A terracotta vessel, 38 cm high, with a bulbous body covered in raised nodules. A figure rises from the shoulder of the vessel, its raised hands framing a round, open mouth. The vessel stands on a ring of plaited fibre.

1. Form and Surface

The lower body is rounded like a gourd and covered all over with small, raised nodules; the same nodular surface continues over the figure's head and torso. The arms are bent, and the hands are raised to the open round mouth, which serves as the opening of the vessel. A second, smaller view shows the back of the figure, with its head set above the nodular body.

2. Use and Context

According to the collection catalogue, which gives the Foubiegouo Chiefdom as the place of origin, vessels of this kind were used in transformation rituals. The transformation of a person, usually a chieftain, into an animal takes place under the influence of alcohol, in this region palm wine, but primarily through self-suggestion in occult séances in which only the initiated may take part. The transformation into a leopard is described as reserved for chieftains and involves a leopard mask, a woven basket with strips of leopard fur and two eye holes.

3. Surface and Condition

The fired clay has a dry, earthy grey-brown surface with lighter patches. The collection catalogue describes the terracotta vessels of this group as partly damaged and, in part, as having received offerings.

Summary

This nodular terracotta vessel with a figure at its mouth belonged to the transformation rituals of the Mambila region, as described in the collection catalogue.