**3.2 The Mbeere and their traditional pottery practices**

This study focused on pottery among the Mbeere people, in Ishiara area. Ishiara is famous for traditional pottery, and has a market for pots. Pottery is done by women (mothers and grandmothers) who pass on those skills to their daughters as they grow up. They practise pottery on a part-time basis and seasonally since most potting takes place during the dry season (August) after harvesting, when the potters have time to spare. Thus, pottery helps women supplement their income, and mitigate against food shortages in their families [26].

The pots are used for various purposes such as cooking vessels, as hearths, *jiko* (cooker) linings, storage equipment and flower vases. Food prepared using the pots is tastier than that prepared using aluminium vessels [26]. Moreover, the pores in the clay helps filter dirt from water hence making it relatively clean and safe for drinking. Additionally, since Mbeere is an arid and semi-arid area, and temperatures can rise upto 40 degrees, the community uses the pots to cool drinking water. Further, the pots retain more heat than normal cooking pots thus conserving firewood [26].

Pottery making goes through the following processes: procurement of raw materials, preparation of the clay, forming the vessels, surface treatment, decoration, drying and firing [27]. The raw materials used are red-brown clay (from a place called *Cianthugi)*, water and fire. Potters prefer clay derived from weathered rocks as it has small particle sizes and plate-like characteristics, and other chemical properties that allow it to be worked into shape and baked, to create the vessels ([27], at 36). Preparation of the clay entails removing any organic and inorganic impurities which may crack the pot while drying. It is then finely ground, mixed with water and treaded before kneading to improve plasticity and remove air bubbles. Thereafter, the process of forming/shaping the pots begins, which entails coming up with flattened coils out of the kneaded clay that are joined together to form a circular structure as shown in **Figure 4**. Surface treatment/finishing helps to remove impurities/marks left while forming/shaping the pot such as finger depressions [27].

**Figure 4.** *A potter engaged in pot forming.*

Where decorations are necessary, they are incised using a piece of stick or a broken piece of calabash (**Figures 5** and **6**). The decorations consist of simple horizontal rows of dots/lines, grooved horizontal zigzag or wavy lines confined to

**Figure 5.** *Grooves and dots decorations.*

**Figure 6.** *Zigzag line decoration on a pot.*

*Harnessing Traditional Knowledge Holders' Institutions in Realising Sustainable Development… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.98802*

or just below the neck of the pot [27]. Decorations are also applied using different colours especially for pots meant for use as flower vases, see **Figures 7** and **8**.

Thereafter, the vessel is dried under a shade, away from direct sunlight for about 5 days to remove water that is mechanically combined with clay particles [26]. Direct sunlight is avoided since rapid drying due to high temperatures can cause cracks. After the initial drying, the pot is dried directly under the sun. The duration for direct drying varies depending on the size and relative humidity. When dry, the pots are baked hard by firing them under high temperatures. To ensure even and/or controlled firing, firing is usually done late in the evening when the wind is not blowing. Thereafter, they allow the pots to cool before

**Figure 7.** *A flower vase decorated using black and white colour paint.*

#### **Figure 8.** *Colour decorations on a pot meant for use either as a flower vase or a house decoration.*

pulling them out from the fire using tongs thus preventing cracking through rapid heat loss. Once ready, the women hawk the pots around the village or take them to Ishiara market (**Figure 9**) [27].

The vessels may also have different shapes. There are wide-mouthed pots (mostly for cooking); narrow-mouthed (for storing water and grains); and with

**Figure 9.** *Pots for sale at Ishiara market.*

*Harnessing Traditional Knowledge Holders' Institutions in Realising Sustainable Development… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.98802*

varying basal shapes-flat bases (used as flower vases) and rounded/cylindrical bases (for cooking) (**Figures 10** and **11**) [27].

**Figure 10.** *Wide-mouthed pots.*

**Figure 11.** *Pots with a rounded or cylindrical bases.*
