LIBRARY A ND  MUSEUM  REPORTS 

111.

NATURALISTIC  TERRA COTTA  HEADS OF THE INSTITUTE

OF AFRICAN STUDIES

by  Mr.  A . K.  Quarcoo

We have  reported on general  pottery  in the  Research Review

volume 3,  number  lf  page 63; some ritual  pottery  in volume 2,  number 1;
tobacco  pipes,  decorative and other useful  clay artifacts, and on the 
remnants of  'Old  Tafo1,  (Kumasi)  pottery  in volume 3,  number 2,  page 83.

*

We are,  in this  issue,  putting a note on naturalistic  terra  cotta

heeds of  Ghana  in  response to enquiries  sent to  us about this art.

As far as we are aware,  the tradition  of naturalistic  terro  cottas,

like  the stylistically  symbolic  ones, appears to exist  In the art  and art
history  of  Ghana.  Although we have yet  to do a very  extensive archaeo-
logical  work  on, and a  large-scale  ethnographic  collection  of,  what Is
referred  to  in  the  literature,  as the  "Ife"  type of  naturalistic  terra  cotta
heads,  the slim evidence  that  is available  points to  the fact  that such heads
are not strangers to ancient  clay  sculpture of  Ghana.  The bulk  of our present
collections  were obtained from all  parts of  Ghana but especially,  from Kwaht/
and Ahinsan.  Some of  the funerary  terra  cottas  from the  Kwahu  I.A.S.
1/64.93,  1/64.9,  illustrated  in the  Ghana  Notes of Queries, number 8 of
January,  1966,  page  13 and described by our collector  and Research Assistant,
K.  Ameyaw,  are naturalistic  in style.  However,  the round hollow  or solid
heads, which are  like  the  "Ife"  types,  are not  too many  in our  collections.
Recently,  a  Ph.D. Archaeology  research student,  Mr.  J.  Bellfs, 
from the
University  of  Indiana,  United States of America,  has discovered a few heads
similar  to those we have  m the  I.A.S.  museum.  His collections are very
outstanding and he contends* that  there  is evidence of deposits of hit  'finds1
in  the  Twifo area where he  is currently  working.

LIBRARY ANC' MJSfUM R

Wr«t;rig  on  turtvafy
Roy  S e i b e i ,0  who  has  r v 'V  01
valid  reason  vAv  f U;  St'ifor'r

^f  Ghcir.n,

, iy

sf«!i${> 

.->o:y.-ii  of  *?;>vo  c<><'

?ho  pas  ,,-  of  >.s  l e s e c r ch  w i a -i

'.,-.•*  C t.lv,  'Oft  h  r,  ',.., '.L'Sp3i,'  Jrt'J f

, * u-jtru  corta  heads  we? «J
ring  to  u  gioup  in  the  cot
he  soys,  should  be  coiled  'J>: 'af'urocs-.fic
are  unable  to  be  specific1  oi>  '"he  oue:.snr,
cotta  heads  used  fa  be  rf»srricf«r*  *c  H^  .'.
to  be  now.

t.p/  ,'•>* ji-yctlj,,  vhic't  by  ycneici' csef

!-l

v»e

•'•hor-QfCin
oooear  iargeiy

By and  targe,  it  aop"cm_  -  highly  /.ai-'ialifilc  "*ounH rs

'.{«< 

the  'H-<.»;(  /;»  r1-  >  '••.-.J
fyoe  of  terra  crAti,  heo it  ^».re  Suryc!'>  >vc tJ 
people8  -  the  pe<-r>ie  Scibe*  Z'~j"^h  C!-i,siocriii's 
u,  ,-fif'i'  Have  ht-en  one
of  the  reasons  fr  Jh*- r.-ifn ;,-,• r>r  :K,^se r---aHs 'v  .s;h *».-c  >,r<  studying,  The
present  quantity  ^;  fhe',e  netv'  "•>.- posiis.ly,  »>it  fio"  !v:."?s;er;l;,-  <-.e an
index  to  the  presence  or  absonco  of  fh,e  troc^^c  <  c»f the 
S(» Ghana,  We  ate  coMtng  "t  d'-r 
IJtei'al'uro  of  V/esf  ^>fricafi  scuifjturef  fhe  kno/.'.i  exdrapie  of  Hie  style  of
the  head  we  are  consider>ri;i,  I'--  is  i->ert!ne>i''  to  ante  that  the  present  work
of  some  of  my  colleagues  a*  .Ke.< L'.;corfm«:ni  of  Archaeology,  Legon,  tend
to  prove  that  ft  Is  rath<v  too  •sariy  to  s u r e s t,  t'speciolly  without1  further
research,  the1, thfri-  is  no  a<,c. t , f  imdittcu  in  Ghana  of  >'he  roupd|,  naturo-
F-'n  not  only  ::i  Af-vt'i  from  where  fhe  bulk  of
listSc  potro'f-  typo  ef  head 
our  example?, f o n t ,,  but  aS-,0  In  Ga'-Adar.^ttit?  areas  of  Chana#  there  are
very  anclerJ  oral  frodHIom  which  refer  io  'his  type  of  art. 
In some  shrines,
still  not  opr>n  h> o il  and  sundry,  s-.u-h  heada  form  porr  of  fhe  ritual  ortifacts.

'{*<•;  '  opr--^  arly  becn'.sf  II  <.,,  .r  rha

' ' i * ^ ''  Sypi? i»i  heod

M r,  Dovid  Colvcccresrt  of  *"',  Aichac-olociy  Deportment f  for

example,  h«:  fcut^d  ?: \>*/ suc^i ht-.,0s
He  says  his  'fir.dr  <jrt* r'»"^ly  "sn.-roto
"She  fabric  o'  P-? nc-,f-\-' 
(c;.'.»i  66,4"*
to  !h«  ^tDfic  ,  hd  contendy.  i.-  *-v;  h e c j.
'<.,?f.HO
H  fates  ,  »h-  '-/Hence  V i j ' f :, 

~i Hnnif  west  of  h'sokow,  Cjhona,
colk-chons#  anJ  '•hey  look  neolithic,
archaeology)  is  superficially 

indentical
He  may  be  reporting  mots  fully  on
.-;;^esfs  that  tbr*hor  tird  more  serious

-  *

*  -  M

.;

LIBRARY  AND  MUSLIM  k iPORiS

113.

research  a:< this  art  may  .iot  onjy  be  worthwhile  but  fruitful.

A  note  needs 

to  he  made  i-.rrnediately  here  on  our  infonrrs. :o;?

deceased  persons  notwithstanding  their  staruse-.,

ore;-
::.r:-,-,-raied by  such  funerary  fiaures.  Kwah

that  *r.  A
co'fid  be
•> me  oth"!"  cuea  where  naturalistic  Funerary  terra  cottas  are  srill  beinq
used, 
in  Agona,  'collective  funerals'  are  not  uncommon  and  when  sue!:
turieio's  are  observed,  one  'figure'  may  be  used  to  represent  ail  fhe
deceased  persons.  At  the  end  of  the  celebration,  fhe  figure  representing
all  the  deceased,  may  be  deposited  on  fhe  tomb  of  the  eldest  or  most
outstanding  of  them  a l l.  Such,  figures  are  often  naturalistic,  but  they
arc  not  necessarily  'photo  copies'  of  any  of  Hv.; deceased  people- 
^•xo'npie  in  picture,  cor,.  165,166.  Heigh*  8,16  inch.;.-;.

course.

(see

The  specific  terra  cotras  on  which  we  write  the  following  notes

are  I . A . S . / 1 6 7 . 1 8,  165.11 ia  -  b,  and  1.6c.fJ8.  One  of  rhe  'finds1
of  Mr.  J,  Be I i is  is a  large  edition  of  1 .67.18,  which  was  collected  from
Kusa,,  Adansi  near  Fomena,'* 
This  figure,,  cat.  1 ,67.18,  was  used  for
the  funeroi  of  Nona  Kofi  Amoabeng,.  Sixth  in  the  line  of  their  chiefs,-1
The  figure  was  meant  to  be  the  naturalistic  representation  of  the  chief;
hence  the  style,  which  according  to  our  Informant,  was  no  stronger  to
the  community.  This  figure  was  In  the  stool  room and  before  rhe  black
stools^,  untif  it  was given  to  us.  Our  donor  was  Nana  Owia  Altora  Ababia,
of  course^  svlth  rhe  consent  of  his  elders.

Car.  I . A . S.  165/11 la  -  b,  height  6  3/10  inches  was  obtained

from  Nn.no  Akuamoa  Akyeampong  i,  Ornanhene  of  Kwohu. 
one  in  the  retinue  of  a  post  chief  -  not  the  chief  himself.  This  suggests
a  broader  category  of  people  other  than  chiefs,  who  were  represented  by
that  type  of  terra  cotra  head.  This  t>iece  is similar  to  the  headf 
i . A . S.  1 .66,38,  which  we  regard  as  the  most  classical  piece  of  our
collections.  The  figure  has a  high  forehead  and  ridged  neck.  The  head
is  hollow  and  but  for  its  rotundity  ir  could  be an  example  of  a  typical

cat.

I-  represented

LIBRARY AND  MUSEUM REPORTS 

114

I.A.S.  cat,  166,38 was used In the funeral  observance  of
Nana  KJSL Boadum  (1807  -  1866) and we  collected  it  from  Assir,
Nyamkumasi  near  Fosu In the Central  Region of  Ghana,  Our donor
was Nana  Kwa!<y Apute  !! of Ass in  Nyakumast.  The height  of  the
head  I,-, eleven  inches.  The Styie of  the  hair  is a sort  of applique  work,,
Round bits of  clay  pegs are stuck  Into  little  round holes made in  the head
and wherever  the artist  desired to show hair.  But for  the  holes on the  chlr,
unmistakably  showing  hoies  for  the  clay  pegs to  indicate  the figure's bear«i#
it  would  not be wrong  for an observer  to  regard the  figure as a female  piece.
The suggestion derives  Its validity  from  the  fact  that  the style of  the hair
Is very  much  like  the  initial  style of hairdo of young,  Indigenous  Ghanaian
girls  when they begin  plaiting  their  hair. 
In ports ofAdangbefond,  Ghana,
It  is a style  for girls about  to begin  their  puberty  rites.  This style  is  calbd
'Ntakoa'  in Akan;  'Gbodwegbodwe'  in  Ewer  and 'Akokro1  In  Go,

Other  noteworthy  points of  the  features of  the  figure aref  the

big  protruding  eyes, which ore  regarded as beautiful  In many ports of  Ghana,
and the  long  forehead reminiscent  of  the famous Akuaba doll  of  the Akan.
Having  regard to the  height of  the piece,  the neck  could be described as
long and,  of  course,  ringed.  The high  forehead,  in addition  to the  long
neck,  shows the  features  that ore,  even today,  regarded  In all  Akanland,
but especially  in Ashanti,  as beauty.  Although  this  example  I*  stylistically
similar  to  the  "Ife  head" the  features are  typically  Ghanaian,

We note  that according  to our data,  the  Kwafw  heads are

historically-and  stylistically  linked with  Ahinsan.  An unmarked piece  in
our  'finds',  collected by  Pay! Ozonne,  a former archaeologist  of this
Institute,  comes from the  15th or  16th century site of Aduoku,  (Shai)  or
Ahinson.  Our  collections  In  I.A.S.,  other studies of  my colleagues  In the
Archaeology  Department,  and the thrilling  "finds8 of  Mr.  Befffsr  re-affirm
our hypothesis  that  there may be a  long and quite  'separate' tradition  of
this  type of  terra  cotta  art  in  Ghana,

I

LIBRARY  A ND  MUSEUM  REPORTS

115.

1 . 

2. 

3. 

4. 

5. 

There are a few  back  copies of some of the  Reviews named In
the  I.A.S.,  Legon.

Mr.  Be 11 is  Is attached to  the Archaeology  Department of  the
University  of  Ghana while  he continues  his research  In Ghana,
His collections,  which are at  present with  him  in  the  Archaeology
Department,  University  of  Ghesna, are  inspiring.

Roy Seiber  is one of  my greatest  Inspirers  in  the  field of visual  arts.
He  Is an advocate  of  the African  interdisciplinary  approach  to the
study of  visual  arts.  He  is now  the Acting  Chairman of  the  Faculty
of  Fine Arts,  University  of  Indiana^  U.S.A.

Collector  was  K.  Ameyaw.

This chief  Is believed  to  be a contemporary  of  the A$anf"ehene#,
Nana  Osel Akoto  1824  -  1838.

LIBRARY  AND  MUSEUM  REPORTS

116.

M . A,  SEMINAR  PAPERS

RAMFfOD,  Ruin

(JANFIELD,  Ruth.

<JAN FIELD,  Ruth.

FITZGERALD,  Dale  K,

SEGBAWU,  C.M.K.

SEGBAWU,  C.M.K.

An  Introductory  survey of  French
and  English novels  from Wesi* Af>;c-'  ,
December  1967.

The status and  relative  independence
of  women  in six West African  societies,
1968.

Woie  Soyinka's  A  donee  c*  t'i?  h>?e:v ,
1968.

The question of duo-locality  among the
Go:  a preliminary  study.  1968.

The revolutionary  movement  led by
Usuman Dan  Fodio alias  Uthman  B.  Fudi
and  Its relevance  to other  Jihad move-
ments of  the Western  Sudan  In the  19th
century  A . D.  1968.

Wole  Soyinka and  Pepper Clarke as
dramatists.  1966.