South Province and continue south across the border, including all of Rio Muni in Equatorial Guinea and south into Gabon and Congo.

The Fang are present in greatest numbers in Gabon, Equatorial Guinea (including the island of Bioko), and São Tomé and Príncipe and small numbers in the Congo. In Equatorial Guinea the Fang have been the politically dominant group since independence, not only in Rio Muni on the mainland but also on the island of Bioko where they are a minority. They are the most numerous of the Beti-Pahuin peoples and their language was estimated to have had more than 858,000 speakers in 1993.