bieri
- noun
- Specialized
- During the ceremony, the bieri was placed at the center of the altar to honor the spirits.
- bieri reliquary
- bieri guardian
- bieri figure
Examples
-
The magnitude of loss was and continues to be deeply felt in central Africa, as few bieri reliquaries have remained on the continent.
Academic text (2010) -
There are, however, clear traces of the bieri tradition in Bwiti practice.
Academic text (2010) -
Soon, the pastor comes out with the bieri in hand, but no one remains.
Academic text (2010) -
"It's my bieri, I cannot renounce it!"
Academic text (2010) -
The Chief then uses the body parts of the dead as offerings to the bieri, hoping to ensure his future blessings.
Academic text (2010) -
Other stories also included the renunciation or disappearance of the bieri as a condition for conversion.
Academic text (2010) -
In this work and others, Fang Bieri figures centrally.
Academic text (2010) -
In contemporary discussions about bieri in Gabon, there is frequently a clear link made between the ownership of bones.
Academic text (2010) -
Throughout this four-act drama, the bieri reliquary precipitates action.
Academic text (2010) -
One of the tenets of Bwiti is that adherents must get rid of their bieri.
Academic text (2010)
Surface Forms
Etymology
Bieri comes from the Fang people of Central Africa and names a carved wooden figure used in their spiritual rituals to honour ancestors. Think of a bieri as a 'family guardian' or 'spirit container' placed with ancestral objects to protect memory and guide the community, which is why it is both a work of art and an important ritual object.
