Nkisi

Among the Bantu of the Congo Basin, Nkisi (a.k.a. Nkishi) (plural varies minkisi, zinkisi or nkisi according to dialect) is the general name for a spirit, or for any object that spirit inhabits. It is frequently applied to a variety of objects used throughout the Congo Basin in Central Africa thought to contain spiritual powers or spirits. The term and its concept have passed with the slave trade to the Americas, especially Latin America (in Palo Mayombe the spirits of nkisi are often called "mpungo").