Bapounou

The Bapounou live in the country of Gabonese Republic or more commonly known as Gabon since the year 1960. Before then Gabon was one of the four territories of the French Equatorial Africa. Gabon is 102,317 square miles or about the size of Colorado. The population is over 1.3 million. The capital is Libreville, which means, “free town.” The government is Republic with executive, legislative, and judicial branches. In 1995, the average income was $4,750. In Gabon, cocoa, coffee, and pineapples are the best agricultural assets and petroleum, uranium, and magnesium are very important for their industry as well as trade. The United States relationship with Gabon is very good partly because of our investments and the imports we receive from them. Gabon however has not participated in any international peace efforts. Gabon landscape consists of a narrow coastal plain, abundant forests, and savannas. There are two rainy seasons and two dry seasons annually in Gabon. The life expectancy rate is currently 52 years and they have an infant mortality rate of 60 per 1000. The national dish is rice served in a spicy sauce with a variety of bush meats, which could include antelope, monkey, porcupine, and snake.

During the last 700 years, Bantu groups began arriving in Gabon because of enemies or in search of new land. The Bapounou are just one of the 40 Bantu tribes living in Gabon. There are eight different ethnic groups in Gabon, which is defined by language, and there are tribes distinguished by dialect in each group. The Bapounou belong to the Eshira group. The Eshira group is 20% of the Gabonese population because of the Bapounou tribe. There are over 37,000 members of the Bapounou tribe. The Eshira group came to Gabon from the south. The majority of Bapounou reside in Nyanga and in southern Ngounie’. Because of this location, most of the goods purchased come from Congo. It is because of the Europeans that transportation has become more available and frequent in these areas. Tribal life as a Bantu is similar to the Masaii in that boys and girls belong to age groups. It is in these age groups that they form alliances and friendships. Circumcision is also very common practice. In these tribes it is very common for a husband to pay a dowry to the wife’s family. It is the responsibility of the men to clear the land, build the hut, and to perform the outside work. The women tend to the housework as well as the planting. Each Bantu tribe is typical known for a different mask design. These mask are used in rituals which keep them in touch with the world of the dead. Today these masks are considered more artistic than religious and can be seen at many museums.

Author: Tristina Brown

Though this page has been carefully researched, the author does not claim expertise on the Bapounou.

Please send questions, comments, and corrections to emuseum@mnsu.edu and include the URL.

If you are Bapounou, your feedback is much appreciated.

Works Cited

Bureau of Public Affairs. (1997). Background Notes: Gabon. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.

“Gabon.” Lonely Planet http://www.lonelyplanet.com/worldguide/destinations/africa/gabon/ 04 March 2001.

Gabon. Map. Washington: United States Central Intelligence Agency, 1968.:p>

Naval Intelligence Division. (1942). French Equatorial Africa. Oxford: University Press.

Weinstein, Brian. (1966). Gabon: Nation Building on the Ogooue. Cambridge: M.I.T. Press.

Masks can be viewed at the following addresses: