Help from the dead
From: the Democratic Republic of Congo
Date: late 19th century AD
This wooden carving is called a nkisi. It was used by
the Kongo peoples as a way of getting help from relatives who had
died. They would try to use this power to get more money, to cure
illnesses, or just to have better luck.
The power of the carving came from magical things which were put
inside or on top of it, such as soil from a graveyard and medicines
made from plants. Metal blades were then driven into the
nkisi to release the ancestor's power. This figure has
hundreds of blades sticking through it.