Koma Terra Cotta Funerary Figure

Small and dark with pointed head, folded arms and a pair of stubby legs.

This Koma terra cotta funerary figure is Koma, from Northern Ghana, West Africa. Funerary figures in many African traditions are generally linked with remembrance of the dead and with family ties to ancestors, though meanings differ widely from one community to the next. Slender, compact body with a pointed crown, a tiny pierced mouth and arms folded against the torso. The lower end splits into two short stumps. The surface is a mottled, earthy brown and crusted in places. It is 1.5 inches wide, 1.4 deep and 4.1 high.

Minimal detail, fully committed to the pose.