Small power figure "nkisi"
Walter Schmidt, Würzburg/Innsbruck, Germany/Austria (1966)
Description
wood, dark brown patina, oiled, sticky in some places, typical in facial shape and features, as well as posture, six brass tags across the forehead, cavity in the head filled with mass/wooden sticks/quills, the cavity at the stomach is empty, the magical loading “bijimba” had been removed, slightly dam., cracks (left side of head and body), missing parts (back half of the base), plate;
such small “personal minkisi” are personal belongings of an individual or at the most a family and served for fulfillment of personal concerns. Magical ingredients “bijimba” were added to the image by a ritualist “nganga”. The majority of personal “mankisi” were discarded soon after their production, for once the desired effect was attained, the empowering substances lost their efficacy.
Publications
AHDRC: 0141997