Pot

Subject Matter:

This beer vessel was made by the Zulu people in the 20th century. In Zulu culture, beer - made from maize, sorghum or millet - is an important aspect of society and served during many Zulu events like weddings, coming-of-age ceremonies, and funerals. When the Zulu brew beer, they put it in large pots, such as this, and place it in the family's altar, called the umsamo. This is then left slightly open to offer the ancestors beer. The black surface of the pots is a sign of respect for the ancestors and their appreciation of cool, dark spaces. 

The making of beer vessels is commonly done by women. They start at the base with a large lump of clay that they mold by hand to form the lower part of the vessel. They then build up the walls by adding coils of clay, pinching them together, and smoothing them out with a piece of calabash rind. After the vessel has been shaped and dried, decoration is applied. The surface of this vessel was decorated with pellets of clay that were then pressed into the pot, called amasumpa. Pots then go through two rounds of firing. The first is in a shallow hearth in the ground that makes the vessel hard and durable. The second firing gives the pot its blackened surface, done by slightly elevating the vessel above the ground where a fire is set below. After the pot is done, it is polished with cow fat, waxes, or shoe polish. 

References: 

Southern African Beer Pots Author(s): Patricia Davison Source: African Arts , May, 1985, Vol. 18, No. 3 (May, 1985), pp. 74-77+98 Published by: UCLA James S. Coleman African Studies Center Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/3336359

Perrill, Elizabeth. Zulu Pottery. Published by Publishing Print Matters in 2012. 

Physical Description:

Black pot with three etched square designs.

Usage Rights:

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