Power Figure

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Culture Songye

Title Power Figure (Nkishi)

Date Late 19th–early 20th century

Medium Wood, iron, horns, fiber, cowrie shells, snakeskin, hair, and and incrustation

Dimensions Object: 12 9/16 × 5 1/4 × 4 3/4 in. (31.9 × 13.3 × 12.1 cm)
Overall (includes mount): 13 3/4 × 5 1/4 × 5 in. (34.9 × 13.3 × 12.7 cm)

Credit Line Raymond and Laura Wielgus Collection, Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University

Accession Number 74.55.3

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About this Work

For the Songye, power figures secure assistance from the supernatural world for a variety of benefits, including protection against sorcery, ensuring a successful harvest, or preventing miscarriages. Some materials attached to the wooden figure are believed to give it these supernatural powers, while others amplify how the figure was used.

Provenance
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Provenance research is ongoing for this and many other items in the Eskenazi Museum of Art permanent collection. For more information about the provenance of this artwork, please contact the department curator with specific questions.

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"Power Figure | Collections Online." Collections Online. Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University, 2025. https://artmuseum.indiana.edu/collections-online/browse/object.php?number=74.55.3