Bamenda Ceremonial Pipe - Squirrel Form

Gray pipe with a tiny creature perched mid-stem and fine lines etched near the tip.

This terra cotta ceremonial pipe in the form of a squirrel is Bamenda, from Cameroon, Central Africa, and dates to the 20th century. Terra cotta is low-fired, unglazed clay that potters can model by hand into detailed animal and plant shapes before it is burnished or left with a matte surface. Long stem in mottled gray, scratched with thin incised lines along the lower length. A small seated animal figure rests on the stem near the middle, facing the bowl. The upright cup at the end is plain and slightly flared. It is 7 inches wide, 1.5 deep and 2 high.

Tiny sentry, posted at the middle, vigilant about nothing.