Nkisi
A Kongo power figure or container that holds a spirit, made and activated by a ritual specialist, the nganga.
Also: minkisi, nkisi nkondi, nail fetish, nkonde
Nkisi (plural minkisi) is a Kikongo word for an object that holds a spiritual force, made by a nganga for a stated purpose, such as healing, protection, oath-taking or settling disputes. Forms include carved figures, bundles, pots and bags. The best known are nkisi nkondi, figures into which nails or blades were driven to seal an agreement or to activate the figure against a wrongdoer. European travellers and missionaries, who saw minkisi as idols, called them fetishes, and collected them for museums. Many now sit in European and American collections, and Kongo scholars and descendants ask for context and, in some cases, return. The word is also used for the spirit itself, and the idea has influenced Afro-Caribbean practice, especially in Cuban Palo.