Description:

The Mambila people inhabit regions flanking the Nigerian–Cameroonian border in northwestern Cameroon. Primarily agricultural, they maintain a spiritual system centered on ancestral reverence. Within this cultural landscape, their anthropomorphic terracotta vessels occupy a distinguished place, crafted with remarkable precision, they are conceived more  as sculptural embodiments of ancestral presence than functional containers.
The vessel’s surface is enriched with meticulously carved, raised dot motifs, a hallmark of Mambila ritual aesthetics that conveys symbolic depth and artistic refinement. This rare large example illustrates the harmonious union of util
spiritual significance, and sophisticated craftsmanship that defines Mambila ceramic traditions.
Typically, such vessels present an ancestor’s head with an open-mouthed spout, accompanied by the characteristic dotted relief. Their form and iconography connect them to the Ga’anda cult and to the shrines in which they were installed. Central to Mambila belief is Mbirhlen’nda, a protective spirit invoked for the safeguarding of community well-being and prosperity.