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| Keywords: Songye power figure, protector of the village, Nsapo region, Congo (Democratic Republic). Photo by Eliot Elisofon (1947).jpg photographic negative b w; 2 1/4 x 2 1/4 inches Title source Index card based on photographer's notes The songye used to use a large number of fetishes and amulets to ensure success fertility and wealth and ward off hostile forces and divinition to point to the causes of misfortunes The statues are made in a vigourous powerful style; the usual pose is hieratic upright with the hands laid on a pointed belly a long face with a rounded forehead flattened nose jutting angular chin and large feet incorporated in the base These statues dressed in fabrics feathers and skins are charged with various substances inserted in the abdomen sometimes in the mouth or in the horns sprouting on its head The power of these ingredients depended on the one hand on the incantations spoken by the nganga and on the other hand on the ritual acts that accompanied their insertion in the sculpture The biggest sculptures handed down from generation to generation served the community while the smaller ones were for private use Fearsome Statues from the songye in Central Africa An interview with Father Francois Neyt Art Tribal no 5 Spring-Summer 2004 pp 74-85 During his trip to Belgian Congo now Democratic Republic of Congo Elisofon visited Nsapo villages in the Songye people region The present day Songye people inhabit a vast area of the Congo concentrated in the province of Eastern and stretching into parts of Katanga and Kiori The largest subgroups include the Kalebwe Eastern Songe Songye nde Bala Cibenji Lembwe Songa Cofew and the Budia This photograph was taken when Eliot Elisofon was on assignment for Life magazine and traveled to Africa from January 8 1947 to end of June 1947 http //photography si edu/SearchImage aspx t 3 q power+figure id 747 index 3 Smithsonian Photography Archive Elisofon Eliot 1947 Image ID Negative number 22923 R-11 6 EEPA EENG 00380 PD-USGov Songye people Fetishes religion Bena Nsapo people | ||||
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