Power Figure

The practice of magic is particularly widespread among the Songye, an extensive tribal group centered in the province of Kananga in the south central Democratic Republic of the Congo. Songye magic is exemplified by the use of medicine or power figures–a nkishi–which enhanced fertility and served a protective function.

The Art Museum’s statue, a standing male torso, is an especially imposing example of this type. Like others of its kind, it is clothed heavily in skins and hides. Its lower portion bears a leather and hair loincloth and a stitched raffia mat with leopardskin apron. This image stands in a characteristic rigid, upright pose and cradles a miniature power figure tucked in the top of its loincloth. As on many Songye figures, the legs are not carved, and the torso merges with the cylindrical base.

The magical power of the nkishi derived from the fetish materials, or bishimba, applied to it. Such medicine bundles of hair, mud, and other organic materials were believed to have potent magical properties. Other elements of adornment, such as the skin clothing, the metal nails and spikes, and the black antelope-horn headdress, also added power to the figure and enhanced its protective function.