Head post "kala di kakungu"

wood, pigments, grass fibre, base

Most Nkanu carvings were created for public display as part of the "nkanda" initiation of boys.

The "kala di kakungu" post announces the "nkanda" is in process and warns off women, sorcerers and the uninitated. It is positioned on the main road leading from the "nkanda" enclosure to the village.

The post remains in place at the close of "nkanda" and is subject to natural decay. Sometimes it is consumed by fire when the "nkanda" enclosure is burned. The visible remains of the "kala di kakungu" continue to warn people from continuing along the path: to enter where an "nkanda" has taken place may bring misfortune, specifically immediate infertility, to the trespasser.

Often, head posts also stood in front of ritual huts called "kikaku", which were lavishly decorated with wall panels and figurative sculpture and whose furnishings were said to have been coordinated with certain events of the respective "nkanda" session.