Batwa Pot with Rattan Basketry on Stand Burundi

The Batwa, among the earliest inhabitants of Central Africa, have long lived as forest hunter-gatherers, later interacting with incoming Bantu agricultural communities. Over centuries, the Batwa became renowned specialists in pottery, creating clay cooking vessels that were highly valued and widely traded with their Bantu neighbors.

Pottery remains primarily women’s work: while men extract and transport the heavy clay, it is the women who skillfully shape, fire, and finish each vessel. Pots were often carried to market, where they were sold or exchanged for cultivated crops and other goods.

This example is distinctive not only for its traditional clay form but also for its covering of finely woven rattan basketry—both protective and decorative—demonstrating the Batwa’s artistry in multiple mediums. Such vessels embody the long-standing exchange of skill, labor, and culture between nomadic Batwa communities and their settled neighbors.

Comes with a loose metal ring stand. It can stand on its own, but not as stable as with the ring stand.

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