Nomoli

Mendi stones have been found in Sierra Leone, north of present-day Guinea Conakry and the Sherbo Islands, opposite Sierra Leone. These stones were appearing in the fields and present a wide variety of styles so it also seems that they could have been made over different periods. Also appear figures with the most varied forms, standing, crouching, etc. The Kissi of Guinea Conakry call them Pomdo, spirit of death, and Nomoli or spirit of the ancestor Mende Sierra Leone. They are carved of soft stones, steatites, and almost all of them represent characters, rarely animals. These stones appear in the fields, during farming. When harvests are abundant, offerings are made to these stones. But, if the rains take long after planting, then the owner of the fields inflicts severe punishment on the stone, beats it with the whip, or breaks it into pieces. Anyway most of these statues appear with blows due to hoes or plowing. Like the stones. Kissi represent an ancestor and would have been dedicated to some funeral cult.They are placed on the altars of families. At the time of the ceremonies the statue of the ancestor receives the offering and homage of the descendants and of the whole family. You are offered the most recent seeds and the firstfruits of the harvest.The person guarding these stones is a member of the ancestor's family and usually a fortune teller. During the ceremony the statue is placed in a sort of small angarillas placed on the head of the fortune teller, which holds them with both hands. Meanwhile the present members of the family as well as their relatives, can ask questions to the statue. To an affirmative answer, the statue will bow to the right side. If the answer is negative, to the left side. It detects and betrays the person who has committed an evil.