Janiform power half figure "kakudji" ·  D. R. Congo, Luba · ID: 3039647

Description

wood, rich reddish brown patina, black paint, metal ring, two figures joined back to back, sharing a single cavity in the top of their heads for magical charge, greyish-brown patina in the lower area (originally covered with cloth), a rich reddish and blackish brown patina in the upper area, slightly dam. (nose), fine crack (spread with mass), base;
the magical charge includes items thought to have rare and enhanced life powers, such as pulverized fragments of human bone, or the hair of twins. By enhancing the object in this way, the ritual specialist invites the spirit to inhabit the receptacle, which can then be used to assist with particular tasks.

Comparing literature

Roberts, Mary Nooter, Memory, New York 1996, p. 201