# Male Figure (Nkisi Nkondi)

- By: Vili (Republic of the Congo; Central Africa)
- Date: Probably early to mid-19th century
- Medium: Wood, metal, glass, fabric, fiber, cowrie shells, bone, leather, gourd, and feathers
- Classification: Sculpture
- Dimensions: 73.7 × 33.1 × 28 cm (29 × 13 × 11 in.)
- Culture: Republic of the Congo
- Credit line: Ada Turnbull Hertle Endowment
- Museum: [Art Institute of Chicago](https://www.artic.edu/artworks/151358)
- Rights: [Public domain (CC0)](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- Picture: https://www.artic.edu/iiif/2/c3f36398-eee0-77a9-17f4-204f3252f6f9/full/!1920,1080/0/default.jpg
- Who can see it: Tweens profiles and older (museums give no ratings; placed by Invisible Network from the museum's own words)

The term nkisi refers to spirit-invested objects that were empowered with medicinal and magical ingredients called bilongo. In the case of this male figure, the bilongo are enclosed in the cap on the head and in the mirror-sealed resin packet on the abdomen. The name nkondi refers to the figure’s ability to hunt down and punish wrongdoers. A nail or a blade was driven into the figure to prompt the inhabiting spirit at every consultation.

Description © Art Institute of Chicago, CC BY 4.0