Who discovered Nok culture?
Colonel Dent Young
Discovery. The first Nok terracotta was discovered in 1928 by Colonel Dent Young, a co-owner of a mining partnership, near the village of Nok in Kaduna State, Nigeria. The terracotta was accidentally unearthed at a level of 24 feet (7 m) from an alluvial tin mine.
Who were the Nok and why are they significant?
The Nok are significant for being one of very few civilizations in the world that transitioned from stone tools straight to iron tools without first learning how to make copper or bronze tools. The legacy of the Nok people is difficult to determine due to the mystery around their identity and origins.
What language did the Nok speak?
The area covered by the Nok civilisation, over 2500 years ago, currently includes language groups such as Hausa, Jukun, Berom, Afizere, Amo, Anaguta, Aten, Bogghom, Buji, Jipal, Chip, Irchip, Fier, Gashish, Goemai, Irigwe, Jarawa, Kofyar, Montol, Mushere, Mupun, Mwaghavul, Ngas, Piapung, Pyem, Ron-Kulere, Bache, Talet.
Is Nok culture older than Egyptian culture?
“Nok is not only the oldest known culture in western Africa to have created sculpture, but…the oldest sub-Saharan culture to have produced iron in smelting furnaces.” This suggests the Nok culture knew how to work with metal even before the Meroëns or Egyptians (7).
Where is Nok Found in Nigeria?
Located east of the Niger River and north of the Benue River in what is today northern and central Nigeria, the Nok culture is named after the town where the first artefacts were discovered.
What did the Nok heads represent?
The heads of Nok terracottas are invariably proportionally large relative to the bodies, and while not enough is known of Nok culture to explain this apparent imbalance, it is interesting to note that a similar emphasis of the head in later African art traditions often signifies respect for intelligence.
Who is the father of Nigerian traditional art?
Phase I (1923-1930s) Contemporary Nigerian art was introduced into the Nigerian secondary school curriculum in 1923 through the sole effort of Aina Onabolu which is why he is called the “Father of Modern Art in Nigeria/Africa.”
Did Africa have a Bronze Age?
Unlike Europe, Sub-Saharan Africa lacks a Bronze Age, a period in which softer metals, such as copper, were made into artifacts. In Sub-Saharan Africa there is a Stone Age and an Iron Age.
What is Nigeria named after?
Like so many modern African states, Nigeria is the creation of European imperialism. Its very name – after the great Niger River, the country’s dominating physical feature – was suggested in the 1890s by British journalist Flora Shaw, who later became the wife of colonial governor Frederick Lugard.
What is the Nok head?
Nok head fragments were once part of entire bodies and are the most renowned objects within the corpus known to date. These objects are so highly varied that it is likely they were modeled individually rather than cast from molds.
Is Nok in Jos?
The reach of Nok type figures in a large area in the southern region of the Jos Plateau, encompassing the south of Kaduna state south-eastward to Kastina Ala and south of the Benue River.
Who named village Nok?
#3: The discovery of 1928 The famous Nok terracotta sculptures were first discovered in Taruga, Kaduna, in 1928 by Colonel Dent Young, a tin miner. Bernard Fagg, an archaeologist, later discovered more sculptures in 1940 and named them “Nok” because of the location where the sculptures were found.
How were the Nok terracottas found?
The first known Nok terracottas were found in 1928 in a tin mine near the village of Nok. It is from this village that the culture’s modern name is derived. The objects were placed in a museum in Jos, which at the time was located in the headquarters of the Department of Mines (Fagg 1977: 12).
Who was the first artist in Nigeria?
Ben Enwonwu (MBE, NNOM) is a first generation Nigerian painter and sculptor who, being the first Nigerian artist to gain international recognition is arguably Africa’s most influential artist of the 20th century.