Nkisi nkondi was the name given to sculptures of the Bakongo (or Kongo) Kingdom imbued with magical powers. These sculptures are perhaps the greatest artistic achievement of the Bakongo, and are among the most distinctive items of African art. The figure has distinctive half-moon eyes inlaid with glass, high arching eyebrows, prominent cheekbones, and an elongated chin, with mouth agape and the top row of teeth showing. The body is slender, with arms akimbo, in a powerful stance with knees bent. The figure wears the distinctive mpu headdress worn by chiefs and priests.

The creation of a nkisi nkondi figure was a collaborative effort. First a sculptor created the figure, leaving a hollow protrustion from the belly of the sculpture. Then, a specialist known as the nganga filled the cavity with substances of magical significance (bilongo): grave dirt, blood, or other organic material. The cavity was then sealed, in this case with glass, imbuing the image with magical powers. The figure was activated by abusing the image, in most cases by driving a nail into the wood. Each nail stands as testament to a consultation with the spirits embodied by the figure; by piercing the wood with a nail, it was thought that the spirits would become enraged, and meet out punishment on an enemy or offender. In fact, the name nkondi refers to the spirit’s ability to hunt down and punish wrongdoers. Sometimes ‘dogs’, small bundles of fabric, were attached to the nail, containing something relevant to the request (fur from a stolen goat, for example), in order to guide the spirit towards the correct party.

The nails in nkisi nkondi statues acted as a permanent reminder of past wrongdoing, serving to rebalance order in the community. Through the magic they embodied, nkisi figures were no longer passive items; they became active parts of the communities that created them. Through nkisi nkondi figures, and other nkisi (spiritually embodied statues or charms), the ancestors and the bush spirits remained central actors in Bakongo society.