water pot

unrecorded Makonde artist, artist

water pot, mid 1900s

Where object was made: Mozambique

Material/technique: impressing; ceramic; kaolin; incising

Dimensions:
Object Height/Diameter (Height x Diameter): 36.5 x 47 cm
Object Height/Diameter (Height x Diameter): 14 3/8 x 18 1/2 in

Credit line: Anonymous gift

Accession number: 2020.0124

Not on display

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Inventing Childhood

This water pot was likely crafted on commission by one Makonde woman for another. Adults used large examples like this one, but potters also created smaller versions for girls as soon as they began to assume adult responsibilities. In this way, water pots are vital to a woman’s identity from a young age. Moreover, the incised geometric designs mirror the tattoos girls begin receiving as part of their initiation into womanhood; the Makonde word nkova refers both to the process of tattooing and of decorating a pot. Often considered a woman’s most prized possession, these pots were used to carry and hold water and, when it became worn through repeated use, to store dry foods such as millet, corn, or beans. When a woman died, her water jar might also be placed in her grave as a token of her identity.

Exhibition Label:
"Earthly Vessels: African Ceramics," Sep-2009, Nancy Mahaney
The Tattooed Vessel: The Makonde word nkova is used to describe both the elaborate surface decoration that we see on this water pot and the tattooing done on the human body. There are many visual similarities between the tattoo designs and those used on the pots.
Water pots like this feature prominently in the lives of Makonde women and reflect their station in life. When a girl takes on adult responsibilities, she is given a small version. As an adult, she may commission a large water pot, which becomes one of her most prized possessions. The function of a pot may change during a woman’s life, perhaps holding grain after it can no longer contain water, and ultimately being placed upon her grave after death.