About this object

Based on a stylistic analysis, this head was most likely detached from a nkishi (pl. mankishi), a Songye magical object. The face has sensitively rendered features, with semi-circular closed eyes and the head has the distinctive Songye V-shape, interrupted by the short horizontal line of the chin. It has the characteristic open mouth, as described by the art historian and Songye specialist Dunja Hersak: ‘Many mankishi often have open mouths with expressively-shaped, pursed lips as if emphasizing their non-human otherness.’ (Hersak 2010, 42)

Large-scale mankishi were central to the life of Songye communities spread over a vast territory in east-central Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Songye are linguistically and culturally closely related to their neighboring Luba. But contrary to the many prestigious sculptures made by the Luba, the Songye figures are not conceived as symbols of power but rather as intimate objects that provided protection, healing and therapy. Two distinct types of mankishi existed: small personal objects, and those used by an entire community, usually one village and often used over several generations. (Hersak 1995). Community mankishi (such as this example) were anthropomorphic and large-scale, often reaching a meter in height.

The essential defining characteristic of all mankishi is their bishimba content, defined as “the magical medicines of natural substances assembled by the nganga or diviner/healer, which was intended to activate spirit forces according to prescribed ritual proceedings.” (Hersak 2010, 40) These mankishi were commissioned by the chief and elders to avert widespread illness and infertility. The objects were carved by esteemed specialists, and more importantly, empowered by a variety of substances, assembled in varying combinations, according to the preferences and experience of the nganga, who ‘creates’ the object.

These figures commanded a strategically visible position in the village. A special structure erected in the village or near the chief’s house served as the residence of a community nkishi, though they were hidden from daily view, often behind their own enclosures. (Hersak 2010, 40-42; Biebuyck 1999, 283; Petridis 2008, 85).