Figurine

late 1800s-early 1900s
Overall: 12 x 4 x 4 cm (4 3/4 x 1 9/16 x 1 9/16 in.)
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This small figure belonged to “the sorcerer of Loango,” chief of all sorcerers of that region (a province and port in West Central Africa).

Description

One of seven anthropomorphic figurines, these minkisi contained medicines in which an ancestral spirit was believed to reside. Minkisi were objects of communal use; if conflict arose between two citizens, the Nkisi figure, along with the nganga (ritual leader) helped resolve the dispute. This small figure belonged to “the sorcerer of Loango,” chief of all sorcerers of that region (a province and port in West Central Africa).
Figurine

Figurine

late 1800s-early 1900s

Central Africa, Republic of the Congo, Kongo people

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