TRIBAL AFRICAN ART
KORO (KWARO)
Nigeria
The Koro people settled in Nigeria, north of the junction of the Niger and Benue Rivers. They carve abstract headdresses embellished with red seeds, which are thought to symbolize ancestor spirits and are used during agricultural rites and important social or family events. The Koro also sculpt cups for beer and palm wine that are used in sacrificial offerings and in second funerals (those that, after a certain period of burial, celebrate the arrival of the dead in the afterlife). In anthropomorphic versions, the containers correspond to the stomach of the feminine figure. The curvilinear form shrinks in the center, recalling the shape of pumpkins, commonly used as containers for liquids.