{"id":9887,"date":"2023-04-03T11:53:07","date_gmt":"2023-04-03T15:53:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lammuseum.wfu.edu\/?p=9887"},"modified":"2025-07-01T10:03:17","modified_gmt":"2025-07-01T14:03:17","slug":"zulu-beer-pot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lammuseum.wfu.edu\/2023\/04\/zulu-beer-pot\/","title":{"rendered":"Zulu Beer Pot"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"500\" src=\"https:\/\/prod.wp.cdn.aws.wfu.edu\/sites\/417\/2023\/04\/AOTM-Zulu-Beer-Pot-web-500.jpg\" alt=\"Zulu beer pot \" class=\"wp-image-9888\" srcset=\"https:\/\/prod.wp.cdn.aws.wfu.edu\/sites\/417\/2023\/04\/AOTM-Zulu-Beer-Pot-web-500.jpg 500w, https:\/\/prod.wp.cdn.aws.wfu.edu\/sites\/417\/2023\/04\/AOTM-Zulu-Beer-Pot-web-500-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/prod.wp.cdn.aws.wfu.edu\/sites\/417\/2023\/04\/AOTM-Zulu-Beer-Pot-web-500-170x170.jpg 170w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>This beer pot was made by a Zulu potter from South Africa. For the Zulu, pottery is a woman\u2019s art form passed down from mother to daughter. Archaeological evidence shows that the ancestors of the Zulu are started making pottery around 1000 years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ceramic vessels have a wide range of uses, but they are especially important for brewing and serving sorghum beer called <em>utshwala<\/em>. This beer has been made in the Zulu region for at least a millennium and is still important in Zulu life today. This type of pot is known as <em>ukhamba<\/em> and is used as a communal drinking vessel. There are other styles of pots used for brewing, storage, and transportation of beer. The pots are constructed with terracotta coils wrapped around a flat base, which are smoothed to create very thin walls. They have no lip or foot. The pots are fired twice and rubbed with wax or animal fat to create the burnished black appearance. <em>Ukhamba<\/em> are embellished with incised patterns or raised designs called <em>amasumpa,<\/em>&nbsp;meaning &#8220;warts,\u201d like this one. The patterns serve as both decoration and as a way to better grip the pot while drinking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Zulu believe that <em>utshwala<\/em> is the food of the ancestors, who enjoy to the smell. The black color of the beer pots is also intended to please the ancestors, who are drawn to darkness and quiet. In addition to making the pots, women also brew the beer from a mix of sorghum and maize, creating a nutritious drink with a relatively low alcohol content. <em>Utshwala<\/em> an important part of hospitality when entertaining. It is also served at events such as weddings, funerals, and other celebrations and rituals. Traditionally, a drink is offered to the ancestors first, and then a pot like this one is passed around from person to person. This communal drinking emphasizes the interconnectedness of humanity.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This beer pot was made by a Zulu potter from South Africa. For the Zulu, pottery is a woman\u2019s art form passed down from mother to daughter. Archaeological evidence shows that the ancestors of the Zulu are started making pottery around 1000 years ago. Ceramic [&#8230;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":201,"featured_media":9888,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"overlay_title":false,"hide_featured_image_post":false,"wfu_hide_page_title":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9887","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-artifacts"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Zulu Beer Pot - Timothy S. Y. 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