Figure (kiteki)
Unknown Artist
late 1800s–mid-1900s
Medium
Wood, lizard skin, leopard tooth, pods, cloth, and natural fiber
Dimensions
h. 23 cm
Classification
Sculpture
Department
African Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Gift of Katherine C. White
Accession Number
1974.201
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
Biteki is the generic name for Yaka figures used as containers for magical ingredients. After being charged by a ritual specialist, they become minkisi, or power objects, and gain the power to either cure or harm. This example, with various leadership accouterments, likely belongs to the category called phuungu. Placed inside a house, the statuette would have protected against witches and other evil.