Nupe Bronze Head Shaped Bell

The bell is formed into a conical, straight-sided shape, without lateral flaring. The apex is decorated with four triangular eminences that provide the resemblance of hair, in turn surmounted by a suspension loop. The face, on the front of the bell, is formed from a series of raised lines with two main eminences: the mouth and the nose. The eyes are simple circles, divided by a band of hatched design denoting the bridge of the nose. The lips are full, with three small lines – identical to those found on Benin pieces – emanating from each corner of the mouth.

The origins of the Nupe seems to lie in Tsoede, although the Nupe themselves seem to believe that they were originally Egyptian. They settled in their current range in the 15th century, and were influenced by the neighbouring Oyo and Igbo peoples. They were converted in the late 1700s by one Mallam Dendo, an itinerant Muslim preacher, and their lands were forcefully taken into the Sokoto Caliphate some thirty years later. Despite this, it retained considerable cultural autonomy. It subsequently became part of the British Empire, but upon cessation they reverted to a predominantly Muslim (c.90%) agricultural economy with some traditional characteristics that are currently in danger of disappearing altogether.