Zande clay sample
Other views of this artifact:
Accession Number:
1934.8.132 .1
Country:
Sudan
Region:
Western Equatoria Li Rangu
Cultural Group:
Zande
Maker:
?Mbitim
Date Made:
By 1933
Materials:
Clay , Mica Stone
Dimensions:
Max L [largest fragment] = 41.2 mm Max W = 35.8 mm Max Th = 32.5 mm
Weight:
51.6 g
Other Owners:
Belonged to Mbitim, chief potter of Li Rangu; obtained by Percy Horace Gordon Powell-Cotton and his wife Hannah Powell-Cotton (nee Hannah Brayton Slater) on 28th April 1933 during a shooting expedition [RTS 15/10/2004].
Field Collector:
Percy Horace Gordon Powell-Cotton & Hannah Powell-Cotton (nee Hannah Brayton Slater)
PRM Source:
Percy Horace Gordon Powell-Cotton
Acquired:
Donated 1934
Collected Date:
28th April 1933
Description:
Sample of unfired clay, taken from the stock of a potter.
This consists of one large lump, and several smaller fragments that appear to have broken off it.
The clay is a light yellowish colour (Pantone 7508C), and has been mixed with very small to large flakes of translucent mica and some kind of plant material, possibly bark fibre.
The texture is gritty, with small to medium inclusions, and a rough outer surface.
The largest piece measures is 41.2 mm long, 35.8 mm wide and 32.5 mm thick; the sample as a whole has a weight of 51.6 mm.
This clay had been part of the stock of Mbitim, chief potter of Li Rangu, and was obtained by Percy Horace Gordon Powell-Cotton and his wife Hannah at Li Rangu on 28th April 1933 during a shooting expedition to the region. At the time they visited, Li Rangu was a centre of foreign contact for the district (N. Barley, 1994, Smashing Pots, p. 144), something that is illustrated by the type of product Mbitim was producing. Powell-Cotton filmed Mbitim at work; a commentary on that film describes him as follows: "'Mbitim', was an artist of exceptional skill and originality. His pots, jars and dishes were of varied and beautiful form, many decorated with Zande heads and figures, each one distinct, true to type and with its own definite personality. He worked swiftly with his fingers, and a split wood spatula; the only other tools were an achatina shell for the nostrils, and a fragment of gourd. The clay was very light in colour. This man's services are now pledged to the Sleeping Sickness Station at Lirangu, where he is encouraged to make book-ends and other objects of European design, but his work still remains individual" (Mrs Powell Cotton, "Village Handicrafts in the Sudan", Man 34 (112), pp 90-91). They collected several potter's tools and samples of unfired clay from Mbitim, now in the museum collection (see 1934.8.132.2-.8), as well as a selection of his products. For vessels in the Pitt Rivers Museum that may have been produced by Mbitim, see book-ends 1934.8.135 and 1996.53.1, anthropomorphic jars 1934.8.134, 1950.12.117-118 and bowls 1930.86.43-44, and 1931.66.2-3. Other examples of Mbitim's work may be found in the Cleveland Museum of Art (1996.301-302) and the British Museum (1934.3-8.27 and 1931.3-21.48 ).
Zande pottery is frequently mixed with small flecks of mica, as seen in this clay sample; this which naturally occurs in beds throughout the region, known as hilidiwe, meaning ' slough of the moon' (P.M. Larken, 1926, "An Account of the Zande", Sudan Notes and Records IX no. 1, p. 4). Schweinfurth noted the presence of mica in both Bongo and Zande pottery, which he suggested made their wares very brittle. He believed this mix to be naturally occurring and that potters did not know how to remove it from their fabrics: "... [Zande potters] have no idea of the method of giving their clay a proper consistency by washing out the particles of mica and by adding a small quantity of sand" (G. Schweinfurth, 1873, In the Heart of Africa Volume I, p. 292; Volume II, p. 25). This mica may well have been left in the clay deliberately, as it gives the vessels an attractive sparkle, and does not seem to have impaired the plasticity of the material, as the detailed modelling of Mbitim demonstrates.
Larken discusses Zande customs regarding the collection and working of clay. Clay is usually found on the banks of a stream, and prepared by pounding it in a mortar before shaping it by hand. Tools are limited to pieces of gourd or a rounded pebble for smoothing; decoration is applied by something simple, such as a short stick bound with cord. He describes two kinds of vessels that are made, one with a low collar around the mouth, and another with a bow-shaped neck (see 1931.66.2-3). The smaller pots are said to be used for cooking meat, the larger ones for water or making bakinde; other pots are for brewing beer, while long-necked varieties are used for washing the face and hands - this last type may have a head adorning the neck. Each type has its own Zande name. Decoration often covers the whole surface. Larken goes on to describe the firing and finishing: "When dry, pots are turned upside down and baked in the open, only certain kinds of wood being suitable for the fire. While still red-hot, they are splashed with water in which bark of the ndili tree has been soaked, in order to blacken them. A black polish is sometimes given to the smooth surfaces, by means of graphite grains, which are mixed with water and a little powdered ironstone, painted on the clay and gently but continually rubbed into it with a polishing-pebble before the pot is fired". The resulting vessel is not very strong, and only slightly porous, if at all; broad leaves may be used for a lid, if required (P.M. Larken, 1927, "Impressions of the Azande", Sudan Notes and Records X, pp 129-131). According to Evans-Pritchard, all Zande potters were male (Evans-Pritchard 1971, The Azande, p. 95).
This object is currently on display in the Lower Gallery, Case 130A.
Rachael Sparks 24/8/2005.
This clay had been part of the stock of Mbitim, chief potter of Li Rangu, and was obtained by Percy Horace Gordon Powell-Cotton and his wife Hannah at Li Rangu on 28th April 1933 during a shooting expedition to the region. At the time they visited, Li Rangu was a centre of foreign contact for the district (N. Barley, 1994, Smashing Pots, p. 144), something that is illustrated by the type of product Mbitim was producing. Powell-Cotton filmed Mbitim at work; a commentary on that film describes him as follows: "'Mbitim', was an artist of exceptional skill and originality. His pots, jars and dishes were of varied and beautiful form, many decorated with Zande heads and figures, each one distinct, true to type and with its own definite personality. He worked swiftly with his fingers, and a split wood spatula; the only other tools were an achatina shell for the nostrils, and a fragment of gourd. The clay was very light in colour. This man's services are now pledged to the Sleeping Sickness Station at Lirangu, where he is encouraged to make book-ends and other objects of European design, but his work still remains individual" (Mrs Powell Cotton, "Village Handicrafts in the Sudan", Man 34 (112), pp 90-91). They collected several potter's tools and samples of unfired clay from Mbitim, now in the museum collection (see 1934.8.132.2-.8), as well as a selection of his products. For vessels in the Pitt Rivers Museum that may have been produced by Mbitim, see book-ends 1934.8.135 and 1996.53.1, anthropomorphic jars 1934.8.134, 1950.12.117-118 and bowls 1930.86.43-44, and 1931.66.2-3. Other examples of Mbitim's work may be found in the Cleveland Museum of Art (1996.301-302) and the British Museum (1934.3-8.27 and 1931.3-21.48 ).
Zande pottery is frequently mixed with small flecks of mica, as seen in this clay sample; this which naturally occurs in beds throughout the region, known as hilidiwe, meaning ' slough of the moon' (P.M. Larken, 1926, "An Account of the Zande", Sudan Notes and Records IX no. 1, p. 4). Schweinfurth noted the presence of mica in both Bongo and Zande pottery, which he suggested made their wares very brittle. He believed this mix to be naturally occurring and that potters did not know how to remove it from their fabrics: "... [Zande potters] have no idea of the method of giving their clay a proper consistency by washing out the particles of mica and by adding a small quantity of sand" (G. Schweinfurth, 1873, In the Heart of Africa Volume I, p. 292; Volume II, p. 25). This mica may well have been left in the clay deliberately, as it gives the vessels an attractive sparkle, and does not seem to have impaired the plasticity of the material, as the detailed modelling of Mbitim demonstrates.
Larken discusses Zande customs regarding the collection and working of clay. Clay is usually found on the banks of a stream, and prepared by pounding it in a mortar before shaping it by hand. Tools are limited to pieces of gourd or a rounded pebble for smoothing; decoration is applied by something simple, such as a short stick bound with cord. He describes two kinds of vessels that are made, one with a low collar around the mouth, and another with a bow-shaped neck (see 1931.66.2-3). The smaller pots are said to be used for cooking meat, the larger ones for water or making bakinde; other pots are for brewing beer, while long-necked varieties are used for washing the face and hands - this last type may have a head adorning the neck. Each type has its own Zande name. Decoration often covers the whole surface. Larken goes on to describe the firing and finishing: "When dry, pots are turned upside down and baked in the open, only certain kinds of wood being suitable for the fire. While still red-hot, they are splashed with water in which bark of the ndili tree has been soaked, in order to blacken them. A black polish is sometimes given to the smooth surfaces, by means of graphite grains, which are mixed with water and a little powdered ironstone, painted on the clay and gently but continually rubbed into it with a polishing-pebble before the pot is fired". The resulting vessel is not very strong, and only slightly porous, if at all; broad leaves may be used for a lid, if required (P.M. Larken, 1927, "Impressions of the Azande", Sudan Notes and Records X, pp 129-131). According to Evans-Pritchard, all Zande potters were male (Evans-Pritchard 1971, The Azande, p. 95).
This object is currently on display in the Lower Gallery, Case 130A.
Rachael Sparks 24/8/2005.
Primary Documentation:
Accession Book Entry
[p.
248] 1934 [insert] 8 [end insert] -
MAJOR P.
H.
G.
POWELL-COTTON
, Quex Park, Birchington, E.
Kent.
Specimens collected by himself & Mrs Cotton, during hunting trips, 1933, viz: [...] [p.
260] - From the
ZANDE
tribe, LIRANGO, YAMBIO, DINGBA & TAMBURA [p.
262] - Pottery-making outfit of Mbitim, chief potter of LIRANGO, viz.
(978 & 1042) [insert] 132 .1 [end insert] - Lump of rough clay [...].
Card Catalogue Entry - A.E. SUDAN, LIRANGO, ZANDE TRIBE. 978 & 1042. Pottery-making outfit of Mbtim, chief potter of LIRANGO, viz. lump of rough clay; lump of smooth clay; Achatina shell, for smoothing surface; angular piece of calabash, for making patterns; ball of plumbago for blackening the outside of a pot. Coll. by donor and his wife during hunting trips, 1933. d.d. Major P.H.G. Powell-Cotton, 1934.
Related Documents File - Typewritten List of "Curios Presented to Dr. Balfour by Major & Mrs. Powell-Cotton. Zande Tribe". This object appears as part of item 978: “Zande pot making outfit consisting of 2 spatulas [handwritten marks correct an original entry of a single spatula], 1 bit calabash for smoothing, 1 bit calabash for pattern, 1 lump of smooth clay, 1 lump of rough clay [insert, handwritten] 1 SHELL for smoothing [end insert], 28/4/33 Lirango, 4.40 N 28.20 E”. Also contains details of a cine film 'some tribes of the Southern Sudan', taken by Powell-Cotton during this 1933 expedition, copies of which are now in the National Film and Television Archive and the Powell-Cotton Museum in Kent [RTS 14/3/2005].
Card Catalogue Entry - A.E. SUDAN, LIRANGO, ZANDE TRIBE. 978 & 1042. Pottery-making outfit of Mbtim, chief potter of LIRANGO, viz. lump of rough clay; lump of smooth clay; Achatina shell, for smoothing surface; angular piece of calabash, for making patterns; ball of plumbago for blackening the outside of a pot. Coll. by donor and his wife during hunting trips, 1933. d.d. Major P.H.G. Powell-Cotton, 1934.
Related Documents File - Typewritten List of "Curios Presented to Dr. Balfour by Major & Mrs. Powell-Cotton. Zande Tribe". This object appears as part of item 978: “Zande pot making outfit consisting of 2 spatulas [handwritten marks correct an original entry of a single spatula], 1 bit calabash for smoothing, 1 bit calabash for pattern, 1 lump of smooth clay, 1 lump of rough clay [insert, handwritten] 1 SHELL for smoothing [end insert], 28/4/33 Lirango, 4.40 N 28.20 E”. Also contains details of a cine film 'some tribes of the Southern Sudan', taken by Powell-Cotton during this 1933 expedition, copies of which are now in the National Film and Television Archive and the Powell-Cotton Museum in Kent [RTS 14/3/2005].
Display History:
Current Display label - POTTERY-MAKER'S OUTFIT.
Used by Mbitim, chief potter, ZANDE tribe, LIRANGO, E.
SUDAN, 4° 40' N., 28° 20' E.
Pres.
by Major Powell-Cotton, 1934.
1.
Rough clay [= 1934.8.132.1]; 2.
Smooth clay [= 1934.8.132.2]; 3.
Two wooden spatulae [= 1934.8.132.4-5]; 4.
Piece of calabash for smoothing [= 1934.8.132.6]; 5.
Ditto, for making patterns [= 1934.8.132.7]; 6.
Achatina-shell for smoothing the surface [= 1934.8.132.3]; 7.
Ball of plumbago for blackening the pot [= 1934.8.132.8] [display label stored in glass topped box with objects 1934.8.132.1-7, all within case L.130.A; RTS 15/10/2004].
