Nkisi Nkondi
An nkisi nkondi is a Kongo power figure: a carved wooden vessel charged by a ritual specialist (nganga) to house a specific spirit. The nkondi ('hunter') type was used to hunt witches and wrongdoers and to witness and bind agreements. A nail or blade driven into the figure activates its force and recalls the oath; the metal also invokes the ancestor spirit. The Mangaaka figures of the Chiloango River region are the most ambitious class, with an aggressive stance, mpu headdress, beard and abdominal cavity for medicines; they were the preeminent force of jurisprudence, represented as a presiding