Front full view
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Side full view
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Back full view
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Details of the torso
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The Kongo occupy the region at the mouth of the Congo River and they number about three million people. Present in three countries; Democratic Republic of the Congo, Angola and the Congo Republic.
Nail and mirror fetishes are a unique and important phenomenon of Kongo sculpture. In the Kongo, all these fetishes are called nkisi.
At most basic, the nkisi represents a container of empowering materials or “medicines” called bilongo. The magical substances may be blood along with animal, vegetable, and mineral matters. They are believed to invest the fetish figure with power and make it possible for the devotee to establish contact with the spirit.
The “medicines” are generally secured in cavities in the stomach, head, or back to activate the work with the empowering agent. The nkisi properly endowed with magic substances and additions by the nganga or doctor had the power to act in a number of ways.
There are four main types of nkisi, used for different purposes. Nkondi are fetishes of ill omen, usually brandishing a spear or a knife, while npezo are just as evil, but less menacing in attitude. Na moganga are benevolent figures, which protect against sickness and dangerous spirits; they help the hunter and the warrior; while mbula protect against witchcraft.
Approximate dimensions: 116 cm (H) x 28 cm (W) x 24 cm (D)
Weight: 11 kg
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