Mangbetu

She turned to a bust of Nobosodrou, a Mangbetu woman from what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The Mangbetu people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo wore it as a talisman in battle, hoping for invincibility.

Perhaps this mystic reputation has often contributed to make of a brave man a real hero, wherefore the Mangbetu gave it a name meaning “hero shrew” … Though only worn somewhere about their body, they believe that neither spears nor arrows, nor any kind of attack can seriously injure them, much less bear them down.

At first every image I showed them was interpreted as if it was an adinkra symbol – like when I showed them an example of reflection symmetry in Mangbetu design, they related it to the pattern “Wo nsa da mu a,” a symbol of democracy.