Traditional Pottery Production Amongst the Tiv People of Benue State from the Pre-Colonial Era to 2000: The Role of Women

Abstract

Traditional pottery production is an important living art that has been with humanity from time immemorial. It is one of the world’s languages that do not require any interpretation from anybody before it is identified and understood. Tiv women are very good at the production of pottery products through the use of traditional methods. Through the use of secondary sources of historical reconstruction, the paper discusses the origin of traditional pottery production. The findings reveal that: first, Tiv women use various stages in the production of pottery and secondly, Tiv women also use various pottery products domestically. Lastly, Tiv women encounter numerous challenges in carrying out their roles in traditional pottery production. The paper concludes with the assertion, that if local, state and the federal government implements all the recommendations proffered in the paper, it will help the Tiv women in ameliorating their challenges in this field of endeavour.

Keywords: pottery, women, production