Power Figure: Male Riding Dog (Nkisi)

This male figure riding a dog contains empowering medicine placed within by a priest or nganga. The sculptural element was produced by a skilled carver from a single piece of wood. The figure’s head and torso are disproportionately larger than the rest of the body, with both arms close to the body at tense angles. The figure’s head is elongated with prominent cheekbones and framed by a sharply raised crescent coiffure. The eyes of both the figure and dog have been given prominence through paint applied to the surface of the wood as white pigment punctuated by a painted black pupil and the addition of inset glass panels. The intense gaze is framed by delicately overhanging eyelids and raised, textured eyebrows. The open mouth reveals filed teeth, which bite down on the tip of a munkwisa root clenched in his right hand. In his left fist he firmly grips a leash or whip that is in the dog’s mouth. A sense of animation is conveyed by the animal’s pointed ears and slightly tilted head, bent forelegs, tail between its hind legs, and open jaw with protruding tongue.

The male figure is wearing plain trousers, evidenced only by the raised waistband and trouser legs. There is minimal detail visible on his feet which point outwards but do not reach the ground. The back of the sculpture is unadorned save for an intricate, cap-like detail at the base of the male’s head, which features a geometric lattice design with thin horizontal bands across the quadrants.

In the area of the stomach is a cylindrical stomach protrusion which serves as a receptacle for medicines. This feature is carved as an inherent part of the structure. Once filled, the receptacle was covered with reddish tukula (redwood) powder and sealed with resins and a glass mirror.

Such minkisi are religious instruments that played a central role in Kongo society. The sculpture acts as a vessel that houses consecrated medicines, or bilongo, which draw a spiritual force. These medicines combine organic and inorganic substances and may include plant fibers, resins, stones, relics and pigments, among others, chosen for their cultural and sometimes linguistic (i.e. through double meanings or wordplay) significance. In the Kikongo language, the term nkisi refers to the spirit itself (pl. bakisi) as well as the ensemble of physical materials, practices, and beliefs that surround it. An nkisi allows a Kongo priest to address a particular affliction experienced by his constituents.

This particular nkisi’s role as a protector and mediator between the realms of the spirits and that of the living is emphasized through several attributes. The munkwisa root is a common signifier of chieftainship and responsibility towards others. Its highly acidic juice was said to repel witches. The representation of the dog refers to qualities of alertness and intuition – in Kongo belief, a dog’s sharp senses and vigilance extend across both the world of the living and that of the ancestors. The use of mirrors and other reflective materials such as glass underscores the idea of seeing into the ancestral realm. This figure’s hunched shoulders, tense musculature and forward-leaning pose, halfway raised out of his seat, also conveys a sense of vigilance and preparedness.

Helina Gebremedhen, 2016


Further reading

W. MacGaffey and M. Harris. Astonishment and Power: The Eyes of Understanding: Kongo Minkisi/The Art of Renee Stout. Washington, DC: National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution Press, 1993.

R. F. Thompson and J. Cornet. Four Moments of the Sun: Kongo Art in Two Worlds. Washington, DC: National Gallery of Art, 1981