Maison Assiga
Initiation into the Bwiti Missoko, on the Pointe-Denis peninsula
Between estuary and ocean, the forest keeps the temple. The same lineage has initiated here since 1800, for eleven generations.
Vigils led by the most recognised customary chiefs and spiritual fathers of the Bwiti Missoko in Gabon. Eight participants at most; medical file reviewed beforehand by independent doctors.
Initiation · Coastal Gabon
Maison Assiga. The Bwiti has been handed down here since 1800.
Eleven days of rites and vigils on the lands of the Assiga clan, between estuary and forest. Customary chiefs and spiritual fathers guide each initiate, as the lineage has for eleven generations.
The spirit of the temple
A sanctuary kept from oblivion
Pointe-Denis is not a place to stay: it is a sacred threshold. Here the Bwiti is not watched, it is lived. Guided by the customary chiefs, each initiate enters a rigorous, peaceful introspection, carried by the songs, the ngombi harp and the steady swell of the Atlantic.
Eight participants at most, one session a month: everyone finds their place, in spiritual intimacy and in full physical and psychological safety, throughout the night rituals.
The sacred way
The initiatory journey
1/5Welcome at the airport and transfer to the portA personal welcome as you step off the aircraft in Libreville, then fast track: escort to the Okoumé VIP lounge, help with visa formalities, baggage collection, and a chauffeur to the port of Libreville (15 minutes). 2/5Crossing to Pointe-DenisTransfer to Pointe-Denis by motorised pirogue: large, stable, covered boats, with life jackets on board. 3/5Welcome at the hotelWelcome at our partner hotel, by the beach. Lunch and dinner included. 4/5Dinner on the beachAt sunset, dinner on the hotel beach by lantern light. 5/5The first nightNight in a single or shared room. 
1/13Leaving at dawnAt 6 a.m., the Ngangas and the interpreter wake you and take you with the rest of the group by pirogue to the Royal Domain (10 minutes). 
2/13The men's bathOnce at the Royal Domain, spiritual purification baths at the Bwèndzè. The men's and the women's baths are strictly separate. Each person pours their own bucket of water over themselves, like a shower. 
3/13The women's bathThe women have their own bath, apart, with the spiritual mothers: each pours her own bucket of water over herself. 
4/13The customary passportThe authorities of the Royal Domain issue your customary passport at the checkpoint. 
5/13Back to the hotelBack by pirogue to our partner hotel for breakfast, packing and lunch. 
6/13The siestaBack to your room at 2 p.m. for a siesta until 6 p.m. 
7/13Leaving for the Royal DomainAt 6 p.m., check-out, collection of luggage and departure from the partner hotel for the Royal Domain: two pirogues, one for the guests and one for the luggage, cross to the other bank at Pointe-Denis, towards the Domain, inland, on the Pongara park side. 
8/13The smoke bathArrival at 6.15 p.m. As night falls, the smoke bath (fumigation): a Nganga fans over you the smoke of a fire of medicinal leaves. 
9/13The steam bathThen, until 7.30 p.m., the steam bath: seated beneath a large cloth, above a pot of medicinal plants, each person takes in the steam beside a Nganga. 
10/13Drying by the fireThen everyone dries off by the fire, the men on one side, the women on the other. 
11/13The torchlit walkAt nightfall, departure for the village escorted by the Ngangas and the traditional Mopeto torches: 15 minutes along the path to the village. 
12/13The guard postArrival at the guard post, deep in the forest: presentation of the customary passports; the guard checks the stamps, then stamps each passport. 
13/13Arrival at the templeArrival at the temple to the sound of the Bwiti drums (Missomba, Ndoungou and Moubenda). The welcome ceremony begins inside the temple, under the supervision of Jacques Makaya Zimamo, the princess's son, the customary chiefs and the spiritual fathers and mothers of the Bwiti. Day 2: Settling in, the first ceremony
Sacred night
Day 3: Contemplation
A day of introspection in your room: back around 4 or 5 a.m., a breakfast of fruit, a visit from the doctor, a conversation with the traditional chiefs and the Myene–English interpreter, rest, lunch and dinner served in your room.
1/12The morning showerOn waking, the shower: each person pours the water from their own bucket with a ladle, behind a screen, men and women separately. 
2/12BreakfastThen breakfast, taken together in the village: eggs, fresh salad, coconut, watermelon and sealed bottled water. 
3/12The forest walkThen a walk in nature: members of the Mpongwe tribe and a Nganga lead you into the forest of the Assiga clan lands to meet its wildlife. 
4/12Medicinal plantsA Nganga introduces you to the medicinal plants of the forest: leaves, bark and roots. 
5/12Traditional fishingFishing the traditional way, with woven basket traps, in the forest streams. 
6/12TrapsThe elders lived from hunting, fishing, gathering and raising chickens, sheep, goats and gazelles. The Mpongwe guides show you the different traditional traps they used: the liana snare, the log deadfall, the covered pit, the hunting net and the woven cage. 
7/12FireLearning to light a fire the traditional way. 
8/12GatheringGathering plants and resin to make the Mopeto torches and for the spiritual dinner. 
9/12Offerings for the departedEarly in the evening, offerings for the departed of the Rapontchombo family at the family burial ground, in thanks for the welcome. 
10/12The evening showerAfter the offerings, the evening shower: each person pours the water from their own bucket with a ladle, behind a screen, men and women separately. 
11/12The vigilA vigil by the fire and a spiritual dinner. 12/12SleepThen everyone returns to their room for the night. Day 4: The forest and its wildlife
1/6The dance lessonIn the morning, after breakfast, a Bwiti dance lesson with the Ngangas. 
2/6The showerAfter the dance, everyone showers with a ladle and the water from their own bucket, behind a screen, men and women separately. 
3/6LunchLunch taken together in the village. 
4/6RestRest in your room to centre yourself before the vigil. 
5/6The check-upBefore the vigil, the doctor visits your room for a check-up. 
6/6The pre-initiationAt nightfall, the second Bwiti ceremony. You lie down in the temple, by the light of the Mopeto torches, on a jute mat or a mattress, as you choose, to travel in the spiritual world, surrounded by the Ngangas performing the Bwiti: drums (Missomba, Ndoungou and Moubenda), songs, rattles (Sokè), mouth bow (mongongo) and harp (ngombi). The pre-initiation opens the way to the great night. Day 5: The pre-initiation
Sacred night
1/7CockcrowAt cockcrow, at dawn, each person is walked back to their own room to continue the work of self-study. 2/7The doctor's visitA doctor visits each room to check vital signs. 
3/7The consultationsThe traditional fathers visit the rooms with the interpreter for consultations. 
4/7BreakfastA fresh coconut and fruit are brought to your room for breakfast. 
5/7LunchFor lunch, fresh salads are served in your room. 
6/7DinnerIn the evening, dinner is served in your room by lamplight. 7/7BedtimeThen you fall asleep in your room. Day 6: Integration
1/9A morning of restA morning of rest in your room, after the nights of ceremony. 
2/9LunchLunch taken together in the village. 
3/9The museumIn the afternoon, a visit to the King Denis museum on the Royal Domain. 
4/9The mangroveThen the pirogue slips into the mangrove. 
5/9The wildlifeMeeting the wildlife: birds, crocodiles, monkeys and crabs among the roots. 
6/9Offerings to the water spiritsA Nganga lays the offerings to the water spirits on the water. 
7/9DinnerIn the evening, dinner in the village. 
8/9The campfireA campfire with the fathers and mothers of the Bwiti. 9/9SleepThen everyone returns to their room for the night. Day 7: The mangrove
1/11BreakfastBreakfast in the village. 
2/11Dance rehearsalA short rehearsal of the Bwiti dance with a Nganga. 3/11The showerAfter the dance, the ladle shower behind a screen, men and women separately. 
4/11LunchA light lunch before the great night. 5/11The siestaA siesta in your room until the evening. 
6/11The smoke bathAt nightfall, before leaving for the temple, the smoke bath: a Nganga fans the smoke of medicinal leaves over you. 
7/11The steam bathThen the steam bath (Ifoulou): seated beneath a large cloth, above a pot of plants. 
8/11The purification bathThen the purification bath: the iron buckets heat on the fire, one per person, each carries their own behind their screen, men and women separately. 
9/11The preparationAt nightfall, before the vigil, the preparation with the mothers of the Bwiti: painting with kaolin and ochre, done with the fingers, dressing, the Maboundi preparation. 
10/11Back from the riverAt night, the return from the river to the village by the light of the Mopeto torches, dressed as Banzi. 
11/11The great nightThe great night, in the temple: Bwiti rites with the Ngangas of the tribe. Day 8: The initiation
Sacred night
1/7The morning after the initiationOn the morning after the initiation, freed, the initiates walk upright across the Royal Domain, surrounded by the Ngangas. 
2/7BreakfastBreakfast shared with the tribe, in the temple. 3/7LunchLunch is served in your room. 4/7The showerAfter lunch, the ladle shower behind the screen, men and women separately. 
5/7IntrospectionThen introspection in your room. 
6/7The vigilA vigil by the fire. 7/7SleepThen everyone returns to their room for the night. Day 9: Returning to oneself
1/8RestA morning of rest in your room. 
2/8BreakfastA last breakfast in the village. 3/8The showerThe ladle shower, behind the screen. 
4/8DepartureBy pirogue to our partner hotel. 
5/8LunchLunch at the partner hotel. 
6/8Check-inSettling into your room at the hotel. 
7/8DinnerDinner on the hotel beach, weather permitting. 
8/8Good nightGood night. Day 10: Rest
1/6BreakfastBreakfast on the beach of the partner hotel. 
2/6The crossingThe return crossing to Libreville by launch. 
3/6The transferTransport to Libreville airport, drop-off included. 
4/6Check-inHelp with check-in. 
5/6FarewellAccompaniment as far as passport control. 
6/6Take-offThe plane takes off from Libreville: the end of the journey, the way home. Day 11: Departure
The journey ends; the way goes on.
Guardians of the passage
Customary chiefs and spiritual fathers
Senator and guardian of the family’s cultural heritage, Marie-Anne Ankombie Rapontchombo watches over the family sanctuary at Pointe-Denis. The initiations there stay faithful to the rites of the Bwiti Missoko, handed down in the lineage since 1800.
At her side, her descendants and the great customary chiefs consecrated in different branches of the Bwiti, spiritual fathers and mothers invited by the House: ngangas initiated from childhood into the sacred chants, the ngombi harp, the mongongo and the plant therapies of Gabon’s great equatorial forest.
“The Bwiti is a sacred mirror. One finds no beliefs there; one finds one’s own truth again.”
Every initiation is held under the spiritual protection of King Denis, between his temple and his burial ground.
Heir to the lineage, son of HRH Princess Marie-Anne Ankombie Rapontchombo, consecrated to the Bwiti Missoko: he oversees every initiation and carries the transmission forward.
Alongside Jacques Makaya Zimamo, he leads the night of the vigils, guides the chants and keeps the rule of the temple, as the Missoko asks of the spiritual father.
He initiated Jérôme Mouele Niangou and passed on to him the charge received from his own initiator. Gone to join the ancestors, he remains in the lineage: every vigil honours his memory.
A memory kept
Their collections keep our history
From the musée du quai Branly to the Metropolitan Museum in New York, from the British Museum to the Library of Congress, the world’s great institutions hold the portraits, the objects and the deeds of the lineage. That memory has a land: the one where the initiation is lived.
Browse the archivesMuseums and libraries
In the press
2027 sessions
The next sessions
Eleven days on the Domain, eight guests at most, a Myene–English interpreter at your side. Requests are reviewed in the order they arrive.
Next session
May
12 – 22 may 2027
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14 – 24 june 2027
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18 – 28 july 2027
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16 – 26 august 2027
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