African Arts Gallery

Encrusted with shards of brass making up a decorative frieze, this ancient container from East Africa was designed by a nomadic people. The latter was particularly decimated by the Islamic slave trade and by recurrent internecine wars. The population groups called "Bantous interlacustres", located between Lake Victoria and the Limpopo River, include the Ganda, Nyoro, Nkole, Soga, Toro, Hima, and the Tutsi of Rwanda and Burundi. Their cultures have similarities, like their artistic production and their objects of daily use. The Tutsi raise cattle. They excel in the art of weaving and basketry. This spherical pot with a small horizontal handle has smooth walls and slight abrasions (Shard on the edge).