Janus power figure "nkisi" ·  D. R. Congo, Songye · ID: 3043109

Description

wood, reddish brown patna, black paint, kaolin, pokerwork, fur, fabric loincloth spread with mass, massive glass bead necklace, silver metal bracelet, opening in the head covered with fabric, tube filled with magical substances, faces of different size and expression, with high forehead and angular hairline, slightly dam., base.
The Songe have two types of “nkisi”: large ones (up to 150 cm high) that belong to the entire community, and small ones (from about 10 cm high), that belong either to families or to individuals. In addition to these groups the janus form is also familiar throughout the central Songe region, but is found in smaller numbers. No decisive information was obtained to distinguish these types of figures functionally, except for the general belief that the dual representation of the heads endows the “mankisi” with a wider scope of clairvoyance. Present figure belongs to the type of small power figures that would have been given a place in the Songe home, and would have protected the family against spells, illness and evil spirits, and would have been passed down from one generation to the next.