Sculptures of heads were commonly used in African shrines as symbols of the mind. In Kemet they were called Bà heads. In the Indigenous Yoruba (Nigeria) culture they are called Ori (meaning heads). These heads were metaphors for the higher mind that one was pursuing.
In Africa, spiritùality wasn't about escaping hell in the afterlife, spiritùality was about cultivating your higher mind in order to empower yourself with the ability to preserve Ankh, Udja, Seneb (life, prosperity, health) in your life and your nation.