Tribal Art

Camped on short legs, the abdomen carried forward, this figure with a realistic face is a protective figure with a magical charge, the bilongo. This fetish was used by nganga to heal, protect, promote luck or inflict revenge. Dark brown patina with kaolin highlights.
The Vili, the Lâri, the Sûndi, the Woyo, the Bembé, the Bwende, the Yombé and the Kôngo formed the group Kôngo, led by King ntotela. Their kingdom reached its peak in the 16th century with the ivory, copper and slave trade. Similarly, they produced a statuary with a codified gesture in relation to their worldview The sorcerers nganga, both healers, were in charge of religious activities and mediation towards the God called Nzambi through these consecrated figures. Aggressive witchcraft kindoki is the absolute evil that must be fought. To this end, nkisis protective figures are manufactured and loaded by nganga of all the necessary ingredients to achieve this goal. It is not the morphology of the sculpture that determines its use, but all that is added to the receptacle built for this destination. This type of fetish, still in use despite colonial repression, still appears today in various forms, sometimes only amalgamations of various materials tied together. The ritual surrounding their use, however, remains more discreet. Source: The Kôngo gesture Ed. Dapper Museum.