Ewe Ceramics as the Visualization of Vodun
Author(s): Lisa Aronson
Source: African Arts, Vol. 40, No. 1, Ceramic Arts in Africa (Spring, 2007), pp. 80-85
Published by: UCLA James S. Coleman African Studies Center
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/20447816 .
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researchnote
Ewe

Ceramics

as

Visualization

A
Lisa

ro

n

of

so

the
Vodun

nFebruary 12, 2005, members of a Yevel Vodun shrine
*
lW-W in theEwe village ofAnlo-Afiadenyigba in southeastern
** bGhana paid their due respect toMami Wata as part of

n

Allphotostaken author by flfltheir

in month-long ceremony honorofHeviesso, the

powerful and omnipresent thunder god. On the final
Mami spirit entered a woman's body day of the event, the

in the formof a snake. Lured by the spraying of toiletwater and

whitepowder and therhythms the of drums, snakeslithered the everso slowly her shrine, to where sheencountered desirable in items, including foodsacrificed herhonor,richly patterned cloth, and-the focus of this essay-a range of ceramic vessels featuringcreatures familiar to her world (FIG. l).

6~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

t ~ ~~~

~

~

Wata altarinthevillage Anlo of 1 Mami
Afiadenyigba
decoratedin preparation the for following sacrificial day's ceremony mami's in honor.
Anlo-Afiadenyigba,
February 2005.
12,

80o

~

~

~

~

~

~

~

~-

.

2 A Vodushi from village Klikor the of wears beads andotherform bodydecoration of to identify various the Vodun(Mami,
Dete, Avia,
Afa,andHeviesso)shehonors.
Dzodze market,
January 2005.
24,

2007 atricanarts SPRING

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.

Ceramic

sculptural pots are an impor

tant component of the visual culture of

Anlo-Ewe Vodun (meaning "gods" or
"spirits"), they yet have received surpris in ingly little attention theliterature
(Her
skovits
Hubner 1995;Savary1970),
1938;
most of itfocused on the names of thepots and their ritual associations

rather than

I production marketing. first and became aware of Vodun

pottery while doing a

of pilotstudy Anlo-Ewe
Vodunbodyarts,
including tattooing, painting, body bead work, a prescribed

set of dress codes,

dancemovements, and spirit possession (FIG. 2). This study was not without

its

obstacles because of the highly personal ized nature of the topic and the reluctance on the part of theAnlo-Ewe Vodun prac titioners to reveal information about their

to
To
religion outsiders. help overcome

such barriers, I turned my attention to
Ewe Vodun pottery,which I found to be a useful venue for learning the identities and relationships of the various gods and forunderstanding the role thatvisual cul ture plays inVodun worship. The mutual

trust investigation this engendered to led a more open dialogue with the potters and ample opportunity to participate in their

Vodun ceremonies.

My research suggests thatEwe ceramics,