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Start Over Subject(s) pottery making Subject(s) firing (ceramics)

1. Fired and finished clay jars, Bondakile, 1982

Description:
A group of four clay jars cool after being removed from the bonfire and dipped in bark solution. The solution carbonizes as it comes in contact with the hot surface of the pot, creating a glossy darkened surface that reduces the jar's porosity. A portion of one jar's rim has broken off during the firing and finishing process. Visible on the lower pot surfaces is the maize cob (bledjukaan in Nafaanra) roulette applied to create a roughened surface prior to firing. Shallow grooves used to decorate the upper surfaces are visible on the jar in the foreground. Pieces of bark from the bark solution adhere to the jars' surfaces. Bondakile, October, 1982.
Rights:
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial
Publisher:
University of Victoria Libraries
Location(s) Facet:
Bondakile
Subjects:
Potting; Maize cob roulette; Decoration
Subjects Facet:
Handicraft; Pottery making; Pottery; Firing (Ceramics)
Identifier:
25
Creator:
Dr. Ann B. Stahl
Contributors:
Dr. Ann B. Stahl
Date searchable:
1982
Date searchable:
1982-10
Genre Facet:
35 mm slide
Location(s):
Bondakile;7.986031, -2.546331
Date Digitized:
2016
People Facet:
Dr. Ann B. Stahl
Commentary:
Slide scanned by Veronique Plante
Geographic Coordinates:
7.986031, -2.546331

2. Clay jars stacked on firewood, awaiting firing, Bondakile, 1982

Description:
Dried clay jars are carefully placed on top of firewood in preparation for firing. Their surfaces have been textured by rolling a maize cob (bledjukaan in Nafaanra) over the jars' lower surface (maize cob roulette) and decorated with shallow arched grooves made when the pot was in a leather-hard state. Additional fuel will be placed on top of the stacked pottery before the fire is lit. After the fire has burned down the pots will be removed and finished by being dipped while hot in a bark solution. Bondakile, October, 1982.
Rights:
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial
Publisher:
University of Victoria Libraries
Location(s) Facet:
Bondakile
Subjects:
Potting; Bonfire; Maize cob roulette; Decoration
Subjects Facet:
Handicraft; Pottery making; Pottery; Firing (Ceramics); Firewood
Identifier:
37
Creator:
Dr. Ann B. Stahl
Contributors:
Dr. Ann B. Stahl
Date searchable:
1982
Date searchable:
1982-10
Genre Facet:
35 mm slide
Location(s):
Bondakile;7.986031, -2.546331
Date Digitized:
2016
People Facet:
Dr. Ann B. Stahl
Commentary:
Slide scanned by Veronique Plante
Geographic Coordinates:
7.986031, -2.546331

3. Clay jars stacked on firewood, awaiting firing, Bondakile, 1982

Description:
Finished and dried clay pottery jars are carefully placed on top of firewood in preparation for firing. Previously fired broken or flawed pots are used to bank the fuel, keeping it in place. Additional fuel will be placed on top of the stacked pottery and the fuel set on fire. The resulting bonfire will be allowed to burn down, after which the pots will be removed and finished while hot by being dipped in a bark solution. Mensah Listowell, Research Assistant (blue shirt), stands by as the potters prepare to place more fuel on the stacked pottery. Bondakile, October, 1982.
Rights:
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial
Publisher:
University of Victoria Libraries
Location(s) Facet:
Bondakile
Subjects:
Women's work; Potting; Bonfire; Jars
Subjects Facet:
Handicraft; Pottery making; Pottery; Firing (Ceramics); Firewood
Identifier:
36
Creator:
Dr. Ann B. Stahl
Contributors:
Dr. Ann B. Stahl
Date searchable:
1982
Date searchable:
1982-10
Genre Facet:
35 mm slide
Location(s):
Bondakile;7.986031, -2.546331
Date Digitized:
2016
People Facet:
Dr. Ann B. Stahl
Commentary:
Slide scanned by Veronique Plante
Geographic Coordinates:
7.986031, -2.546331

4. Bark solution used to finish clay pots, Bondakile, 1982

Description:
Potters place the pounded bark of specific trees (surom, layene, koko or lakroas they are known in Nafaanra) in water to create a solution used to finish pots. The red-colored solution carbonizes on the surface of hot pots just removed from the bonfire. Here, the prepared solution awaits as the pots are being fired. A plastic container floats on the surface. Bondakile, October, 1982.
Rights:
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial
Publisher:
University of Victoria Libraries
Relation:
https://exhibits.library.uvic.ca/spotlight/iaff/catalog/17-17219
Location(s) Facet:
Bondakile
Subjects:
Potting; Plastic containers; Finishing; Jars
Subjects Facet:
Handicraft; Pottery making; Pottery; Firing (Ceramics)
Identifier:
20
Creator:
Dr. Ann B. Stahl
Contributors:
Dr. Ann B. Stahl
Date searchable:
1982
Date searchable:
1982-10
Genre Facet:
35 mm slide
Location(s):
Bondakile;7.986031, -2.546331
Date Digitized:
2016
People Facet:
Dr. Ann B. Stahl
Commentary:
Slide scanned by Veronique Plante
Geographic Coordinates:
7.986031, -2.546331

5. Removing clay pots from the firing, Bondakile, 1982

Description:
A potter uses a pole to carry a hot clay jar from the smoldering bonfire (behind). She is carrying it to a pottery bowl that contains a solution of pounded bark into which she will dip the jar to create a finish. Newly fired pots are visible in the remains of the bonfire, lying on their sides. A row of upturned, previously fired but broken pots forms a bank around the bonfire's edge. Bondakile, October, 1982.
Rights:
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial
Publisher:
University of Victoria Libraries
Location(s) Facet:
Bondakile
Subjects:
Women's work; Potting; Bonfire
Subjects Facet:
Handicraft; Pottery making; Pottery; Firing (Ceramics)
Identifier:
22
Creator:
Dr. Ann B. Stahl
Contributors:
Dr. Ann B. Stahl
Date searchable:
1982
Date searchable:
1982-10
Genre Facet:
35 mm slide
Location(s):
Bondakile;7.986031, -2.546331
Date Digitized:
2016
People Facet:
Dr. Ann B. Stahl
Commentary:
Slide scanned by Veronique Plante
Geographic Coordinates:
7.986031, -2.546331

6. Pottery firing, Bondakile, 1982

Description:
Sheep feed on the edges of a bonfire where clay jars are being fired. Grass has been laid as fuel over the carefully stacked pottery. Wood fuel lies beneath. At the bonfire's base, the broken pots used to bank the fire are visible. The fire will be allowed to burn down, after which the jars will be removed and, while still hot, dipped in a bark solution that coats the pot with a finish. Bondakile, October, 1982.
Rights:
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial
Publisher:
University of Victoria Libraries
Location(s) Facet:
Bondakile
Subjects:
Potting; Bonfire
Subjects Facet:
Handicraft; Sheep; Pottery making; Pottery; Firing (Ceramics)
Identifier:
13
Creator:
Dr. Ann B. Stahl
Contributors:
Dr. Ann B. Stahl
Date searchable:
1982
Date searchable:
1982-10
Genre Facet:
35 mm slide
Location(s):
Bondakile;7.986031, -2.546331
Date Digitized:
2016
People Facet:
Dr. Ann B. Stahl
Commentary:
Slide scanned by Veronique Plante
Geographic Coordinates:
7.986031, -2.546331

7. Pottery firing, Bondakile, 1982

Description:
A potter tends the bonfire in which clay pottery jars are being fired. She uses a long pole to adjust the grass fuel laid on top of the pots and the wood fuel beneath them. A bank of previously fired and broken pots holds the fire in place. The bonfire burns rapidly, the firing process lasting between about 30 minutes to an hour. Bondakile, October, 1982.
Rights:
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial
Publisher:
University of Victoria Libraries
Location(s) Facet:
Bondakile
Subjects:
Women's work; Potting; Bonfire
Subjects Facet:
Handicraft; Pottery making; Pottery; Firing (Ceramics)
Identifier:
19
Creator:
Dr. Ann B. Stahl
Contributors:
Dr. Ann B. Stahl
Date searchable:
1982
Date searchable:
1982-10
Genre Facet:
35 mm slide
Location(s):
Bondakile;7.986031, -2.546331
Date Digitized:
2016
People Facet:
Dr. Ann B. Stahl
Commentary:
Slide scanned by Veronique Plante
Geographic Coordinates:
7.986031, -2.546331

8. Remains of a pottery-firing bonfire, Bondakile, 1982

Description:
The remains of a pottery-firing bonfire after the newly fired pots have been removed. Most of the jars visible here were fired prior to this bonfire. Broken or otherwise flawed, they were used to create a bank around the bonfire at its base. The bonfire's fuel has been reduced to an ash layer that remains in the center. Bondakile, October, 1982.
Rights:
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial
Publisher:
University of Victoria Libraries
Location(s) Facet:
Bondakile
Subjects:
Potting; Bonfire; Jars
Subjects Facet:
Handicraft; Pottery making; Pottery; Firing (Ceramics)
Identifier:
29
Creator:
Dr. Ann B. Stahl
Contributors:
Dr. Ann B. Stahl
Date searchable:
1982
Date searchable:
1982-10
Genre Facet:
35 mm slide
Location(s):
Bondakile;7.986031, -2.546331
Date Digitized:
2016
People Facet:
Dr. Ann B. Stahl
Commentary:
Slide scanned by Veronique Plante
Geographic Coordinates:
7.986031, -2.546331

9. Removing clay pots from a bonfire, Bondakile, 1982

Description:
As the bonfire burns down, a helper uses a long pole to prepare the newly fired clay pots for removal. The neatly stacked pots lie on their sides. Around the edges, a bank of previously fired and broken pots, some turned upside-down, were used to hold the fuel and pots in place as the bonfire was built. The bonfire burns rapidly, the firing process lasting between about 30 minutes to an hour. Bondakile, October, 1982.
Rights:
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial
Publisher:
University of Victoria Libraries
Location(s) Facet:
Bondakile
Subjects:
Potting; Bonfire; Jars
Subjects Facet:
Handicraft; Pottery making; Pottery; Firing (Ceramics)
Identifier:
26
Creator:
Dr. Ann B. Stahl
Contributors:
Dr. Ann B. Stahl
Date searchable:
1982
Date searchable:
1982-10
Genre Facet:
35 mm slide
Location(s):
Bondakile;7.986031, -2.546331
Date Digitized:
2016
People Facet:
Dr. Ann B. Stahl
Commentary:
Slide scanned by Veronique Plante
Geographic Coordinates:
7.986031, -2.546331

10. Large clay jars ready for sale after firing, Adadiem, 1994

Description:
Potters in Adadiem make clay jars in a variety of sizes. Those pictured here have been fired, some treated with bark solution while still hot from the bonfire firing. Adadiem, 1994.
Rights:
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial
Publisher:
University of Victoria Libraries
Location(s) Facet:
Adadiem
Subjects:
Adadiem; Bonfire; Finishing; Jars
Subjects Facet:
Pottery making; Pottery; Firing (ceramics)
Identifier:
5
Creator:
Dr. M. Dores Cruz
Contributors:
Dr. Ann B. Stahl
Date searchable:
1994
Date searchable:
1994
Genre Facet:
35 mm slide
Location(s):
Adadiem;8.082874, -2.552821
Date Digitized:
2016
People Facet:
Dr. M. Dores Cruz
Commentary:
Slide scanned by Veronique Plante
Geographic Coordinates:
8.082874, -2.552821

11. Remains of pottery firings, Adadiem, 1994

Description:
Though potters work individually when they make clay pots, they help each other when they fire their pots. In the foreground are the ashes left by earlier fires, and in the background women tend to ongoing bonfires. Stacks of firewood are visible in the background. Adadiem, 1994.
Rights:
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial
Publisher:
University of Victoria Libraries
Location(s) Facet:
Adadiem
Subjects:
Adadiem; Bonfire; Potting; Jars
Subjects Facet:
Pottery making; Pottery; Firing (ceramics); Firewood
Identifier:
11
Creator:
Dr. M. Dores Cruz
Contributors:
Dr. Ann B. Stahl
Date searchable:
1994
Date searchable:
1994
Genre Facet:
35 mm slide
Location(s):
Adadiem;8.082874, -2.552821
Date Digitized:
2016
People Facet:
Dr. M. Dores Cruz
Commentary:
Slide scanned by Veronique Plante
Geographic Coordinates:
8.082874, -2.552821

12. Clay bowls ready for firing, Adadiem, 1994

Description:
A woman stacks clay grinding bowls on top of wood in preparation for a bonfire firing. The bowls are placed to ensure even exposure to the heat of the bonfire. She will place additional fuel on top of the bowls before lighting the fire. Adadiem, 1994.
Rights:
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial
Publisher:
University of Victoria Libraries
Location(s) Facet:
Adadiem
Subjects:
Grinding bowls; Women's work; Potting; Adadiem; Bonfire; Bowls
Subjects Facet:
Handicraft; Pottery making; Pottery; Firing (Ceramics); Firewood
Identifier:
30
Creator:
Dr. M. Dores Cruz
Contributors:
Dr. Ann B. Stahl
Date searchable:
1994
Date searchable:
1994
Genre Facet:
35 mm slide
Location(s):
Adadiem;8.082874, -2.552821
Date Digitized:
2016
People Facet:
Dr. M. Dores Cruz
Commentary:
Slide scanned by Veronique Plante
Geographic Coordinates:
8.082874, -2.552821

13. Dipping clay pots in bark solution, Bondakile, 1982

Description:
Potters and their helpers place hot clay jars, just removed from the bonfire, into a solution made from pounded tree bark. They use their long wooden poles to carry the pots to large pottery bowls containing the bark solution. They dip and turn the pot in the solution, allowing it to carbonize on the surface of the hot jar. This finishing step colors the jar's surface and makes its walls less porous which is said to improve its cooking performance. The remains of the bonfire, banked by previously fired broken pots, can be seen in the rear center. Four photos. Bondakile, October, 1982.
Rights:
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial
Publisher:
University of Victoria Libraries
Relation:
https://exhibits.library.uvic.ca/spotlight/iaff/catalog/17-16840
Location(s) Facet:
Bondakile
Subjects:
Potting; Finishing; Women's work; Jars
Subjects Facet:
Firing (Ceramics); Pottery; Handicraft; Pottery making
Identifier:
24
Creator:
Dr. Ann B. Stahl
Contributors:
Dr. Ann B. Stahl
Date searchable:
1982
Date searchable:
1982-10
Genre Facet:
35 mm slide
Location(s):
Bondakile;7.986031, -2.546331
Date Digitized:
2016
People Facet:
Dr. Ann B. Stahl
Commentary:
Slide scanned by Veronique Plante
Geographic Coordinates:
7.986031, -2.546331

14. Pottery firing techniques, Bondakile, Adadiem and Dorbour, 1982, 1994

Description:
This short video made from still photographic images illustrates the firing techniques of Banda-area potters. It shows examples of bonfire firing and post-firing treatment of vessels in a solution of pounded bark. Images include a 1982 sequence following Mo potters in Bondakile and 1994 images of Nafana potters in Adadiem and Dorbour, featuring Afua Donkor and Yaa Nsiah Adiemu from the latter. Original images used to make the video are available in the Banda Through Time Repository. Bondakile, 1982. Adadiem, Dorbour, 1994. Length: 4.22 minutes.
Rights:
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial
Publisher:
University of Victoria Libraries
Relation:
https://exhibits.library.uvic.ca/spotlight/iaff/catalog/17-17150 ; https://exhibits.library.uvic.ca/spotlight/iaff/catalog/17-17352 ; https://exhibits.library.uvic.ca/spotlight/iaff/catalog/17-17351
Location(s) Facet:
Adadiem
Subjects:
Potting; Bonfire; Water jars; Grinding bowls; Women's work
Subjects Facet:
Handicraft; Pottery making; Pottery; Firing (Ceramics); Firewood
Creator:
Elisa O'Malley
Contributors:
Dr. Ann B. Stahl; Dr. M. Dores Cruz; Dr. Ann B. Stahl
Date searchable:
1982;1984
Date searchable:
2019-04-18
Genre Facet:
Digital video
Format:
Video
Language Facet:
English
Location(s):
Adadiem;7.986031, -2.546331
People Facet:
Elisa O'Malley
Commentary:
Video made from still images in Adobe Premier by Elisa O'Malley
Geographic Coordinates:
7.986031, -2.546331