From Plato - A person buys a plain wooden statue. The statue itself has no power but with the help of a diviner, the person adds things to the statue to give it power. The diviner may ask the person to paint the statue, hang pieces of cloth on it, attach charms to it, or drive nails into it. The statue gains power with each addition because each addition symbolizes an offered prayer. People or communities use nkisi to solve problems, such as answering a question, settling a dispute, or promoting a favorable outcome.
Naturalistic art shows things in their natural form and in their natural habitat, but can sometimes show what something looks like at one time, rather than what is.
