Object Notes

This wooden irrigation funnel is decorated with the same intricate incised designs found on Kuba cut-pile and embroidered textiles. It was used to administer enemas to adults; there were smaller ones for children.

Posed in a flex-kneed position, this biteki is distinguished by a roughly diamond-shaped head from which the nose and mouth project at a sharp angle. The prominent collarlike shoulders blend into the arms bent at the elbow. The hands are joined at chest level. 

This small standing female nkisi leans forward and offers her breasts in a nurturing gesture. A carved animal horn projects from the top of her head, representing the real horn that is often found on minkisi and packed with consecrated materials.

Carved in the form of a crocodile, this instrument was used to reveal the cause of misfortune or solutions to problems. Warthogs, lizards, and dogs are other animals considered essential to the efficacy of the oracle in accomplishing its goal. The sides of the animal are decorated with carefully carved patterns and the back is purposefully flat.

Small in stature but monumental in visual impact, this standing figure is highly stylized. There are no eyes, only a nose with slanted nostril-like perforations on its concave face. Below, a hole probably represents a mouth. One of the pierced ears carries an ornamental stalk. Beneath the angular neck, relief-carved arms frame a prominent herniated navel.