The area lying to the north of the Niger and Benue Rivers includes a range of mountains covered by savannah. Archaeological excavations revealed traces of human activity on the Jos plateau and in the Benue River valley dating from the Stone Age - 39,000 years ago. Tribes such as the Mumuye, the Chamba, the Jukun, the Wurkun, the Goemai, and the Montol live along the Benue River in eastern Nigeria. The Chamba people number 20,000, and they live south of the Benue River, near the Jukun people. They are socially divided into small kingdoms, each headed by a king assisted by a council of elders whose powers are regulated by male and female secret societies. Chamba statues are rare, and their function is uncertain. They are usually covered with an encrusted patina, as is this particular figure, we cannot say the nature of the encrustation. The figure is notably lacking in facial detail, however this is more than compensated for by the striking pose with the arms almost indicating dislocated shoulders, the wide, dynamic stance, as well as the crest atop the head. -Bacquart