Cleveland Museum of Art

Female Figure

Date

late 1800s-early 1900s

Medium

Wood, upholstery studs, antelope horns, and animal hair

Culture

Africa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Songye people

Department

African Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

Mankishi figures were believed to have magical powers and were used by diviners to contact spirits in otherworldly realms. Smaller, personal power figures were used to connect with “common” ancestors, while the larger Mankishi figures contacted higher-ranking ancestral spirits. These power figures were kept in their own personal spaces because of their powerful status, and could only be handled by their designated nkunja , or guardian. Because this Mankishi is neither small or quite large in size, it was most likely used by a family rather than an individual.

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