SONGYE POWER FIGURE

5 X 12 inches These sculptures are typically used within homes as protective or healing magic figures, believed to provide a physical link between the world of gods and men and to embody spiritual forces. Songye power figures, particularly larger ones, were central to the life of Songye communities, acting as intercessors between ancestral spirits and the living. The creation of a Nkishi was a public event, involving the community, a skilled carver, and an experienced ritual specialist (nganga). The face of the figure in the image recalls the Kifwebe mask, and the hands are positioned around a protruding abdomen, suggestive of lineage.