Tradition
African Coil Pottery
Sub-Saharan Africa · Ancient – present
Earth and fire. Hands across millennia.
Across Africa, women have been shaping clay with their hands for ten thousand years.
African ceramic traditions are as diverse as the continent itself, but many share common threads: coiling and pinching rather than wheel-throwing, burnishing rather than glazing, pit-firing rather than kilns, and often, women as the primary makers. In many cultures, pottery-making knowledge passes from mother to daughter, carrying not just technique but spiritual significance. Contemporary African ceramicists like Magdalene Odundo and Andile Dyalvane draw on these traditions while pushing into new territory.
What knowledge might your hands carry from your ancestors?
Techniques
- Coiling
- Burnishing
- Pit firing
- Smoke firing