Double headed Nkisi Figure – Wood, Nails, Iron – Kongo- Congo

Enormous Nail fetish figure from the Bakongo tribe of DR Congo. Large and heavy figure, total height 120 cm (14 kg). Coming from the Kongo peoples, a Nkisi refers to the spiritual nature of the figure where nkondi refers to the power of the figure itself. Spiritual and religious specialists – along with these figures – become the village protector, legal expert, healer of the sick, revengers and are even able to end disasters.

This particular nkisi nkondi, gets it power from medicinal substances put in cavities cut into the stomach area. Such medicines attract the spirit power and – in turn – the power is used on behalf of the owner or client of the figure. The power can be either negative or positive.
Each nail represents a restitution oath, an agreement, episode in the village history…. or the number of crimes involved in the revenge. The Nkisi figure has a cavity which was used for magical substances, or relics of ancestors. These relics were kept inside the hollow torso of the figure.

Provenance: former private Dutch collection.

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