Nzunzi

Subject Matter:

This male figure was created by the artist Mutindi of the Tabwa people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. According to information shared by inhabitants of Mpala-Lubanda with art historian Allen F. Roberts in 1976, Mutindi was a notable healer in the town until he was found guilty of ulozi, or sorcery. Although sent into exile, people continued to go to Mutindi to benefit from his powerful knowledge and skills. While this object initially appears to be a minkisi, or a sacred spiritual object used by healers, it is in fact a nzunzi, an object that, when displayed in the open, can be summoned by a mulozi (sorcerer) to steal from or do harm to outsiders or those too naïve to protect themselves adequately. A bundle of medicinal ingredients was originally placed in an opening at the top this nzunzi by Mutindi, the contents of which would have only been known to him. The figure had been originally commissioned by a client of Mutindi, but as it was never retrieved, the artist offered to sell it to Roberts. Subsequently, a Bulumbu possession cult adept visiting Roberts in Mpala expressed concern and removed the dangerous medicinal bundle from the sculpture. She instead filled the cavity with the local chalk or kaolin, a substance used by spirit mediums in their rituals.

This work was included in the exhibition, The Rising of a New Moon: A Century of Tabwa Art (National Museum of of African Art, Jan-Mar 1986; UMMA, Apr-Aug 1986; Royal Museum of Central Africa, Tervuren, Sep-Oct 1986).

Physical Description:

Carved figure of a man with arms bent to ninety-degrees at his elbows. His hands are unarticulated. 

Usage Rights:

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