Stone sculptures have been found to be among the tangible heritage in Africa, and particularly Nigeria. They have been found only in few countries; Sierra Leone, Guinea, Nigeria, Zaire and Zimbabwe. Those found in Nigeria are however of greater variety, both in materials and forms than those of any other countries. For example, in Zimbabwe, Zaire, Sierra Leone and Guinea, only steatite or soapstone which is soft and can easily be carved with knives have been found.
Such sculptures too are limited to one or
two type objects such as 'Pondo in Guinea', 'Nomoli' in Sierra Leone and
'Mintadi and Maternite' figures in Zaire. Whereas in Nigeria, hard stones such
as granite, quartz, basalt, sandstone and limestone have been found and used
alongside steatite.
Areas where such stone sculptures are found in Nigeria include some towns in Yoruba area, and Ekoi area in Cross River State.
In the Yoruba speaking area, references could be made to Ile-Ife, the traditional origin of the Yoruba, Esure and Efon Alaaye in Ekiti, Sekunde in Ikire, Ikirun, Kuta and Igbajo all in Osun state and of cause the largest find in Esie in Kwara State.
Unlike the ancient Nigeria sculptures in terracotta and cast metals for which dependable archaeological data especially dates have been got, most of the Nigerian stone sculptures are surface finds for which little or no archaeological research has been undertaken.
According to experts, some thermoluminescene dates got from the terracotta associated with the steatite stone carvings of Esie are yet to be popularly accepted and no data are even available in respect of other stone carvings. They were however, contemporaries with some of the ancient sculptures in terracotta and metals.
ESIE STONE FIGURES
Esie is an Igbomina Yoruba town, South-east of Ilorin and near Offa in Kwara State. Esie became relevant in sculpture when the largest single discovery in Africa of about 800 art pieces were discovered around 1911 by a German archaelogist, Leo Frobenius.
The figures consisted of men and women mostly sitting on stools; some were kneeling. Most of them wear elaborate coiffures. All the figures have facial marks of three horizontal straight lines between the eyes and the ears. Some have vertical lines on the chin and a host of scarification on the face.
Majority of them wear necklaces and bracelets. There is also a variety of styles within the complex which indicates that these were the works of several artists.
All the works seem to be genuine portraits and were probably used for funeral rites. One legend says that the works are evil-doers turned to statues by God. These evil-doers were said to have come from different ethnic units to settle at Esie.
Nearly all of the works are soapstone sculptures and were discovered with their heads separated from the rest of the stone figures. The way the figures were broken suggests that they may have suffered violent destruction either by invaders or possibly by the introduction of a new religion.
EKOI STONE MONOLITHS
These are stone sculptures found around the koi area of the present Cross River State of Nigeria. They are different from those discovered in Yoruba areas in two ways. First, the figures were uniformly carved in hard stones, mainly basalt with few in limestone and sand stone. Found in different locations and with different associated local traditions, they are obviously related in forms and significance. Second, for other art forms such as their wooden figure and skin covered masks. Found also among the Ekoi is 'Nsibidi'- the only form of writing in sub Saharan Africa. The Ekoi people are not as many and centrally organized as the Yoruba but very artistic. Besides the stone sculptures, the Ekoi groups are famous for their wooden figure and skin-covered masks.
The heads of the figures are delineated and associated with their ancestors. In some places, these stone sculptures are simply called 'Atal' meaning stone, The Nta, Nselle and the Nde sub groups of the Ekoi call the sculptures 'Akwanshi'. The stone sculptures were first reported to the outside world by Partridge in 1905, while a comprehensive survey of them was not carried out until 1961/62.
The sculptures were found standing in abandoned or existing village sites, especially at the village squares and play grounds. As for characteristics, the sculptures are depicted decoratively and in relief on the basic conical shapes of the stones.
Only the fronts of the stones are carved, the back is untouched and no attempt was made to show negative spaces.
Emphasis is only on the head and the navel. The head is depicted in a V shaped chin, which represents the pointed and twisted long beard commonly worn by the Noons and Ekoi adults of old.
Functions
The Akwanshi monolith has religious implications. They are mainly used for ritual purposes. When a chief priest, Noon dies he is represented by the carved basalt monolith. The figures demonstrate victory of ancestors over circumstances of life for the people.
The figures take the role of being protectors of the community. They are responsible for the success and failure. They have powers over diseases and calamities that may befall the community or an individual.
TSOEDE BRONZES (Tada figures)
The most astonishing bronzes of the middle belt of Nigeria were discovered in the Nupe fishing village of Tada, on the River Niger. Tsoede figures are among the largest bronze works found anywhere in Africa, (some measuring more than one metre high).
This art was said to have flourished between 1100A.D, about the same period with Ife and partly
Benin.
Tsoede, the legendary founder of the Nupe kingdom is said to have been the son of the king of Idah who was banished from his father's kingdom and then founded the Nupe kingdom, in the 16* century.
According to oral tradition, he left Idah in a bronze canoe taking with him these figures, which he deposited at places where he stopped on his way to Nupe country.
However, the Idah origin of the meta figures has not been confirmed by any material or archaeological evidence. The only notable cast metal object found in Idah, a human face pendent which is part of the traditional outfit of the Atah, the traditional ruler of the town, is obviously of Benin manufacture. Such masks are said to have been sent from Benin to the lords of those villages and towns under her control as emblems of their authority in the 15* and 16° centuries.
All that constitute this art culture are nine groups of sculpture pieces, which could be divided into four groups:
(i) First group is made up of three 'Gara' figures; one of which was called 'figure of a chief, draped in a tunic decorated with birds and knotted pieces of cloth over another garment covered with cowries shells, a headgear with frontal and rear discs out of which sides is a horned human head, with fish-like snakes coming out of the nostrils - a trait found in Benin court art.
In this same group is another figure carrying quiver of arrows behinds, reminiscent of some Benin bronze plagues.
(ii) Second group is a seated human figure with strong resemblances to the early
Egyptian 'seated scribe' but stylistically related to Ife tradition.
This figure exhibits full modelling in the round with high understanding of anatomy.
(iii) Third group consists of two figures that appear more recent.
(iv) The animal group: two ostriches and one elephant.
The style used for the Tada figures is naturalism, having the same realistic and fine finish of Ife portrait heads, most especially the seated Tada figure measuring 35cm high. This metal piece in actual sense surpassed that of Ife particularly in its proportion and all round treatment of the body.
Obviously the Tsoede figures are not in a single style, but have enough traits to show that they rightly belong to the same tradition. Like Ife arts, they invariably have eyes, which are depicted without any indication of pupils. The eyes are fairly pronounced, the noses appear small and their heads are commonly rounded.
Their hands which taper from their upper parts to the wrists are one way or the other held forward.
Apart from this, other elements or animal representation in Tada figures could be traced convincingly to the Old Oyo kingdom, especially Ostriches and Elephants that are symbolic in Alaafin's palace.
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