Bura Terracotta Funerary Figure Head

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

A mesmerizing and highly characteristic terracotta funerary figure head from the ancient Bura Asinda-Sikka culture. This compelling fragment likely once crowned a ceremonial urn interred in the vast necropolis of Bura-Asinda-Sikka, a sacred site that lay forgotten for centuries before its accidental rediscovery in 1975.

Crafted with powerful simplicity, the head is a hallmark of Bura artistry—flattened and stylized, with raised relief features that suggest eyes, a coiffure, and nose. This minimalist aesthetic is deeply emblematic of Bura visual language, where abstracted forms convey identity, reverence, and spirit with haunting effect.

The Bura culture flourished in the lower Niger River valley between the 3rd and 13th centuries AD, encompassing parts of modern-day Niger and Burkina Faso. Though much about their society remains mysterious, Bura people were likely sedentary agriculturalists with rich funerary traditions. They buried their dead in tall, ovoid urns, often inverted and clustered together, filled with bones, skulls, and grave goods—such as iron tools, textiles, and food offerings.

These urns, frequently topped with human or animal figures, acted as symbolic guardians or representations of the deceased. This funerary head, with its striking form and spiritual resonance, is a rare surviving relic of those beliefs—offering a direct connection to the ancient rites and aesthetic world of one of West Africa’s most enigmatic civilizations.

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. Size approx. 11,8cm x 10,0cm x 4,8cm. 

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.