Bura Terracotta Funerary Pedestal Bowl

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

A mesmerizing ancient terracotta pedestal bowl from the enigmatic Bura Asinda-Sikka culture, known for its striking funerary ceramics and deeply spiritual burial practices. This elegant bowl, with its elevated foot and softly curved basin, once formed part of the ritual landscape of a lost West African civilization that flourished along the lower Niger River valley.

Unearthed near the necropolis of Bura-Asinda-Sikka—discovered by accident in 1975 and excavated in the early 1980s—this piece is a testament to the Bura people’s profound relationship with the afterlife. Their tombs yielded a wealth of ceramic forms: from tubular urns and oval vessels to pedestal bowls such as this one, which may have served to present offerings or accompanied the deceased as symbolic provisions for the journey beyond.

The Bura culture, active from the 3rd to 13th century AD, remains shrouded in mystery. Yet through their ceramic artistry, they left behind a unique visual language—one marked by abstraction, anthropomorphism, and sacred symbolism. Though modest in decoration, this bowl echoes the same spiritual purpose and ritual significance as the more elaborate anthropomorphic urns topped with heads or figures.

Simple, yet powerful in form, this pedestal bowl offers an evocative glimpse into an ancient belief system, where ceramics were not just vessels but conduits between the living and the dead—designed to honor, nourish, and protect the soul in its eternal passage.

Excellent 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. 12,0cm x 12,0cm x 8,5cm. 

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.