Songye power figure - Lot 252

Lot n° 252.2
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Estimation :
150 - 200 EUR
Songye power figure - Lot 252
Songye power figure Democratic Republic of Congo Carved wood, terracotta, horn, fibers Early 20th century Height: 33 cm Provenance : Ex private collection, Antwerp, Belgium Unlike the large mankishi (sing. nkishi) statues, designed to watch over the community as a whole, smaller examples like this one were intended for personal or family use. were intended for personal or family use. Favoring abstraction, the sculptor and diviner nganga who jointly created this work have concentrated their skills on the treatment of the pear-shaped head, marked by a broad, rounded forehead, large, half-closed eyes, a pyramid-shaped nose and a half-open mouth. The bust is encased in a bulbous receptacle containing magical magical and medicinal components (bishimba), as well as a horn - symbolizing the wisdom and manifestation of the entity's animality - powerful attributes of the protective function of mankishi fetishes in Songye culture. The power of a nkishi rests on the ritual commitment of its user, subject to the prohibitions set by the nganga. Community figures are entrusted to guardians who interpret their messages through dreams or trance. Each new moon is the occasion for a major ritual: the mankishi are anointed mankishi are anointed, smeared with kaolin or cassava flour, and sprinkled with rooster blood, before a meal meal shared in honor of the benevolent spirits.
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