Bamenda Ceremonial Pipe - Rabbit Form

Long dark stem ends in a rabbit-eared head that looks mildly surprised.

This terra cotta ceremonial pipe in the form of a rabbit from the Bamenda peoples is Bamenda, from Cameroon, Central Africa, and dates to the 20th century. The form of a pipe usually combines a bowl for tobacco with a stem, and the sculpted figure is typically placed on the bowl or the body. Slender, tapering stem carries incised lines and zigzag bands along its length. At the end, a bent head with upright ears and small eyes holds an open bowl at the top. The surface is dark, smooth and lightly scuffed. It is 6.5 inches wide, 2 deep and 2 high.

Whoever carved those ears had a sense of humor.