Title
Power Figure (Nkisi Nkondi)
Description
Kongo spiritual thought was dominated by the dualistic concept of natural order and oppositional chaos which were kept in balance by the chief, ancestors, and the individual, acting in societally prescribed manners.
With a breakdown in this balance, inauspicious events such as sickness, infertility or unexpected calamities occurred and were regarded as proof of witchcraft or evil sorcery, or conversely, the failure of the individual to obey the social mores that maintain stability. In such a case, a ritual expert or Nganga was required to rectify the problem.
The role of the Nganga was to prescribe a specific charm, or nkisi (plural minkisi), consisting of a plethora of materials based on sympathetic magic that when added together and ‘activated’ by some means at the Nganga’s disposal would serve as an effective countermeasure to rebalance the natural forces gone awry.
Most minkisi were little more than packets containing various organic and inorganic materials such as remains of predatory animals or stones and sand from the graves of powerful chiefs. However, in certain cases, the form taken was that of a human or animal figure empowered as an nkisi by the insertion of the prescribed materials into cavities in the body or added to the body of the figure itself.
This nkisi figure is masterfully carved as a naturalistic standing male; his face strong and aggressive, and his hair a complex of feathers and other organic objects in a complex coif. The body is covered by a large quantity of various magical materials. The figure is ‘empowered’ by the addition of the nkisi charm in its belly and possibly in other cavities as well. The addition of white pigment to the face connects the nkisi with the spirit world.
With a breakdown in this balance, inauspicious events such as sickness, infertility or unexpected calamities occurred and were regarded as proof of witchcraft or evil sorcery, or conversely, the failure of the individual to obey the social mores that maintain stability. In such a case, a ritual expert or Nganga was required to rectify the problem.
The role of the Nganga was to prescribe a specific charm, or nkisi (plural minkisi), consisting of a plethora of materials based on sympathetic magic that when added together and ‘activated’ by some means at the Nganga’s disposal would serve as an effective countermeasure to rebalance the natural forces gone awry.
Most minkisi were little more than packets containing various organic and inorganic materials such as remains of predatory animals or stones and sand from the graves of powerful chiefs. However, in certain cases, the form taken was that of a human or animal figure empowered as an nkisi by the insertion of the prescribed materials into cavities in the body or added to the body of the figure itself.
This nkisi figure is masterfully carved as a naturalistic standing male; his face strong and aggressive, and his hair a complex of feathers and other organic objects in a complex coif. The body is covered by a large quantity of various magical materials. The figure is ‘empowered’ by the addition of the nkisi charm in its belly and possibly in other cavities as well. The addition of white pigment to the face connects the nkisi with the spirit world.
Creator
Bakongo
Source
Allen Memorial Art Museum, Gift in honor of Alexandra Gould (OC 2011)
Date
20th century
Format
Wood, cloth, feathers, ritual materials, bush rope, animal fur, glass, and nails
Overall: 21 × 4 1/2 × 4 1/2 in. (53.3 × 11.4 × 11.4 cm)
Overall: 21 × 4 1/2 × 4 1/2 in. (53.3 × 11.4 × 11.4 cm)
Type
Figure
Identifier
2011.26.43