A Study of the Pottery of Madam Sọlá Sódàmọ́lá Abàtì of Ìjàyè, Abẹ́òkúta, Nigeria

Isaiah Túndé Ògúnjìmí ,Nanashaitu Umoru-Ọ̀kẹ́ ,Babásẹ̀hìndé A Adémúlẹ̀yá

doi:10.7176/ads/84-01

Abstract

Africans as at the beginning have arts, cultures, philosophies and beliefs system that guide their conduct and way of life. Art is a pivot in which all other aspects of life rotate and thus, it has been used as visual tool of changes through various media. Their arts have also been used as objects of regulation, control and orderliness in the society for the overall well-being of the people. All these visual elements communicate and unveil the invisible. One of those media is the art of pottery of the Yorùbá people of Southwestern Nigeria. This paper therefore examines the art of traditional Yorùbá pottery of Madam Sọlá Sódàmọ́lá Abàtì with a view to establishing the relationship between her art forms, contents and Yorùbá philosophy. The study also discusses the relevance and patronage of the art in its cultural environment in the contemporary times. The study engages both primary and secondary data. The primary data includes qualitative approach leaning on field investigation where oral interview was conducted with the potter. Direct observation method was also employed, and photographs were taken. Secondary data were derived from published and unpublished articles to complement the primary data. The study employs Art historical approach using descriptive and contextual methods of data analysis. Findings reveal that younger people are no more interested in the profession which is a pointer to extinction in the nearest future, however the continuous practice of the art is possible because of the patronage it enjoys in the contemporary times. The study also discovers that in spite of the treats occasioned by the importation of plastic and metal containers into our local markets, traditional pottery is still on going because of its primary use in the society. The study therefore concludes that the socio-cultural and household relevance of traditional Yorùbá pottery cannot be likened to foreign products. The study thus encourages the continuous practice and preservation of the distinctive tradition for the promotion of Yorùbá artistic and cultural patrimonies. Keywords: Arts, Philosophy, Personage, Traditional Yorùbá Pottery, Socio-cultural Relevance DOI: 10.7176/ADS/84-01 Publication date: August 31 st 2020

Highlights

The Art of pottery in Nigeria is one of the most widely practiced the history of its origin is still largely indiscernible and that the little is known about the true history of the traditional industry (Okunna, 2004)
Various assertions as to where pottery originated in Nigeria were given but the fact still remains that pottery is as old as man
Adépégba (1995) supports the fact that the same pot serves different purposes depending on the society. He further claims that pots mostly serve as vessels but the uses in Nigeria vary considerably according to places and their forms

Summary

Introduction

The Art of pottery in Nigeria is one of the most widely practiced the history of its origin is still largely indiscernible and that the little is known about the true history of the traditional industry (Okunna, 2004). The Ìjàyè potters are mainly women who practice the tradition and they make various types of domestic utensils, religious and other functional pots revealing the essence of African people especially, the Yorùbá of Ẹgbá land. Plate 1: Madam Sọlá Sódàmọlá Abàtì, Ìjàyè, Abẹòkúta Photographed by Clement Adésànyà, July, 2013. The pottery products of Madam Sọlá are produced for all categories of people as those works serve both sacred and utilitarian purposes depending on the caliber of people who patronise them.

Results

Conclusion