Gabon
Mitsogo

Wood, Wire Strings
ca. Late 19th century 
Length: 16 inches
Chordophone – Harp

A Gabon Mitsogo ngombi (harp with a carved head at the top of the neck). The resonator represents womanhood, while the instrument itself represents male mythical figures such as Disumba and Nzambe-Kana, the first ancestors of the Mitsogho.  Shows signs of usage and age. 

Like the Fang and Kota peoples who live to the north and the Punu who live to the south, the Mitsogo carve figures whose primary purpose is to guard the relics of ancestors. They also practice bwiti, which is an observed practice of various other peoples throughout Gabon.