LEARNING PROCESS OF POTTERY MAKING AMONG ARI PEOPLE, SOUTHERN ETHIOPIA

Abstract

Pots of Ari people are considered essential utilities in their daily lives. Women artisans, who belong to the socially segregated group called mana, are exclusively engaged in pottery making. In this paper, I describe the forming-technique and the learning process of pottery making among girls by focusing on the fine movement of pottery makers' hands and fingers, the making-stages, the making-processes and the learning orders by classifying the variety of pots. I found four characteristics of forming-techniques and learning processes among young pottery makers. First, 20 units of processes (`U.P') and four making-stages were common to all the pottery makers. Second, pottery makers do not learn each making stage step by step. From the very begining, they do all the making stages to form the whole shape of a pot. Third, according to the finger movement analysis, pottery makers could learn how to make different sizes and shapes of pots by using the 20 `U.P'. Fourth, although they say they have a certain degree of difficulty in forming various shapes of pots, young pottery makers do not follow a consistent order of learning. Each maker follows different sequential orders. Even sisters do not seem to pursue a consistent learning order. Pottery making is not just about technology as people attach social, cultural, and economic meanings to it.