This powerful terracotta sculpture of a human
head was made by one of the most inscrutable
groups in pre-colonial Africa: the Bura. The
piece is roughly hourglass-shaped, with a flat
base narrowing to a slimmer neck and a larger,
round face. The piece is compressed from front
to back, and thins from the neck to the apex of
the head. The facial outline is smooth except for
the quadrangular ears that protrude at the
head’s widest point. The nose is short and
curved, dividing small round eyes with pierced
pupils. The lips are small yet protuberant, and
slightly agape. There is a small eminence above
the nose; no hair is represented. Extensive keloid
scarifications have been rendered as double
hatched raised bands diagonally across the
forehead, vertically beside each eye and between
the mouth and the piece’s base. The back of the
figure is plain, which implies that the piece was
designed to be seen from the front, perhaps as a
devotional object or idol.
The Bura are a true paradox: almost nothing is
known of this shadowy Nigerian/Malian group.
They appear to have originated in the first half of
the first millennium AD, although the only
archaeologically-excavated site (Nyamey) dates
between the 14th and 16th centuries. They are
contemporary with – and probably related to –
the Djenne Kingdom, the Koma, the Teneku and
a satellite culture known as the Inland Niger
Delta. Insofar as can be ascertained, the Bura
share certain characteristics with these groups;
for our purposes, these include extensive
ceramic and stone sculptural traditions. The Bura
appear to have been sedentary agriculturists who
buried their dead in tall, conical urns, often
surmounted by small figures. Their utilitarian
vessels are usually plain, while other “containers”
– the function of which is not understood – are
often decorated with incised and stamped
patterns. Their best-known art form is radically
reductivist anthropomorphic stone statues, with
heads rendered as squares, triangles and ovals,
with the body suggested by a columnar,
monolithic shape beneath. Phallic objects are
also known; some phallomorphic objects may
have been staffs, perhaps regalia pertaining to
leaders of Bura groups. Ceramic heads are
usually more complex than their stone
counterparts, with incised decoration and
variable treatment of facial proportions and
features. There are a few very rare equestrian
figures: these bear some resemblance to Djenne
pieces. Almost no intact human or equestrian
figures are known.
The role of these figures is almost totally
obscure. Equestrian figures probably represent
high status individuals, and the very few full-
body representations of humans may be
portraits or ancestor figures. Intuitively – as with
so many other groups both inside and beyond
Africa – figures with exaggerated sexual
characteristics would tend to be associated with
fertility and fecundity, as would any artefact
modelled in the shape of pudenda (although the
sceptre-like qualities of some such pieces
should be noted – see above). The distribution of
decoration on some ceramic pieces (notably
phalluses) may suggest that they were designed
to be viewed from one angle only – perhaps as
adorational pieces. Many pieces are believed to
have been found in burials, perhaps implying an
importance that would have been linked to social
standing and status.
This is a powerful Bura sculpture, and a striking
and attractive piece of ancient art from one of
Africa’s lost civilisations.
