The Indigenous Yoruba Pottery: Processes and Products

Abstract

One thing that is fundamental to all that has ever been or that can be is subject to process. The principle of production in all sectors is attached to process; for instance for rice to have been on the table for the eater, it has gone through planting, harvesting, winnowing, parboiling, drying, packaging which in inclusion is referred to as processing. This paper focuses on the processes and products of indigenous Yoruba pottery, which could not have been without the indigenous processes involved. The paper showcases the efforts of indigenous Yoruba potters in getting pots ready for various uses in African societies and the universe at large. It further observed the various techniques being employed by Yoruba potters such as gathering materials (clay, firewood), preparing, moulding, drying, firing; and types of pots and it uses.  The paper employed the use of primary and secondary data sources; field work was embarked upon to collect data from potters in some pottery towns and villages where pottery is still viable in Yoruba communities of Nigeria.  Findings revealed that the processes of indigenous Yoruba pot making are multifaceted, however the various processes are entrenched in the five major stages that is general to pottery making; which are clay digging, preparation, moulding, drying and firing.

Keywords: Indigenous Yoruba pottery, Yoruba potters, Process, Products