Bura Terracotta Funerary Urn

Bura Asinda-Sikka Culture, c. 200–1200 AD, Niger or Burkina Faso, West Africa

A fascinating and unusual ancient terracotta funerary urn, masterfully hand-formed in a tubular shape with an open base and subtly flared rim. This striking vessel is a powerful representation of the mysterious Bura Asinda-Sikka culture, which flourished in the Sahel region of West Africa from the 3rd to the 13th century AD.

Discovered near the necropolis of Bura-Asinda-Sikka—uncovered by accident in 1975 and excavated in the early 1980s—these urns were integral to the burial rites and spiritual beliefs of a society that placed profound emphasis on the afterlife. Typically found inverted and closely clustered, the urns contained human remains, often including skulls, clothing, iron arrowheads, and even food offerings—suggesting a ceremonial role in honoring the dead and provisioning them for the next world.

The Bura culture is especially celebrated for its highly distinctive ceramics, ranging from anthropomorphic urns topped with stylized heads and riders to minimalistic, undecorated vessels like this one. While some featured prominent facial features or anatomical symbolism, others—like this urn—conveyed their ritual significance through form and function alone.

Heavy, solemn, and steeped in meaning, this urn is not merely a container—it is a ritual object, a guardian of the soul, and a lasting tribute to a civilization whose artistry continues to captivate and mystify.

Good condition. Surface wear and abrasions commensurate with age, nicks and chip, with fading to some finer features, and light encrustations within recessed areas. Nice earthen deposits throughout. Traces of libations. Size approx. 12,0cm x 18,6cm x 19,0cm. 

Provenance: Dutch private collection

References and further reading:

Bura Funerary Urns: Niger Terracottas: An Interpretive Limbo?, Michelle Gilbert, African Arts, The MIT Press, Vol. 53, No.1, Spring 2020, pp. 66-75.

Earth and Ore: 2500 Years of African Art in Terra-cotta and Metal, Karl-Ferdinand Schädler, Panterra, January 1, 1997.

Un "Village des Morts" à Bura en Republique du Niger', Boube Gado, in J. Devisse (ed.), Vallées du Niger, Paris: Réunion des Musées Nationaux, 1993, pp. 365-74.

One Hundred Years of Archaeology in Niger, Anne C. Haour, Journal of World Prehistory, Vol.17. No.2, June 2003, pp. 181-234.