The Ngil (ni - jil) mask originated from an agrarian/hunting group known as the Fang people, located in the countries of Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, and Cameroon.
These masks were worn during the initiation of new members into the group or while policing communities.[1] They are crafted with wood, which is then covered with a layer of soft white clay that is called Kaolinite. Often strips of raffia, which are pieces of fiber from the raffia palm, are attached to the mask. The white color of these masks is associated with things like the spirits of ancestors, death, and male virility or manhood.[2] Most Ngil masks are an oval shape featuring a broad forehead with an elongated chin and nose. One of the defining characteristics are high rounded brows and a smooth, long face which may have meant to reflect the Ngil Society's name, which means "gorilla". Depending on the mask, there are often strips of fiber or raffia attached to the chin or around the face.
The Ngil were a secret male society within the Fang people tasked with protecting and administering justice, as well as keeping peace between clans and villages.[3] The Ngil society took part in rituals and ceremonies that were intended to discourage people of the community that might have evil intentions and fight off witchcraft.[4] This group and its traditions however, were outlawed in the late 1920s by French authorities.[5]