File:0727 6151a Ape figure, Bulu, Cameroon, Rep of Congo Border region (5601612297).jpg

Beautiful figure decorated with remnants of cam wood powder Measures 42 x 28 x 23cm SOLD Bulu, also spelled Boulou, one of a number of related peoples inhabiting the hilly, forested, south-central area of Cameroon as well as mainland Equatorial Guinea and northern Gabon. These peoples are collectively called the Fang. “Bulu” is a loosely defined term that designates one of the three major subdivisions of the Fang. The Bulu constitute about one-third of the Fang living in Cameroon. <a href="http://www.britannica.com/" rel="nofollow">www.britannica.com/</a>

Gorilla Journal 18, June 1999 Gorillas in African Culture and Medicine Paul Du Chaillu already wrote in 1891 about gorilla stories he had heard from the Fang people. For example, the Fang were convinced that if a pregnant woman or her husband were to see a gorilla, even a dead one, she would give birth to a gorilla, rather than to a human child. It is very difficult to find published information on this subject, as little has been written since about the importance of gorillas for African peoples. One exception is Günter Tessmann's study of the Pangwe (Cameroon and Gabon) published in 1913. It contains a detailed description of a secret society whose cult centers around the gorilla. It was widely spread and called Ngi or Ngui among the Fang and Nji among the Bulu. Ngi means gorilla and is the symbol of fire and positive power (the chimpanzee represents evil). During the Ngi celebration, a large sculpture was made after the vigorous dance of a healer. Certain objects were placed in and around that sculpture, for example, parts of dead people (but not gorillas), and rituals were performed. For the members of the Ngi secret society, Ngi was watching their manners. He punished them with illness, for example with leprosy, if they broke the rules. Ngi also protected the society members as he rose at night to fight sorcerers who had left their bodies to kill people. According to Jordi Sabater Pí, the Ngi cult has disappeared completely. However, Klaus Paysan heard from a chief's son in Cameroon, far away from the present gorilla distribution area, that the Ngi society was still active, but all information was kept absolutely secret. Read more at:http://www.berggorilla.de/english/gjournal/texte/18culture.html

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