Koma Funerary Figure with Three Heads

Three heads, one small figure, and a very long time underground.

Koma terracottas, from northern Ghana, have been recovered from ancient burial mounds. Their exact purpose is still debated, though the setting suggests a commemorative or ritual role. This funerary figure was made between the 13th and 17th centuries and stands about five and a quarter inches tall.

A frontal face with a conical head, round ears and great everted lips forming an open mouth. Smaller heads project from the sides. The rough, sandy terra cotta is a soft rosy tan, eroded and pitted by long burial.

Let it keep its mysteries. It has the practice.