Nok Culture
Nok Culture represents one of the earliest known ironworking communities in West Africa, with its origins traced to the Jos Plateau of northern Nigeria. This ancient culture is distinguished not only by its proficiency in ironworking but also by its rich agricultural practices, including the cultivation of grains and oil-bearing seeds. Significant archaeological discoveries during the 1930s, particularly in the context of tin mining, revealed an array of finely crafted terra-cotta figures alongside iron and stone tools. These figures are notable for their intricate detail, showcasing expressions, hairstyles, and ornamental accessories like rings and necklaces, indicating a sophisticated artistic tradition.
Many of the terra-cotta pieces were originally substantial standing figures, potentially reaching about four feet in height, often depicted in poses suggesting religious or ceremonial significance. The presence of figures that appear to genuflect or kneel points to possible ancestral commemorations, echoing practices found in various West African cultures. Additionally, artifacts from another site, Taruga, indicate advanced iron-smelting techniques, including furnaces and associated tools. Overall, Nok Culture reflects a complex society with rich artistic and technological achievements that have significantly contributed to the understanding of early West African civilizations.
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Nok Culture
Related civilization: West Africa.
Date: 500 b.c.e.-200 c.e.
Locale: Central/North Nigeria, West Africa
Nok Culture
The earliest known ironworking community in West Africa is that of the Nok culture, named after a village on the Jos Plateau of northern Nigeria. Field research indicates that the Nok people were farmers who grew crops including grain and oil-bearing seeds. During open-cast tin-mining operations in the 1930’s, a number of finely constructed terra-cotta figures as well as iron and stone implements were uncovered. These figures are remarkable for the sensitivity of the sculptors’ crafting, which records details of facial expression, hairstyle, and ornamentation. Bodies are often adorned with rings, bracelets, necklaces, anklets, waistbands, and garters.
Though primarily found in broken sections, some of the Nok terra-cotta pieces would have originally formed standing figures measuring about four feet (slightly more than one meter) in height. The attitude of many of the figures indicates that they were made for religious purposes, much like sculpture found in Nigeria in more modern times. Some of the figures are kneeling or genuflecting. The unique and expressive faces on several of the heads suggest that they may have commemorated ancestors much in the way sculptures have been used in many parts of West Africa as recently as the twentieth century. Examples of animal subjects have also been uncovered. Excavations at Taruga, a second site occupied by the same people, have produced remains of iron-smelting furnaces. Slag and the ceramic nozzles used in the smelters for conducting air from bellows to the flames inside have been found.
Bibliography
Connah, Graham. African Civilizations: Precolonial Cities and States in Africa, an Archaeological Perspective. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press, 1987.
Davidson, Basil. Africa: History of a Continent. New York: Macmillan, 1972.
Fagg, Bernard. Nok Terracottas. London: Ethnographica, 1990.