Fang

Fang, ethnic group of Cameroon, Gabon, and Equatorial Guinea. The Fang, a Bantu-speaking people (see Niger-Congo Languages), occupy southern Cameroon, much of mainland Equatorial Guinea, and northern Gabon. They are a dominant group in the region, despite the fact that they are relatively recent migrants. The Fang are also referred to as the Fan or Pahouin. They can be divided into three linguistic groups: the Fang proper, the Bulu, and the Beti. Each of these groups can be further divided into several ethnic subgroups.

Although scholars originally believed that the Fang came from the upper Nile River, most now agree that they split from other Bantu-speaking groups and migrated to northern Cameroon around the 7th or 8th century. From there they migrated further south-west to the coastal regions in the 19th century. Though the evidence of the exact causes is contested, pressures from other groups, such as the Hausa, and attempts to flee the trans-Saharan slave trade played a part as did trade and the belief that the Europeans were rich spirits from the sea. Successful hunters and renowned warriors, the patrilineal Fang pushed such groups as the Ndowe further to the coast and settled in the interior forests as farmers. The large patriarchal clans of polygamous families in the south had little centralized political authority, whereas their counterparts in the north had clan chiefs and were more centralized.

The transatlantic and trans-Saharan slave trades from the 16th to the 19th century took thousands of Fang from the region as others, such as the Ndowe, acted as middlemen (see Atlantic Slave Trade). To secure control over trade in the interior, the Ndowe spread the rumour that the Fang were cannibals, something European missionaries were convinced of when they found skulls in Fang households. In fact, the Fang practised endo-cannibalism, that is, they ate parts of deceased persons in order to gain the deceased person's qualities. Spiritual beliefs, including ancestor worship, also influenced the methods and styles of Fang iron working and woodcarving. These trades and crafts were largely destroyed by European influence.

Under Spanish and French colonial rule, some Fang participated in the ivory trade, while others worked as labourers on cocoa plantations. Many Fang adopted Christianity, although syncretistic and more traditional religious sects such as the Bwiti became popular. In French-ruled Cameroon and Gabon, the Fang often cooperated with the administration, came to dominate the military and civil service, and consequently received economic and educational benefits. In Spanish Guinea (now Equatorial Guinea), colonial officials favoured the Bubi and perpetuated the myth of Fang primitivism. However, many Fang joined the military, which they later used as a power base to control independent Equatorial Guinea. Some Fang resisted outright European intrusion and in 1926 formed the Elar-ayong movement in Cameroon to create unity within the Fang nation. Most Fang elite were conservative nationalists, preferring a slow transfer of power. Fang politicians have dominated the governments of several countries since independence: Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and, to a somewhat lesser degree, the more ethnically heterogeneous Cameroon.