Female power figure "nkisi"/ "nkishi" (pl. "mankisi" / "'mankishi") · D. R. Congo, Songye · ID: 3052128
Werner & Lotte Krause, Hamburg, Germany (1986)
Description
wood, pigments, copper sheet, horn, handwritten collection no. “89”
The magical figures of the Songye are predominantly male, often hermaphroditic, rarely female.
The choice of a female shape and the emphasis on sexual characteristics suggest that it was created primarily for the purpose of promoting the fertility of both people and the land.
The object Female power figure “nkisi”/ “nkishi” (pl. “mankisi” / “‘mankishi”) with the object ID 3052128 was last part of the auction Auction 105 at November 15, 2025 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house. The object with the lot number 217 achieved a sales price of EUR 2,500.
You can find more Figures and other popular object types on our related topic pages.
Comparing literature
Neyt, François, Songye, Brussels 2004, p. 208, ill. 174
Publications
AHDRC: 0040552