Marche Plateau Centre Ville

This photo of a woman carved in wood was shot at the Marche Plateau where I saw some nail fetishes this morning. These fetishes intrigue me. One was a wooden carving of a man and the other was a crocodile, both embedded with nails and sharp pieces of metal. Such objects were most likely crafted by a fetishist (witch doctor) to protect homes, families and villages. Most fetishes have an orifice where sacred medicines can be inserted.

Scroll to the middle and bottom of this site to see the nail fetishes.

http://www.randafricanart.com/Bakongo_Nkondi_figure.html