The two heads of this power figure (nkisi) look in opposite directions, referencing the clairvoyant ability require by the diviner (nganga). This ritual specialist completes the function of the unadorned wooden sculpture through adding materials believed to have potency, such as, in this case, organic matter bundled into a ball on top of the head. Only after this material is added can the nganga begin the ritual required to answer the client’s question-to activate the nkisi’s spiritual power.

The Luba peoples of the south-eastern section of the Democratic Republic of the Congo possess a number of consultation practices for investigating difficult questions related to illness, infertility, a poor harvest or a criminal matter. Diviners are trained in the traditional codes and meaning of objects and the activities required to enter an otherworldly realm where answers might be found. In one practice, a small wooden carving is held by both specialist and client; its movement guides the diviner in the consultation. Diviners associated with the Luba royal court, on the other hand, employ trance or spirit possession. The Lang collection also contains an mboko, a calabash filled with special objects that, when shaken, form a configuration that the nganga studies to determine a solution (M84-381). Power figures can be large, serving communal needs, or small, for individual use.