ABSTRACT
The grasslands of Cameroon and the tropical forests of Gabon and Zaire are the homelands of various centralized and noncentralized groups, all of whom speak languages of the Benue-Congo subgroup of the Niger-Congo family. In the central and southern Fang areas, the Betsi, Okak, and Mvai substyles tend toward a bulkier, broad-headed figure sculpture, with the Betsi and Upper Okano regions having a type of sculpture where only a carved head is used on reliquary boxes and bundles. The royal art tradition of the Bamum of the Cameroon Grasslands is one of the most elaborate and decorative traditions found anywhere in Africa. The Kuba peoples consist of several related groups living between the Kasai and Sankuru Rivers in central Zaire. Kuba royal art is frequently associated with a sumptuous display of the king, surrounded by art objects symbolizing his high status.
