Koma Female Funerary Figure

Long-limbed and open-mouthed, one hand pressed to its belly, mounted on a stand.

This Koma terra cotta female funerary figure is Koma, from Northern Ghana, West Africa. Representations of women in African sculpture are commonly connected with ideas of lineage, fertility and the continuity of the family, although the meaning depends on the people who made them. Slim standing form with a tilted head, wide round eyes and a gaping mouth. One arm crosses to the belly, and the legs are short and slightly bent. The surface is a pale tan, with reddish smudges and a fine, dusty finish. It is 3.75 inches wide, 2.75 deep and 11 high.

Evidently has something to say and a stomach to hold.