Nkisi OBJECTS

Nkisi objects are spiritual devices of renown in the culture of the Bakongo people. Minkisi, the plural of Nkisi, is considered to embody natural and supernatural forces in the service of healing, divination, protection, and moral punishment and is made of many forms. Misunderstood by Western spiritualists for centuries, the symbolic depths and functions minkisi represents cannot be entirely translated by Western standards. A Nkisi can be commissioned for personal or public needs, and the spiritualist who creates the Nkisi, known as the Nganga, uses the elements of the earth, man-made objects, and the metaphoric elements of cultural belief to make the traditional forms. The mirror in the belly of a Nkisi represents the ability of the Nganga to divine into the future. Each nail in the Nkisi represents an oath, a prayer, or a consultation overseen by the Nganga. Each bundle represents a medicinal packet of spiritual activation or protection; every color has a coded meaning. Taken as a whole, the montage of objects used to create these powerful spiritual objects has often been credited as an influence for entire practices of artistic innovation, from the visual collages of Romare Bearden to the sonic innovations of funk music inspired by Kikongo rhythms and the sonic collages of dub reggae and rap music. The Nkisi in the Hammonds House Collection was gifted by a local donor who wished to remain anonymous.  (KS)