Janus-headed power figure "nkisi"

Description

wood, encrusted blackish brown patina, oily in some areas, with bent legs rising from a fragmentary base, oval head with hole on top, min. dam., missing parts through insect caused damage, slight traces of abrasion, on wooden base;
smaller “nkisi” were kept inside the house in order to protect its inhabitants. They were often handed down from one generation to the next. These small “mankisi” were even taken along when people left their homes.

Comparing literature