Culture of Nigeria: Nok
Nigeria's Nok culture came surfaced in 1000 BC in Northern Nigeria and mysteriously disappeared around 300 AD. It is believed to have arisen from an ancestral nation form which the Housa, Kanuri, Gwari, Jukun, Nupe, and Birom people originated. North West of Nok is the Sokoto or Kwatarkwashi culture, which is thought to be an ancestor or the same as the Nok.
Nok art was primarily driven by sculptures. Their function is yet unknown, but there have been archaeological studies organized to determine them since 2005. In most cases, the terracotta is preserved in separate fragments. This is the reason Nok art is popular today only because of the heads that come with very fine details. Read more details form this source.
The statues were discovered in fragments as they were often constructed from mud and were found in terrain produced by water erosion. That is why the statues are rolled, polished, hidden and now broken. It is very rare that Nok art in huge sizes are kept intact, and that is one of the things that make them very expensive.
It is mostly unknown what Nok sculptures were used for, but theories say they were made to portray ancestors, bring good luck or mark graves. With many of the figures having a dome-shaped base, it is supposed that the sculptures were used as finials for roofs. You can also visit http://www.ehow.com/list_6569856_native-plants-animals-nigeria.html for more facts and ideas about the topic.
Majority of Nok ceramics were constructed by hand using coarse clay and then sculpted in a way that resembles wood carving. Once dry, the sculptures were then polished. The structures are hollow and have many openings to allow fast and complete drying and firing. It is also believed that the firing process used on the Nok ceramics was the same as the one used in Nigeria today, where the figures are burned for a certain number of hours while covered with twigs, leaves, and grass.
It was in 1928 when the first finds were accidentally discovered in an alluvial tin mine at a level of 24 feet near Nigeria's Jos Plateau region. Because of erosion and deposition, Nok terracottas suddenly appeared at different depths around the Sahel grasslands, hampering the normal dating and classification process of the intriguing artifacts.
In 1928, the Nok culture was discovered in the same area. At that time, Englishman Lt-Col. John Dent-Young was heading a mining activity in Nigeria's Nok village. One of the miners suddenly found a tiny terracotta in the shape of a monkey's head and then other miners discovered other shapes such as a human head and a foot. These artifacts soon ended up in a Jos museum. Also check these Nigerian gospel music.
