NANGBENI BLAST FURNACES

They are the most numerous in the region, there would be more than a hundred of them. The extraction of the ore is generally done in the open air. The oven measures about 120 cm in diameter and is 2 to 3 meters high. The construction of the furnace involves magical rites that allow the delimitation of its circumference. A deep pit is then dug in which gris-gris are placed. The oven itself is composed of successive layers of clay and roots.