lidded pot

unrecorded Kassena artist, artist

lidded pot, mid 1900s

Where object was made: Burkina Faso or Ghana

Material/technique: ceramic. incising

Dimensions:
Object Height/Diameter (Height x Diameter): 39 x 34 cm
Object Height/Diameter (Height x Diameter): 15 3/8 x 13 3/8 in

Credit line: Anonymous gift

Accession number: 2020.0160.a,b

Not on display

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The Object Speaks

Kassena pots share in the life cycle of the women who own them. During a woman’s life, they become associated with her identity and are ritually broken at her funeral. Like the deceased who is separated from her family, the pot no longer stands as a whole. The broken pieces serve as a link between the woman and her lineage as well as a symbolic link to the earth. The life cycle of
a pot is complete when its broken pieces are used to make new pots.

Exhibition Label:
"Earthly Vessels: African Ceramics," Sep-2009, Nancy Mahaney
The Pottery Life Cycle--Kassena pots share in the life cycle of the women who own them. During a woman’s life, they become associated with her identity and are ritually broken at her funeral. Like the deceased who is separated from her family, the pot no longer stands as a whole. The broken pieces serve as a link between the woman and her family as well as a symbolic link to the Earth. The life cycle of the pot is completed when the broken pieces are used to make grog for new pots.
This type of pot is used to store valuables such as money, jewelry, or items that are representative of one’s clan or lineage.