Label
2024, "Funerary Vessels from the Niger River Valley"
Creation of this work has been attributed to the Bura civilization that settled throughout the Niger River Valley. Little is known about this culture apart from their death practices. Made from clay, the terracotta vessels were used as funerary urns for skeletal remains. Each cylindrical urn was placed upside down on the earth and could also contain personal items such as iron arrowheads, bracelets, or rings, and sometimes quartzite beads. Each urn is decorated with unique designs using a process called scarification, where marks are cut into the clay, as well as areas that are ridged. Designs are believed to represent aspects of the deceased’s life.
Text by Cori Singleton, Washburn student