Variations in Shape, Local Classification, and the Establishment of a Chaîne Opératoire for Pot Making Among Female Potters in Southwestern Ethiopia

Abstract

This paper examines the relationships between social learning process through which Aari women learn to make pots, which involves a combination of observation and trial and error experimentation, and patterns of increasing diversity in pot shape, size, and style. The study has two objectives: (1) to describe the variation in Aari pot shapes, Aari classifications of pots, and changes in the process of pot making over the last hundred years and (2) to examine the relationships between the Aari potters’ learning systems and technological and stylistic innovations. The research included an analysis of the learning system among female potters, focusing on the chaîne opératoire in pottery making. Three major results emerged from the study. First, Aari people were able to identify small variances (from 2 to 3 cm) and categorize separately what are highly similar pot shapes. Second, the tila, which is the most used Aari pot, is produced in a normal distribution in terms of height and circumference. Third, potters create new shapes and sizes of pots as per the dimensions specified by customers based on special needs related to particular occasions and social contexts. Stylistic and technical diversity have both increased over the last century. The learning system used by Aari potters is centered on how the human body, specifically the hands and fingers, can create and develop new styles of pottery, almost on their own. The potters themselves know that creativity depends on the sequence of hands and finger movements used in response to the natural environment.