Koma Ceramic Funerary Figure

Hands folded over the belly, in a pose of perfect patience.

This funerary figure is Koma, from Northern Ghana, West Africa, and dates to the 13th to 17th century. It is terra cotta. Koma figures were found in burial mounds in the Koma Land region of Ghana, and are generally thought to have played a part in funeral practice, though their exact purpose is still debated. The torso is upright and rounded, with a small navel at its center and long arms that curl down to meet at the waist. The head is lost, leaving a peaked top. The clay is a speckled sandy grey. It is 2 inches wide and 4.25 high.

Small, steady and unhurried, as befits its company.