Male figure (biteki koshi)

BRIEF DESCRIPTIONThe owner of this object could employ it to both cure and cause illness, depending on what combination of herbs and minerals were inserted into the abdominal cavity.WHERE WAS IT MADE?This figure was made in a Yaka community in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Yaka live in the southwestern part of the DRC.HOW WAS IT MADE?This figure was carved from a single piece of wood by a Yaka sculptor, who probably used hand tools such as an adze, chisels, and knives. At one time the figure was painted, half red and half white. The paint has mostly worn off.HOW WAS IT USED?Notice the cavity in the figure’s abdomen; in its original context, the cavity would have contained a packet of powerful medicine – a variety of herbs and minerals – secured to the torso with cloth and natural materials. This medicine was believed to have allowed its owner to influence the course of events. Among the Yaka, owners could employ koshi figures to contradictory ends. For example, koshi figures could either cause or cure illness. Because of this, they have been referred to as fetishes or power figures.Western anthropologists and collectors have traditionally referred to power figures as “fetishes.” However, fetishism, the belief that objects contain intrinsic powers, is common in most religions. Nevertheless, the term was applied most frequently to objects collected in West Africa. Contemporary scholars have discarded the term, believing it to be inherently pejorative. WHY DOES IT LOOK LIKE THIS?Although much of the paint is worn, the carver used conventional coloring: white for the left side of the face and body, and red for the right. The significance of the colors is not known, though they may refer to the contradictory powers of the koshi.