NKISI, wooden fetish power figure, BAKONGO, Dem. Rep. Congo, Africa

The Nkisi carved of hard light-coloured wood, standing firmly on a rounded plinth, with the upper body slightly bent forward, around the neck many bundles of cloth and the head with the eyes inlaid with pieces of mirror. The whole body covered with sacrificial and magic objects and materials (called bilongo). Bilongo consisted of various ingredients of the natural environment including red clay , red wood powder tukula, white clay pembe, charcoal, mushrooms and sometimes also human nails, hair, teeth. On its back the Nkisi carries a woven bag of rattan strips, equally filled with magic material, on the belly also a bilongo container and strings of cloth in the mouth. Bilongo most likely will also be present in the bundles of cloth around the neck. Once the priest (called nganga) had charged up the power figure with such material, he made it effective by carrying out special rituals. Thenceforth, the nkisi would protect its owner and his family from illness, witchcraft, theft and all other misfortune. The Bakongo are a large ethnic group living mainly in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. When in the 16th-century for the first time Christian missionaries came to Central Africa, the local people appeared also to believe in a creator absolute god. The early missionaries did spread the idea that the local absolute God was the same as the Christian God and they did use local language words to integrate Christian ideas, such as using the words “nkisi” to mean “holy”, “nzo a nkisi” did mean “church” or “another shrine” and “mukanda nkisi” was “the Bible” or a “charm”. The size is 25 centimeters high and the weight is 497 gram. The condition is as pictured with especial on the surface a lot of age related damage and loss of sacrificial material. Items can be returned for any reason or no reason at all. Your satisfaction is my first priority. I do ship worldwide. The actual shipping fee will be charged, for Europe it will be no more than 21,00 USD and for the rest of the world it will be no more than 28,00 USD. I do combine shipping if possible.