Fragment of a Kneeling Figure 1001-1400 Mali. Little is known about the meaning and function of the terracotta figures discovered in various sites around the abandoned city of JennÈ-Jeno in modern Mali. Archaeological excavations revealed that figures like this partial example were set into the walls and foundations of buildings, suggesting they served a religious purpose. The loincloth and stack of bracelets on this figure indicated high social rank. The snakes wrapping around his torso are common in the iconography of the Inland Niger Delta and undoubtedly had symbolic significance.. Terracotta . Niger Delta