Power Figure (nkisi kozo) / Artist Unknown, African, Vili Peoples, Congo Republic
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About this Item
Record Details
- Accession Number
- 2005/1.182
- Title
- Power Figure (nkisi kozo)
- Artist Nationality
- Congolese
- Medium and Support
- wood, mirrors, resin, tukula powder, medicinal substances
- Object Creation Date
- 1825-1899
- Object Creation Place
- Africa (continent)
- Congo Republic (nation)
- Creation Place 1
- Africa (continent)
- Creation Place 2
- Congo Republic (nation)
- Credit Line
- Gift of Candis and Helmut Stern
- Dimensions
- 7 cm x 17.5 cm x 7 cm (2 3/4 in. x 6 7/8 in. x 2 3/4 in.)
- Century
- 19th century
- Primary Object Classification
- Ritual Objects
- Primary Object Type
- minkisi
- Physical Description
- Small wooden animal, possibly a dog or warthog, stands with medicinal pack and mirror embedded into its back; face has long sneering mouth and snout, bearing teeth. short pointed ears; tail curls at end. Two “guns” or pointy projections would have come out above the dog’s front legs, but they have broken off.
- Subject Matter
- Ritual specialists called banganga (plural of nganga) use minkisi (plural of nkisi) as divination tools. With the help of incantations, whistle sounds, claps, and other interactive gestures, ritual practitioners call ancestral spirits from the underworld to inhabit sculptures like this one as a means of resolving social, political, or personal problems, which befall communities or individuals. Kozo animals can see at night and as such are said to have four eyes. They are especially successful at identifying, capturing, and redressing malevolent forces.
- Secondary Keywords
- analytical functions
- animal
- associated concepts
- disciplines
- fetish figures
- functions
- functions (activities)
- functions by general context
- health sciences
- objects we use
- occult sciences
- people and culture
- religions and religious concepts
- religious concepts
- science
- science and related disciplines
- sculpture
- sculpture by function
- visual works
- visual works by medium or technique
- Rights
- If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit https://umma.umich.edu/about/services/request-image/ for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.
Technical Details
- Collection
- University of Michigan Museum of Art
- Image Size
- 2766 x 1770
- File Size
- 651 KB
- Record
- 2005/1.182
- Link to this Item
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-2005-sl-1.182/2005_1_182.jpg
Rights and Permissions
Related Links
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IIIF
- Manifest
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/image/api/manifest/musart:2005-SL-1.182:2005_1_182.JPG
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- Full citation
-
"Power Figure (nkisi kozo); Artist Unknown, African, Vili Peoples, Congo Republic." In the digital collection University of Michigan Museum of Art. https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-2005-sl-1.182/2005_1_182.jpg. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed May 24, 2024.
