Notion of the Trinity and Triadic Thought in the Fang People of Gabon

The sociohistorical & cultural changes that the Fang people have undergone in their migrations from Cameroon toward Gabon reveal an ethno-religious concern with the notion of the trinity & show triadic thought to be a universal phenomenon. Relying on their own mythology & adding new cultural elements, the Fang have created a new religious form. It has syncretic characteristics as a result of the mixing of beliefs taken from the Fang, the Mitsogho, & Christianity. Among many other elements of cult & faith, the syncretic sects have developed the ancient notion of the Fang trinity & have broadened the function of each of its persons. The Catholic trinity has been reinterpreted by the 3 hypostases of the Fang trinity, keeping however, the same characteristics that the popular Christian religious experience reveals. The trinity remains then, the subject either of theological speculation, or of myths that are known by the fully initiated. The Angome Ebogha Gningone Mebeghe sect of Oyem is a living example of this attitude. To preserve the essential element of African life, fertility, & the idea of continuous creating, this sect has identified the person of the Holy Spirit to the Blessed Virgin, endowing her with motherhood in its spiritual dimension. 9 Figures. Modified HA.