Sculpture d´un animal

Description

terracotta, rest.

Since the 1960s, the Koma and the neighbouring Bulsa have repeatedly unearthed terracottas during earthworks. Official archaeological excavations began in March 1985.

The terracottas, however, as the Koma themselves say, do not come from their ancestors, but from the people who settled in their area before the land abandoned by their predecessors was occupied. For example, the current place name Yikpabongo is said to derive from “Dzikpiebongo”, which translates to “ruins in the forest”, as the place was built on the found ruins of an older settlement. Yikpabongo is a particularly productive excavation site for terracottas.

Since the locals did not know the origin and function of the terracottas, they called them “kronkronbali”, which means “children from the old days”. Some depicted people, others animals, sometimes even a person riding an animal.

The figurines have been recovered from earth mounds, some of which have a stone ring or a stone covering layer. Initially these were interpreted as burial mounds and the terracottas as grave goods. This has since been revised to suggest the mounds were shrines used to dispose of ritually powerful objects and substances.

Littérature comparée

Publications

AHDRC: 0055527

Remarques

This object is subject to the UNESCO Cultural Heritage Protection Act. Export documents are required for export (subjected to a fee).