Nkisi Nkonde

Democratic Republic of the Congo. Kongo, 19th century.  Wood, nails, raffia, organic materials, and pigment, height 44" (111.7 cm).

New Objects: the Nkisi Nkonde
Minkisi are objects harnessing spirit forces made by Kongo and Songye peoples. They were made to alleviate illness and protect vulnerable individuals. A diviner prescribes the attachment of medicinal ingredients, bilongo.

The Nkisi Nkonde served a judicial function for wrongdoers. It was important for small villages whose legal power was removed by European colonial rule.

A dispute between two villages may be solved by driving a nail into the Nkisi Nkonde to seal the end of their argument.