ASINDA BURA TERRACOTTA – Burkina FasoASINDA BURA TERRACOTTA – Burkina Faso

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Category: Sculptures & Masks

ASINDA BURA TERRACOTTA – Burkina FasoASINDA BURA TERRACOTTA – Burkina Faso


1st century B.C.-1,000 A.D.. Height cm. 47,5 (18.70 In.)

The Bura terra cotta pieces originate from what is now Burkina Faso. The name Bura coming from the burial ground where the first archaeological pieces were found. Asinda and Sikka are two more precise locations, inside this larger excavation area.

The first Bura archeological site was discovered in 1975, 150 kilometers north-west of Niamey in the Volta River delta in Niger, in the region controlled by the Songhaï Empire from the 7th to the 16th centuries. Terra cotta pieces such as heads, urns and pottery are found in abundance in this region.

Funeral urns in phallic forms were made to be placed in the tomb of their deceased amongst personal effects such as arrowheads, lances, clothing, teeth and bones. Some are very tall (80 centimeters) and are topped off with small heads. Then, a « baura » was put on the tomb with its opening looking the skies, exactly like our tombstones or burial plaques.

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