Very beautiful fetish made of wood and various materials that comes from the Kongo ethnic group of the Democratic Republic of Congo

Height: 25 cm

The Kongo ethnic group

The Kongo people are a very important ethnic group in the Democratic Republic of Congo that has produced remarkable cultural and artistic objects (Read here) of which the best known is certainly the nkondi (nail fetish)

The Kongo nail fetish

Nail fetishes, called nkondi, were revered throughout the kingdom of Congo. They were the “bearers” of a series of magical objects, called nkissi, which could take the form of bags, roots or leaves, and were installed on the head or abdomen of the sculpture. The nkondi were revered by their owner or by a specialist, called nganga, “hired” by the owner in order to appease or please the different spirits that rule the world. In order to “activate” its forces and provoke the nkondi, the nganga had to insult it, sing, create an explosion at its feet or even insert a nail or a blade into the sculpture…

Not at all evil, the figure, which plays the role of remedy, is an intercessor. Large in size, it is a community object intended to protect the tribe; smaller, it is an individual or family fetish...

The nkondi

presented here is of this type, family or individual; it does not have arms, which is quite common since it is intended to receive accessories later, as mentioned above. Generally devoid of nails, the individual fetish was consecrated by the fetishist and "equipped", like the great nkondé, with a ventral or dorsal cavity containing the "medicines" and magical substances that were deposited there by the latter.

These fetishes were intended to transmit to their owner the vital force that they carried in order to preserve their health. One could naturally make offerings to them to get out of a difficult situation or request blessings.