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Topic: Nkisi

In the News (Wed 15 Feb 12)

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	Nkisi Project
		The N'kisi Project is a series of controlled experiments and ongoing research in interspecies communication and telepathy conducted by Aimee Morgana and her language-using parrot N'kisi.
		N'kisi said one or more of these key words in 71 trials, and the statistical analysis is based on these tests.
		As there was no way for N'kisi to understand the need to restrain his comments to the strictly timed two-minute test period for each image, many of the "misses" scored were his continued repetitions of "hit" comments from previous images in the session.
	www.sheldrake.org /nkisi (1503 words)

	Civilization.ca - African Treasures from Tervuren Museum - Ritual figures (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-20)
		A nkisi nkondi is a figure which has the power to retaliate against wrongdoers and sorcerers.
		Some nkisi nkondi figures have a raised arm, which would originally have held a dagger or spear with which to attack the enemy (along with the magic substances, these weapons have disappeared from the figures exhibited).
		In the case of a nkisi nkondi, the object is transformed and empowered through a ritual in which a nganga or ritual specialist attaches a receptacle containing magic substances to the figure.
	www.vmnf.civilization.ca /cultur/tervuren/tera01e.html (498 words)

	Inspiration Africa!
		Nkisi figures are made by the Kongo people of central Africa.
		A carver made the nkisi and a nganga prepared the sacred medicines that are attached to them or put inside them.
		The spirit that the minkisi (plural of nkisi) was believed to embody however, was that of a hunter, returned from the land of the dead.
	www.clothofgold.org.uk /archive/9/inafrica/vrlib/keyobs8a.html (610 words)

	Nkisi Audio Text 1
		Aimee is teaching N'kisi the concept of pushing buttons to achieve specific results, using as a teaching aid a musical toy with buttons in various shapes that says that shape (square, star, triangle, circle) or makes sounds (dog, cat) when those particular buttons are pushed.
		It is important to remember that N'Kisi is only 4 years old, and his species has a lifespan similar to humans.
		Instead, Nkisi has been encouraged to use language as he chooses, for his own purposes of communication and self expression.
	www.sheldrake.org /nkisi/nkisi1_text.html (390 words)

	Bakongo Nkondi Nail Fetish - RAND AFRICAN ART
		Generally grouped as Nkisi, they were the result of the combined work of two men, the carver and the fetishist.
		These Nkisi were supposed to protect their owner's health and transmit to him the vital strength with which they were endowed.
		All nkisi can be used for a variety of purposes and their meaning is ambivalent.
	www.randafricanart.com /Bakongo_Nkondi_figure.html (3463 words)

	JAIC 1992, Volume 31, Number 1, Article 2 (pp. 03 to 16)
		Invoking the power of a nkisi by a ritual specialist for a client is a costly affair and assumed to require payment of a human life.
		Despite the extraordinary power of nkisi figures, one of the most effective ways the Kongo people have to render them powerless is simply to treat them with indifference, that is, to ignore the behavioral restrictions required toward them or neglect their cultural status.
		For example, the shattered arm on the nkisi in figure 5 was re-adhered and stabilized with Dow Corning RTV 3110 silicon rubber that was bulked with Union Carbide phenolic microballoons, BJO-0930.
	aic.stanford.edu /jaic/articles/jaic31-01-002.html (4232 words)

	ArtWorld AFRICA Student Essays (ART-IP92) - Fetish (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-20)
		Nkisi is the name of the thing we use to help a man when he is sick and from which we obtain health; the name refers to leaves and medicines combined together.
		The medicines placed in a nkisi are said to be as it were forces in its body to help it to work.
		So the nkisi has medicines, they are its strength and its hands and feet and eyes; medicines are all these.
	artworld.uea.ac.uk /teaching_modules/africa/student_essays/fetish/welcome.html (1585 words)

	Nkisi parrot animal intelligence - One of the The worlds most intelligent animals? - guiness book of records
		N'kisi's remarkable abilities, which are said to include telepathy, feature in the latest BBC Wildlife Magazine.
		N'kisi is believed to be one of the most advanced users of human language in the animal world.
		This was despite the researchers discounting responses like "What ya doing on the phone?" when N'kisi saw a card of a man with a telephone, and "Can I give you a hug?" with one of a couple embracing.
	www.fruitnut.net /html2/64Nkisi.htm (458 words)

	Mangaaka (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-20)
		He is an nkisi of the nkondi type and would have contained spiritual forces collected from the grave of a dead person who was feared and respected in his lifetime.
		Kongo baganga used minkisi (plural of nkisi) like this one to protect people against witchcraft, disease and lawbreakers, and to help keep the peace.
		When it was applied to an nkisi figure it gave the impression that it was a powerful thing connected with the world of the ancestral spirits.
	www.heritas.org.uk /world/object2.html (414 words)

	kitsch parade :: En/Gendered Power: A nkisi from the Rockefeller Collection (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-20)
		The term for the spirit invoked in the divination is also nkisi (pl. bakisi), and their realm of influence constitutes specific classes.
		The nkisi is of modest size, measuring about fifteen inches tall and taking the general form of a male human being, adorned with various materials, including striped fabric, beaded pouches, cowerie shells, beads, raffia, etc. bound with hanging from the base wooden figure.
		Nkisi Lunkaka, conversely, is a nkisi that takes the form of a female for a specific symbolic/ritual reason.
	kitschparade.ath.cx /wri/nkisi.phtml (1610 words)

	New Page 1 (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-20)
		Thus a grave is referred to as a nzo a nkisi (a house of nkisi) and is ritually similar to a charm.
		A nkisi may also be composed of male and female parts, the male in the form of a figure and the female in the form of a bag.
		The nkisi Kinzenzi, where the container is a shell, is intended to remove obstacles preventing birth and thus allow the child to pass freely.
	mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk /petercrush/Cosmology.htm (3447 words)

	Power Figure (Nkisi) [Kongo peoples; Democratic Republic of Congo] (1979.206.127) \| Object Page \| Timeline of Art ... (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-20)
		This striking sculpture is an nkisi (pl. minkisi) from the Democratic Republic of Congo.
		An nkisi is essentially a container of spiritual forces that are directed to investigate the underlying cause of some chronic problem.
		It has been suggested that the practice of piercing the nkisi with nails, spikes, or other elements was adopted from Christian images of martyred saints introduced in the area during this time.
	www.metmuseum.org /TOAH/ho/11/sfc/hod_1979.206.127.htm (628 words)

	artsMIA: Permanent Collection (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-20)
		He relies on the assistance of a powerful spirit that resides in sculpted wood figures, or nkisi.
		Nkisi are brought out for healing, for taking oaths, and to seal agreements or make legal settlements.
		The main goal of this is to understand social problems and conflicts and to try to find a remedy to cure him as well as the entire community." The judgment is sealed before an nkisi, with the understanding that the spirit within that figure would punish any violation of the settlement.
	www.artsmia.org /collection/search/art.cfm?id=1854 (185 words)

	Kongo People
		The most prolific art form from this area is the nkisi objects, which come in all shapes, mediums, and sizes.
		The stratification of Kongo society resulted in much of the art being geared toward those of high status, and the nkisi figures were one of the only forms available to everyone.
		Nzambi was the supreme god for all in the Kongo Kingdom, and the intermediary representations included land and sky spirits and ancestor spirits, all of whom were represented in nkisi objects.
	www.uiowa.edu /~africart/toc/people/Kongo.html (445 words)

	Influences (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-20)
		Minkisi (sing., nkisi), also called power figures, are most closely associated with the idea of fetishism as they are material manifestations of spiritual entities.
		As a material object, an nkisi is invoked to perform a certain duty which is attributed to it during its creation.
		The story of the origin of an nkisi can now be seen as a narrative of an initiation sequence rather than the random worship of a "trifle".
	members.cox.net /rizzo6/id53.htm (739 words)

	Astrology / Jonathan Cainer / Astrology Answers
		Nkisi, sleeping by my head, said out loud, 'You gotta push the button,' as I was doing exactly that in my dream.
		I went to visit Aimee and Nkisi as soon as I could, and was impressed by the closeness of their bond and Nkisi's amazing command of English.
		We subsequently set up a series of controlled experiments in which Aimee looked at pictures that she took out of sealed envelopes in one room, while Nkisi was in another room on a different floor, with all the doors closed.
	jonathancainer.com /michell/apr1.html (657 words)

	What are Minkisi?
		They are composed of earths, ashes, herbs, leaves and of relics of the dead … These are the properties of minkisi, to cause sickness in a man and also to remove it.
		… an nkisi is also something that hunts down illness and chases it away from the body.
		This remarkable nkisi is composed of hook, knife, mirrors, model arrows, spoons and boat-shaped implements all set in ‘medicine’ packs.
	www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk /wml/humanworld/worldcultures/africa/minkisi.asp (318 words)

	The Three Cornered Gallery (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-20)
		The pose symbolises the wisdom and judgement of the chief or elder.
		The nkisi was also the holder for 'medicine', a mixture of substances, including wax, rubber, blood, earth, bark, roots and seeds, smeared onto the figure's chest.
		Nkisi are protective charms when appropriate rituals have been carried out by the nganga, or diviner.
	www.3corneredgallery.com /details_on_article_number/uea915.html (65 words)

	ArtWorld ARTWORLD CATALOGUE (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-20)
		In a letter, Dr Van Geluwe says that a nkisi figure such as this one, wearing the chief's regalia (plaited skull-cap and investiture armlets) is not so much representing the chief himself as emphasising the rank of the figure in the nkisi hierarchy; 'it is an important one since it is a chief nkisi'.
		The cross-legged attitude, with the head resting on the right hand, is a convention signalling the thoughtfulness and wisdom to be found among chiefs and elders. Nkisi figures were used in a variety of rites which are not clearly understood or defined.
		Nkisi are not effective unless validated by the diviner's rituals; they are generally understood to be protective and propitiatory charms. The cross-legged attitude, with the chin resting on the right hand, recalls the stone funerary figures (mintadi) produced in the area of the Mboma and Solango, by the lower Zaire river.
	artworld.uea.ac.uk /objects/10308/context.html (288 words)

	The Metropolitan Museum of Art - Art and Oracle (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-20)
		Minkisi are composed and operated by the Kongo intelligentsia, who respond to physical and social crises by striving to restore spiritual equilibrium.
		In an nkisi deployed for divination, the force is usually an ancestral spirit and is contained in a receptacle that may range from a carefully sculpted wooden figure to a visually unremarkable object such as an ordinary clay pot, a snail shell, or raffia cloth.
		An nkisi nkondi's primary purpose was to pursue and expose witches, thieves, adulterers, and other wrongdoers.
	www.metmuseum.org /explore/oracle/figures09.html (1352 words)

	Africamuseum -
		For a long time the Nkisi Nkondi figures of the Kongo peoples were regarded in the West as ‘curiosa’, and they’d frequently end up in ‘cabinets of curiosities’ where they aroused mixed feelings of suspicion, fascination and aversion.
		This Nkisi Nkondi stands in the sacred ‘Kongo position’, left hand on hip and right arm threateningly raised, weapon at the ready.
		The help of the Nkisi Nkondi is often sought when someone is confronted with some sort of misfortune.
	www.africamuseum.be /museum/permanent/museum/permanent/permetnog1 (667 words)

	Assata Speaks - Hands Off Assata - Let's Get Free - Revolutionary - Pan-Africanism - Black On Purpose - Liberation - ...
		Minkisi (sing., nkisi), also called power figures, are most closely associated with the western idea of fetishism as they are material manifestations of spiritual entities.
		For every nail you see hammered into an Nkisi, you are witnessing an individual as a part of a community joining in a collective act of invocation, or a single prayer among many invoked by a single owner, depending on the purpose of that Nkisi.
		The Nkisi are not gods in the strictest sense of the word, however; It is the Congo belief that they were among the first and most powerful ancestors placed on this world by Nzambi, the High God, and were later deified or raised to near diety status by the Congo people.
	www.assatashakur.org /forums/upload/archive/index.php/t-3857.html (1592 words)

	Inspiration Africa! Kemnal Technology College (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-20)
		Situated by their selected key object (below), the visit started with a talk/discussion on the nkisi power figure by the Education Department and project artists.
		Finally, linking back to the nkisi power figure, the pupils were asked to try and think of something they owned, or a memory, that was particularly precious to them - possibly a secret - and to bring it to the following workshop.
		Later they would write personal poems about these objects or memories that would be used to empower and activate their screen printed artwork - the power banner/book - in a similar way that magical substances activated the nkisi power figure.
	www.clothofgold.org.uk /archive/9/inafrica/schools/project1/kemtxt3.html (273 words)

	nkisi (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-20)
		"Nkisis" are statues of power, that incarnate magical forces influencing daily life.
		The precise function of a "nkisi", is determined by the "nganga" who gives it power.
		Anyone may possess a "nkisi", but, only the "nganga" has the power to control or activate it.
	www.tamarin.com /kongo/kongoe4.html (194 words)

	Michael Copeland Sydnor Group
		Its forms have shaped and defined modern art as we know it with little acknowledgement² The Nkisi sculpture, which was one of the oldest African objects acquired for the Fine Arts Museums¹ collection in 1959.
		Statements in five languages intoned by Casquelourd are heard through a rich cascade of aural effects that include a cello, ocean sounds and rain sticks, as Johnson evokes a response to his intonation in the ³King¹s² english.
		The Nkisi is an anachronistic foil used to depict the artistic and social context that this artifact represents.
	home.pacbell.net /mcsgroup/PR62.htm (846 words)

	ArtsNet Minnesota: What Is Art?: Africa, Zaire (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-20)
		This sculpture, called an nkisi nkondi (en-KEE-see en-KAHN-dee), was carved by the Kongo people who lived in the region of Zaire in central Africa during the late 19th century.
		Each of the nails driven into the figure represents the taking of an oath, the witnessing of an agreement, or some other occasion when the power of the figure was invoked.
		On special occasions the nkisi nkondi was brought outside in a public setting where judicial procedures took place.
	www.artsconnected.org /artsnetmn/whatsart/kongo.html (570 words)

	NY Parrot Astounds with Language Skills (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-20)
		N'kisi, a six-year-old African grey parrot bred in captivity, has astounded scientists with his 950 word vocabulary, humorous expressions and apparent telepathy.
		N'kisi, the companion of New York artist Aimee Morgana, is said to be the first parrot of his kind to go beyond mimicking speech to develop other language skills.
		N'kisi and Morgana were separated and filmed as Morgana, out of N'kisi's view, opened 71 random envelopes containing picture cards.
	www.newyorkcitypets.com /nkisi-parrot.html (648 words)

	Bakongo Tribe - Free Articles
		The Kongo occupy the region at the mouth of the Zaire River.
		The nkisi is a spirit from the world of the
		nkisi represents a container of empowering materials or “medicines” called bilongo.
	www.keciasworld.com /bakongotribe.html (826 words)

	BaKongo Nkisi Spike Fetish - Sujaro African and World Imports (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-20)
		This original Bakongo Tribe, Nkisi Spike Fetish, handcrafted in the Congo is of exceptional quality, demonstrating extraordinary craftsmanship in its details.
		Every Nkisi is distinct because they were all created by different sculptors, and their fierce expressions, designed to command respect from all who looked upon them, reflect the individuality of the sculptors.
		Historically, Nkisis served as doctor, judge, and priest for the tribe.
	www.sujaro.com /i_020statues/030-s250bakongofet.html (205 words)

	El Rincon Bantu
		The first nkisi according to at least the stories that circulated in Luango was made in an iron pot.
		One of the oldest methods of making nkisi is still found where ever Kongo religion or its derivatives are found especially in Cuba and Haiti and is still found in the Congo.
		That is nkisi made in a sack of cloth, usually red.
	www.inquiceweb.com /IWboard/messages/4/1675.html?1077789710 (187 words)

	African art, trade beads, masks, carvings, artifacts, textiles, and more-Africa Direct (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-20)
		When there are nails or blades protruding, it is called an nkondi, which means "the hunter." The nkonde are the most powerful of the nkisi.
		They were used to identify and hunt down unknown wrongdoers such as thieves, and people who were believed to cause sickness or death by occult means.
		The nkisi are used by their owner or the nganga (sorcerer/spiritual specialist) to please the different spirits who are supposed to regulate the world.
	www.africadirect.com /productsdesc2.php?ID=398 (188 words)

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