Overview

Now available on DVD at a considerably reduced price, this award-winning ethnoarchaeological film documents the complete sequence of pottery production and use at Buur Heybe, “The Hill of the Potter’s Sand”, in southern Somalia. The Potters of Buur Heybe portrays the complete life cycle of earthenware pottery manufacture and use, places the pottery in its social and economic context, and considers the roles of gender, symbolism, agency and religion in the process. Although oral tradition credits women for first discovering the natural qualities of the highly valued local clay, it is only the men who create the wide range of beautifully decorated drinking, cooking and storage vessels. Women quarry and transport the clay to the village where men make and decorate the vessels using the coil method on a foot-turned wooden plate. The pots are fired in open air pyres, and distributed both locally and regionally where they are used, recycled and discarded by farmers, pastoralists, and townspeople. Short, technologically fascinating, and ethnographically rich, Potters of Buur Heybe is an excellent film for both undergraduate and graduate courses in anthropology and archaeology, including methods, technology, material culture, ethnography, and arts.

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9781598741186

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'This short film is remarkable for the completeness of its ethnographic information and its aesthetically pleasing visual impact.' Science Books & Films 'I am an unabashed potter groupie; I could sit and watch a skilled potter work all day long... so let's talk about the excellent DVD, The Potters of Buur Heybe, Somalia. It is a natural stepping-stone for a range of potential class topics and discussions and will serve as a suitable teaching tool for undergraduates and graduates alike. For those of us unlikely to stop by Buur Heybe on our next rain day or when our next project is finished early, this DVD is as close as we will get to a visit with these potters. I enjoyed my visit, and I recommend this DVD to readers of the ADAN Newsletter.' African Diaspora Archaeology Network (ADAN) Newsletter

'This short film is remarkable for the completeness of its ethnographic information and its aesthetically pleasing visual impact.' Science Books & Films 'I am an unabashed potter groupie; I could sit and watch a skilled potter work all day long... so let's talk about the excellent DVD, The Potters of Buur Heybe, Somalia. It is a natural stepping-stone for a range of potential class topics and discussions and will serve as a suitable teaching tool for undergraduates and graduates alike. For those of us unlikely to stop by Buur Heybe on our next rain day or when our next project is finished early, this DVD is as close as we will get to a visit with these potters. I enjoyed my visit, and I recommend this DVD to readers of the ADAN Newsletter.' African Diaspora Archaeology Network (ADAN) Newsletter

Author Information

Tara Belkin produces documentary films, live action and graphics for the broadcast design and branding world.

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