The Punu or Bapunu, are a Bantu meta-ethnicity of Central Africa, mainly in Gabon and a small population in Republic of Congo
They are one of the four major people of Gabon, inhabiting interior mountain and grassland areas. They are around the upper N'Gounié and Nyanga Rivers in Gabon.
Globally, this group totals 322,500 in 2 countries. (Peoplegroups.org, 2023)
Language: Punu (Bantu).
Neighbouring Peoples: Ashira, Mpongwe, Lumbo, Kota, Fang, Kongo
Although not much is known about the history of the Punu, linguistic evidence suggests that they moved into their current location from an area to the north, possibly driven southward by the Kota and Fang who moved into the area just north of Punu territory in recent centuries. This area had been occupied by various Pygmy peoples prior to Bantu expansion. Punu art forms suggest a connection with their neighbours that may have emerged from a shared history or simply through contact.
According to Magang-Ma-Mbuju and Mbumb Bwass the Punu people come from the people called «Jagas» and come from Kasaï and Zambezi. According to them, it was the Punu people who had invaded the kingdom of Kongo in 1568 and they were known as Jagas.
Claude Hélène Perrot said that before the publication of the work of these two authors (Magang-Ma-Mbuju and Mbumb Bwass), many studies devoted to the Jagas problem had shown that this warrior group was of diverse origins, B.M. Batsikama and M. Ipari had concluded that the invaders of Mbanza Kongo in 1568 were populations of Kongo origin. The Punu people migrated into The Republic of the Congo in the 16th century and migrated into Southern Gabon in the 18th century.
Punu (Sira) culture is one of the traditional matrilineal cultures of Africa. Punu art is wide-ranging and renowned, especially for the tradition of crafting bronze and Wooden Masks and divers artifactes.
Some of their most important mythological stories is called Nyambye Mbumba the creator of the universe, literally meaning "the Serpent God", also known as Ouroboros in most creation myths in the old world.
Elements of Punu culture also include, Punu art, Raphia cloth, Punu Sira seasonal Calendar, Punu Chieftaincy, Punu Masks, Punu Dances, Punu Palm wine festival, Punu tribal musical instruments and Punu religion.
The dwelling in the northern areas is usually circular with a conical roof and in the southern part, especially in the savannah, the quadrangular type with a ridge or tortoise shell roof is used. The villages usually present a long street whose sides are lined with huts. In all of them there is a special house called the Council House where the elders meet to make their decisions.
The Punu have never formed supra-tribal organizations, so each village enjoys autonomy and is directed by the head of the land, who is the one who distributes it and who organizes community work. If, when a chief or an animal dies, it is thought that there is a curse or an epidemic spreads, the village is immediately abandoned and goes elsewhere to build a new one.
Funeral rites acquire a special dimension in this town. Death does not exist, but is a product of magic and the person is not dead, but bewitched or asleep. If they bury it, it is because they are afraid of seeing it corrupt; the corpse is wrapped in blankets, a symbol of wealth, worn by those who attend funerals. The deceased is buried with all his belongings near a cabin or where the "deceased" worked and food, drink and gifts are brought to him.
No sign is left, so in time the grave disappears under the tall grass. If after death there are misfortunes in the village or something inexplicable, the deceased is blamed; then he goes to his grave and talks to him. If the unrest continues, he is dug up and threatened with burning.
The birth of twins was considered a bad omen that would bring terrible evils; For this reason, one of them was killed and buried in a beautiful tomb, venerating him and showering him with gifts.
Believing that they have done something wrong, the relatives are afraid and do everything possible so that this tomb is not abandoned or destroyed.
The meaning of death is also present in its most representative artistic manifestation, such as the white mask with scarifications and a black or red mouth that symbolizes the female spectrum. It is used at funerals by the Okuyi society and its bearer dances acrobatically on tall stilts, frightening those present and creating an atmosphere of mystery.
The Punu believe in their God Nyambye, they feared evil spirits, they used to do chirurgical operations after someone death to find out the cause of the dealth however if the cause of the late person could not be found it was then the wizard (mulosi) from the family circle who should be held responsible. People were jealous of successful people and they believe that their jealousy would cause the successful person harm or death. Illness was always seen as a work of an evil spirit and the only way to heal was by a special ritual to cast away the evil spirit's work.
There is very little known about the Punu religion, but similarly to their neighbors to the north, the Fang and Kota, the Punu carve wooden reliquary figures which are stylistically different, but similarly attached to a basket carrying the bones of individual family ancestors. This seems to indicate a similarity in religious practices in regard to ancestor worship. There is also an abundance of female masks in this area. Several reports from early travelers in this area link those masks to the Mukui society, about which very little is known. Other reports link them to dances celebrating the female ancestors of the Punu peoples.
Bwiti is a spiritual discipline of the forest-dwelling Punu people and Mitsogo peoples of Gabon (where it is recognized as one of three official religions) and by the Fang people of Gabon. Modern Bwiti incorporates animism, ancestor worship, and in some cases, Christianity, into a syncretistic belief system.
Bwiti practitioners use the psychedelic, dissociative root bark of the Tabernanthe iboga plant, specially cultivated for the religion, to promote radical spiritual growth, to stabilize community and family structure, to meet religious requirements, and to resolve pathological problems. The root bark has been consumed for hundreds of years in a Bwiti rite of passage ceremony, as well as in initiation rites and acts of healing. The experience yields complex visions and insights anticipated to be valuable to the initiate and the chapel.
Taking Iboga brings both open and closed-eye visions which can be made stronger by darkness, ambiance, and suggestion. Following the visions, users experience an introspective mindset in which they often recount past experiences in life. Difficulty sleeping, nausea, and vomiting sometimes last until the day after consumption.
Bwiti ceremonies are led by a spiritual leader called N'ganga who is a very important member of the community and has extensive knowledge of traditional healing practices, hexes, and spells. The crucial rite of Bwiti is the initiation ceremony, when young Gabonese women and men take iboga for the first time in the huts specific to each gender to become members of the spiritual practice. There are many ceremonies at different times of the year to give homage to the ancestors. Special ceremonies may be held to heal sick persons or drive out malevolent spirits.
During some ceremonies, a traditional torch made of bark and tree sap, the mupeto, is burned. Music and dance are central to the Bwiti tradition. Participants sing and play drums and shakers. Some traditions use the Ngombi harp, while other use the traditional Mongongo. The N'ganga and other participants usually dress in red, black, and white cloth. They may wear skirts of raffia material and small shells or beads. Animal skins, such as Genet fur, are often worn. The iboga root may be made into a tea or more often taken in the form of scrapings. Ceremonies usually begin at night and may last for days since the effects of doses of the drug of the size employed in such ceremonies are particularly long lasting.
The Bwiti religion originated among the Pygmies, who discovered the effects of consuming the second layer of the iboga root. Pygmies – mainly the Mbenge ethnic group in Gabon (Aka, Gyele, Bongo, Baka and Kola groups) – have observed the special effect of iboga in mountain gorillas that chewed the root. After small doses of crushed iboga root, the Pygmy hunters were able to cover a noticeably longer distance, carry a heavier load and not sleep for several days. Larger doses of iboga lead to significant hallucinations, and the dose used for the Bwiti initiation causes temporary unconsciousness. Exceeding this dose – in relation to the weight and health of the person – will cause death.
The initiation ritual is important for the Gabonese: it is during this ritual that they are initiated into the Bwiti religion and consume iboga for the first time in their lives. After successfully completing the initiation ritual, they can consume iboga throughout their life, whether during festivities, treatment, or for their personal spiritual development. The initiation ritual in Gabon usually takes three to seven days (depending on the area). The common characteristics of the initiation ritual in various areas are monotonous music with a repetitive melody, purification, vomiting, fasting, censing and receiving a drug from the iboga root. The initiation ritual is sometimes called simply after the shrub the crushed root of which is consumed – iboga. In Gabon, Bwiti is practiced separately as an independent religion, but often together with Catholic Christianity in a syncretized form.
The term "Bwiti" is often misrepresented in the west. This is likely due to a lack of information dissemination (considering it is an oral tradition), appropriation and modification of rites amongst the different populations, and intentional disinformation to keep rites secret. The Pygmy peoples are often cited as the origin of Bwiti, or at least of the use of Iboga in a ritualistic context.
Bwiti is one of Gabon's official traditions. Some sects are influenced by Christianity, and include the use of the Christian calendar.
Punu economy is based on shifting hoe farming conducted in fields that have been carved out of the rain forests through slash and burn techniques. This is supplemented when necessary with hunting, fishing, and livestock, such as goats, sheep, and chickens. The surrounding Equatorial forests also provide various fruits, nuts, and tubers for consumption. The main crops include banana, yams, cassava, maize, peanuts, and manioc. Most labor is divided between the sexes, with men doing most of the hunting, gathering and clearing of land and women doing the other agricultural tasks.
The woman performs almost all of the agricultural work and care of the home; while single, she is shown with very little clothing, as she is under no obligation to cover her body.
The Punu live in small villages in the Ogowe River Basin that each include several lineages and are led by a individuals within the community who have inherited their position matrilinearly, rather than by a centralized force.
There is very little known about the Punu religion, but similarly to their neighbours to the north, the Fang and Kota, the Punu carve wooden reliquary figures which are stylistically different, but similarly attached to a basket carrying the bones of individual family ancestors. This seems to indicate a similarity in religious practices in regard to ancestor worship. There is also an abundance of female masks in this area. Several reports from early travellers in this area link those masks to the Mukui society, about which very little is known. Other reports link them to dances celebrating the female ancestors of the Punu peoples.
The most common types of objects found are carved masks, which have been stylistically compared to Japanese art. They also carve standing reliquary figures, which watch over the bones of the deceased.
One of the well known Punu art objects are the white masks with nine dots on the forehead symbolizing the nine Punu clans, now known as the Punu masks.The masks are life size, they can cover a persons face. They are worn by the dancers in south Gabon. When there is a major community event the dancers wear these masks, one major event would be a dance performed for a secret society. Europeans have been trying to discover the Punu society for a long time, but not until June 1865 did the first European discover the first white mask. Later in 1925-30 Europeans had more access to the societies and the secrecy was less than before.
Black masks in Punu culture were worn by dancers as training masks, which perform first to announce the arrival of the white mask dancer which is more experienced. Sometimes when a misfortune happens to a group they take white masks and paint them black. This type of masks in only danced with in the dark at night. Different from the other two masks, these masks are rarely found in a museum because they used to hide them very well. They hid these masks because the belief that they are dangerous and they have an evil nature.
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