Court of the Kongo Peoples

Kongo Peoples, Power Figure (Nkisi N’Kondi) c. 1850-1900, wood, paint, metal, resin, ceramic.(image source) 

Nkisi N’Kondi were Central African transformative power figures, or magical charms, used by spiritual specialists, or ngangas, to help solve disputes and bind agreements within the community. These objects acted as important mediators as well as criminal deterrents for their earthly counterparts.


The Nkisi N’Kondi was sometimes represented as an authority figure like a king or an enforcing lord, but it could be carved into an animal as well. The figure in the above image is posed in an aggressive posture with hands on the hips donning a headdress that was worn by chiefs and priests. The remnants of a beard are a rank design exhibiting seniority. These menacing and powerful attributes are what gave the figure its authority to conduct business. (1)


The figures’ head or stomach would have been filled with medicinal herbal ingredients called bilingo. The medicine was then encased with a reflective surface representative of the spiritual realm such as a mirror or piece of glass. The Kongo peoples believed that the herbs were sacred medicines brought to earth by the Great God, Ne Kongo. These herbs known as nkisi represented the spirits and could be called upon or awoken by supernatural forces wielded by the ngana, or priest. They are what empowered the figure with spiritual authority. Different medicinal combinations were used depending on the purpose whether it be benevolent or menacing.(2)


The ngana was a ritual specialist trained in conflict mediation of the body and spirit who oversaw the creation of the nkisi nkondi. Once carved the priest would endow it with power through the chosen nkisi. The ngana would have been the person called upon when an accusation was levied against someone. These disputes were known as mambu. The Ngana would then summon the spirit by driving sharp objects into the figure, activating the spirit within. The type of object used would have alerted the spirit to the severity of the crime. Nkondi refers to the figures’ ability to hunt and if a person was accused of theft for example, then the nkondi would hunt the person down and exact its punishment. The nkisi n’kondi was also used as a way to seal important agreements and punish future violators of the agreement. (3)


Because the nkisi n’kondi belonged to the ngana it would have undergone a significant transformation over time. The number and type of objects nailed into the figure would have been a testament to the priests ability to persuade the supernatural forces to intervene in earthly affairs. It would have been a visual deterrent to those who may be thinking of committing a crime or breaking an agreement. The figure above appears to have been used by a talented ngana due to the number of nails driven into it.  


Sources

  1.“Power Figure (Nkisi N’Kondi: Mangaaka)”, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, accessed February 27, 2021 https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/320053.
  2.Dr. Shawnya L. Harris and Dr. Peri Klemm, "Power Figure (Nkisi Nkondi), Kongo peoples," in Smarthistory, August 9, 2015, accessed February 27, 2021, https://smarthistory.org/nkisi-nkondi-kongo-people/.
  3.Victoria Hobbs, “The Function of a ‘Fetish’ Figure,” The Victoria and Albert Museum, accessed February 27, 2021, http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/journals/conservation-journal/issue-31/the-function-of-a-fetish-figure/.