Cultures

UGANDA: POTTERY IN LUO NORMS IS GODLY.

Pots in LUO culture is considered one of the most important household item, every adult women in a homestead were skillful in pottery.

 

GULU-UGANDA: Atuk Lakop 65 years old Nya Cwah, a mother of 11 children with many grand children  who hailed from Minja village in Kidobo Parish, Lalogi Sub County, Omoro District. She is a proud old woman making her living crafting pots who has been in the trade for 40 years, she revealed.

Lakop live in Gulu outskirt, 2 kilometer Pece Division where she and her family of 15 wake up every morning to begin pottery as way of making ends meet.

Lakop said; out of the pottery, she has raised 11 children, although she was disappointed because none of them reached University. But they are living good lives in Gulu City, while other is in Kampala City.

“I have been making pot for the last 40 years, this is my job where I get money from selling pots, the money goes to feeding my family, while other proceeds I used it to buy household items and pay school fees.” Lakop urged.

In Lakop compound lies many pots, other are for drying, while some of the pots is ready for market.

Photo of pots drying in sun in Lakop’s compound

In Odek Sub County, in the past the clan of Lamur were the leading pottery, especially in Omyel Ki Ogali village, there was a man called Okwele, his homestead people even made song partying that without pottery there would be no food.

“Lamur gang kec, ka icwyeo Agulu ka ibili dek, Gang pa Latigo Okwele gang kec.” This was the song of the community.

Johsialina Aring Lapala from Oyaro Tonge village, in Odek Sub County was also renowned woman who was very skillful in making pot.

Aringo’s hut was full of big pots, which are put according to the biggest to the smallest.

Pots is also part of beautifying the household, in woman’s hut where there was no pots, it meant poverty ranged that household that was Aringo Lapala narrative.

Pots is also used as community storage facilities to keep food stuff like Millet, Simsim and other food items.

The skill of making pottery can be learn when one put interest, mostly young girls who are doctrine to learn the art of pottery. Because it involved patient and discipline.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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One Comment

  1. Mr. Langol Okumu did a tremendous job in telling this story, the tonation, imagery, description, choices of words and interactions makes it real.
    You did a job that takes a reader`s mind to Lakop`s household even without the real picture being captured.
    This is wonderful. Secondly I think oyengyeng is doing a great job in putting Northern Uganda to the International world.

    Ozaa
    Apwoyo,

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