PotNational Museums of Kenya
Meet the Digo
The Digo are a Mijikenda community, who traditionally lived between Mombasa and the Kenyan Tanzanian border. Each location would have two or three women potters, crafting household items for everyday use.
Pot CoverNational Museums of Kenya
The art of pottery was handed down through generations and, in some cases, learnt from a potter. The pots were not sold in the market, nor did the potter make any pots ready in anticipation of customers; they were only made to order.
Vegetable potNational Museums of Kenya
The women collected clay some miles away from a river in the Shimba Hills and modeled it into various shapes and sizes.
PotsNational Museums of Kenya
The pot was not placed on a mat, sherd or anything while in the process of manufacture. It was simply modeled and placed straight on the sand outside the hut. As the pot grew, it was turned round and round on the dry sand until an inverted cone of sand built up underneath it.
Cooking PotNational Museums of Kenya
This pot was kept for specific purposes like cooking fish, vegetables, and cakes made of rice flour and coconut milk.
Pot SmoothiesNational Museums of Kenya
This is a mango seed, used by Digo women potters for smoothing and scraping the insides of the pots.
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