Congo power figure Nkisi Nkondi Sold
A
Congo Nkisi collected between 1945-1952 by Roger Londoy.
H= 28 cm
Price = sold
Wood, rotan, glass in the eyes, kaolin in the ears, feathers,
...
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Nkondi are representations of the
nkisi spirits who try to deter witches, evil-doers and others whose aim is to
upset social harmony. In this role, the nkisi nkondi assist the chief, whose
first duty is to maintain justice. The
Kongo and other culturally related ethnic groups — the Yombe, Woyo, Vili,
Solongo and Sundi — inhabit the Lower Zaïre area between the Atlantic coast
and Malebo Pool. This region, which once constituted the historic kingdom of
Kongo, is at present part of Angola (with the Cabinda enclave), the Congo and Zaïre.
The ancient kingdom of Kongo, with Mbanza Kongo as its capital, was probably
founded at the end of the fourteenth century. When the Portuguese reached the Zaïre
estuary in 1482-1483, the country was a prospering political and economic
centre. The king was at the head of a complex system of government, composed of
a number of districts and provinces. The districts were governed directly by the
king and his next of kin, while the provinces remained under the authority of
the long-established aristocracy. In time, some independent kingdoms were
founded in the area; sixteenth-century sources mention not only the kingdom of
Kongo but also those of Loango, Ngoyo and Vungu.
The territorial supremacy of the Kongo rulers gradually declined as a result
of political intrigues, disputes related to succession, invasions and the
slave-trade. By about 1710 the Kongo kingdom had disintegrated into small
chieftainships. From the eighteenth century and through the nineteenth century a
complete political about-face took place. The idea of a kingdom as a political
institution become a myth; all that remained was a cultural unity.
The European presence in the region, from the fifteenth century onwards, led
to the conversion of the Kongo court and the establishment of catholicism as the
state religion. However, traditional rituals and religious institutions were not
entirely supplanted; rather, Western elements were selectively integrated into
existing traditions. During the colonial period, concerted efforts by
missionaries and authorities led to the suppression but not to the disuse of
minkisi (figurines and objects invested with special powers). The Kongo
continue, unobtrusively, to resort to them. Their spectacular rituals and
dramatic enactments, however, are events of the past.
Within African art, Kongo art is known for its realism, characterized by a
lifelike rendering of the human face. Western elements have been integrated into
some statues. This European influence was most apparent in the region from 1860
onwards.
Nkisi are usually anthropomorphic or zoomorphic figures (dogs), and are made by
a sculptor and a nganga (ritual specialist). The nkondi receives the nganga's
supernatural potential when a receptacle containing magical substances and
sealed with a shell or mirror is attached to its head or belly. Nails are driven
into the figure to validate each oath or appeal for retaliation, and they
gradually transform the nkondi's appearance. As a result, they were seen as
malevolent, savage instruments (inappropriately called "nail
fetishes") that were used indiscriminately, whereas in fact this aggressive
"decorating" was carried out to right specific injustices.
Description source : Ritual
Messengers: African Treasures from the Tervuren Museum
+32- 3-227.35.40
