Bwende reliquary head
The cult of the ancestors in African art of the Congo
The spirits of the dead, minkuyu, reside in these figures. These muzidi figures highlight the continuity between the ancestors and the living relatives.
They serve as a mechanism for continued contact between the living and the dead. They also demonstrate the important role that ancestors are believed to play in ensuring fertility and protection of the family and community.
Prayers are addressed to the muzidi heads and dolls in the hope that the nkuyu ancestor residing in a figure will reveal what the future holds for the family or communicate the needed resolution in a dispute.
Muzidi are usually made prior to the death of an individual. Several months after the death of a revered elder, his or her body is exhumed and the remains are transferred to the muzidi reliquary vessel and bound with textiles.
The Swedish missionary, Karl Edvard Laman states, "When the muzidi is empty and no nkuyu has entered it, then it is only a kinsisia image.
Once the nkuyu spirit is transferred into the muzidi, the figure is displayed at a funeral celebration to honor the deceased, after which the figure is housed in the family home.
Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)
01825
Data sheet
- Presumed dating
- Mid XXth century
- Size
- 19 cm
- Material(s)
- Fabric
- Country
- Origin
- Collecté in situ par une famille de colon
- Condition
- Excellent
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The cult of the ancestors in African art of the Congo
The spirits of the dead, minkuyu, reside in these figures. These muzidi figures highlight the continuity between the ancestors and the living relatives.
They serve as a mechanism for continued contact between the living and the dead. They also demonstrate the important role that ancestors are believed to play in ensuring fertility and protection of the family and community.
Prayers are addressed to the muzidi heads and dolls in the hope that the nkuyu ancestor residing in a figure will reveal what the future holds for the family or communicate the needed resolution in a dispute.
Muzidi are usually made prior to the death of an individual. Several months after the death of a revered elder, his or her body is exhumed and the remains are transferred to the muzidi reliquary vessel and bound with textiles.
The Swedish missionary, Karl Edvard Laman states, "When the muzidi is empty and no nkuyu has entered it, then it is only a kinsisia image.
Once the nkuyu spirit is transferred into the muzidi, the figure is displayed at a funeral celebration to honor the deceased, after which the figure is housed in the family home.
Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)