Wood

The Ngata or Ntomba people are part of the Bantu tribal group within the Republic of Congo, Africa. The worship of ancestors played a central part in the traditional religion of the Ngata. Ancestor reliquary figures called bonganga-nganga are carved from exotic wood and reserved for the leaders of a closed society called Bonganga. The backless, box-like figures were carved during a period of up to four months in a secret forest dwelling called esata.