African Ngil Mask

Ngil african mask - Fang - Gabon In the Ngil society, the great initiate (Ngang), assisted by his officiants, travelled through the villages concealed under a mask such as this one. The wearers of the mask, hidden in their raffia costumes, would appear in the village at nightfall with flares in hand. Their aim was to track down troublemakers, starting with those responsible for suspicious deaths. Their action was mainly aimed at those who were supposed to have used witchcraft. Once the culprit was identified, he could be punished by death. In 1910, the colonial authorities banned the activities of the Ngil society. From then on, the Ngil became a perverted institution, with the actions of its members aimed not so much at dispensing justice as at taking advantage of the gullibility of the villagers, by instituting a kind of racket relating to the forbidden.