Object Name: Head fragment (beji)
Cultural Group: Tula peoples
Date: Before 1970
Materials Used: Ceramic
Credit line and Accession Number: Fowler Museum at UCLA. Gift of Arnold Rubin. X86.4691
Collected by Arnold Rubin, Tula Wange, 1970

This relatively naturalistic head once topped a beer vessel (beji) displayed by the Tula in a ritual precinct where it could be used in ceremonies to protect hunters. The restrained quality of the faces on Tula vessels contrasts with the more extroverted aspect of those made by the Jen, Longuda, and Cham-Mwana.

Source: Gallery Wall Text, Central Nigeria Unmasked: Arts of the Benue River Valley, 2011