Koma Ceramic Funerary Figure, Based

A row of points juts from each shoulder, like a collar that got carried away.

This funerary figure is Koma, from Northern Ghana, West Africa, and dates to the 13th – 17th C. It is terra cotta, mounted on a base. Koma figures are thought to have been placed in burial mounds as part of funerary practice, though researchers remain careful about their precise role. The tall head has a small knot on top, narrow eyes, a broad nose and full, open lips. A beaded ring circles the neck. Below, the torso flares out into a series of rounded points along both sides, with a small breast at the front. The clay is reddish brown. It is 3.5 inches wide, 2.5 deep and 9.5 high.

Dressed in its best spikes for eternity.