Pair of Terracotta Ceremonial Altar Vessels,Bariba people

This pottery vessel, embellished with high relief figures, was made by women of the ethnic group of the Bariba (or Baatonu) in the northern provinces of Benin. The Bariba potters passed their trade from mother to daughter. They didn’t make their vessels on a pottery wheel but kneaded them by hand. The raw material they used was river clay. Various pieces of pottery were used in ceremonies by spirit mediums. The disc shape mouth of the pot was used as a fire basin. The light was produced with the help of balls of cotton or wool, soaked in shea butter and lit with fire. The strong emphasis on the female figures’ breasts points to a fertility cult. The similarity of these lamps with those of the Bambara indicates that there might be an influence.Yoruba influence is also reflected in the figural pottery of the Bariba-as becomes apparent in the object shown here. (for similar Vessel, see Earth and Ore -Karl-Ferdinand Shaedler p.149)