Vessel

Little is known about the rich array of ceramic traditions employed by communities in the northern Great Lakes region of eastern Africa. This vessel, acquired in northern Uganda, has only one published comparative example, which similarly features a bold decorative program with incised and impressed patterning, a flattened lip, and a raised band of incised braiding situated just below that lip. Additionally, the designs of both vessels emphasize the width of the shoulders with a wide, undulating central band of patterning. Such large, elaborate vessels may have served as storage containers similar to the large slip-decorated pots of the neighboring Luo in present-day Sudan. However, notations from the seller allude to ceremonial uses for this vessel as well. Further research on these objects in needed to better understand how this vibrant ceramic tradition has visually and physically mediated daily life among Kumam communities.