This object belongs to the category of fetishes, a term derived from the French fétiche, which in turn comes from the Portuguese feitiço, meaning charm, sorcery. Banned by the colonial administrators and missionaries, these objects also inspire fear in those who resort to their services. As this anthropomorphic specimen clearly reveals, the fetish is a container of very diverse substances associated with death: monkey skulls, clay (normally taken from burial grounds), cowrie shells - which for centuries were used as currency for the exchange of goods, now used for bartering with the invisible -, horns, claws and skins of forest animals, vegetable fibres, etc. The basic concept behind the fetish-object lies in it being a receptacle of forces directed at a very precise objective, and which lies at a source of some kind of suffering. For this purpose, the object is included in a ritual ceremony which involves the officiant, the consultant, many other objects, dances, drinks, incantations and food. Despite also being represented by modern common sense, fetishes remain very popular, even in urban areas.