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Songye. <em>Power Figure (Nkishi)</em>, late 19th or early 20th century. Wood, hide, fur, fabric, feathers, pigment, 13 in. (33 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Gaston T. de Havenon, 73.179.13. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 73.179.13_front_PS6.jpg)
Songye. Power Figure (Nkishi), late 19th or early 20th century. Wood, hide, fur, fabric, feathers, pigment, 13 in. (33 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Gaston T. de Havenon, 73.179.13. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 73.179.13_front_PS6.jpg)
Songye. <em>Power Figure (Nkishi)</em>, late 19th or early 20th century. Wood, hide, fur, fabric, feathers, pigment, 13 in. (33 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Gaston T. de Havenon, 73.179.13. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 73.179.13_front_PS6.jpg)

Songye. Power Figure (Nkishi), late 19th or early 20th century. Wood, hide, fur, fabric, feathers, pigment, 13 in. (33 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Gaston T. de Havenon, 73.179.13. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 73.179.13_front_PS6.jpg)

Songye. <em>Power Figure (Nkishi)</em>, late 19th or early 20th century. Wood, hide, fur, fabric, feathers, pigment, 13 in. (33 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Gaston T. de Havenon, 73.179.13. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 73.179.13_bw.jpg)

Songye. Power Figure (Nkishi), late 19th or early 20th century. Wood, hide, fur, fabric, feathers, pigment, 13 in. (33 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Gaston T. de Havenon, 73.179.13. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 73.179.13_bw.jpg)

Songye. <em>Power Figure (Nkishi)</em>, late 19th or early 20th century. Wood, hide, fur, fabric, feathers, pigment, 13 in. (33 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Gaston T. de Havenon, 73.179.13. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.73.179.13_print_threequarter_bw.jpg)

Songye. Power Figure (Nkishi), late 19th or early 20th century. Wood, hide, fur, fabric, feathers, pigment, 13 in. (33 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Gaston T. de Havenon, 73.179.13. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.73.179.13_print_threequarter_bw.jpg)

Songye. <em>Power Figure (Nkishi)</em>, late 19th or early 20th century. Wood, hide, fur, fabric, feathers, pigment, 13 in. (33 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Gaston T. de Havenon, 73.179.13. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 73.179.13_right_PS6.jpg)

Songye. Power Figure (Nkishi), late 19th or early 20th century. Wood, hide, fur, fabric, feathers, pigment, 13 in. (33 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Gaston T. de Havenon, 73.179.13. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 73.179.13_right_PS6.jpg)

Songye. <em>Power Figure (Nkishi)</em>, late 19th or early 20th century. Wood, hide, fur, fabric, feathers, pigment, 13 in. (33 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Gaston T. de Havenon, 73.179.13. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 73.179.13_left_PS6.jpg)

Songye. Power Figure (Nkishi), late 19th or early 20th century. Wood, hide, fur, fabric, feathers, pigment, 13 in. (33 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Gaston T. de Havenon, 73.179.13. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 73.179.13_left_PS6.jpg)

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Power Figure (Nkishi)

Arts of Africa

CULTURE Songye
MEDIUM Wood, hide, fur, fabric, feathers, pigment
  • Place Made: Tanganyika Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo
    • DATES late 19th or early 20th century
    DIMENSIONS 13 in. (33 cm) top of head to base: 6 1/4 in. (15.9 cm)  (show scale)
    COLLECTIONS Arts of Africa
    ACCESSION NUMBER 73.179.13
    CREDIT LINE Gift of Gaston T. de Havenon
    CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION Wooden fetish figure, covered from the neck down with hide, fur, rope, and knotted fabric. On face, only the nose, mouth and chin are indicated. Feathers emerge from top of head- beige, brown, and black colors. Traces of red pigment on head and on much of body covering. CONDITION: Small opening in center of forehead. Check on right side of head. Small bits of white cotton on body covering is very dry with caking throughout.
    EXHIBITIONS
    MUSEUM LOCATION This item is not on view
    CAPTION Songye. Power Figure (Nkishi), late 19th or early 20th century. Wood, hide, fur, fabric, feathers, pigment, 13 in. (33 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Gaston T. de Havenon, 73.179.13. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 73.179.13_front_PS6.jpg)
    IMAGE front, 73.179.13_front_PS6.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2011
    "CUR" at the beginning of an image file name means that the image was created by a curatorial staff member. These study images may be digital point-and-shoot photographs, when we don\'t yet have high-quality studio photography, or they may be scans of older negatives, slides, or photographic prints, providing historical documentation of the object.
    RIGHTS STATEMENT Creative Commons-BY
    You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this three-dimensional work in accordance with a Creative Commons license. Fair use, as understood under the United States Copyright Act, may also apply. Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online application form (charges apply). For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch. For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright. If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.
    RECORD COMPLETENESS
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    Songye. <em>Power Figure (Nkishi)</em>, late 19th or early 20th century. Wood, hide, fur, fabric, feathers, pigment, 13 in. (33 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Gaston T. de Havenon, 73.179.13. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 73.179.13_front_PS6.jpg)

    TAGS

    power
    promise
    oath
    multi-media
    africa

    TAGS

    power
    promise
    oath
    multi-media
    africa

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