Document Type
Article
Date
3-2003
Keywords
low-fired earthenwares, Caribbean ceramics, cultural continuity and change
Language
English
Disciplines
Anthropology | Human Geography | Social and Cultural Anthropology
Description/Abstract
Local earthenware associated with enslaved African populations in the Americas, variously called “Colono-Ware,” “Afro-CaribbeanWare.” “Yabbas,” and “Criollo ware,” has received considerable attention from researchers. What unifies this disparate group of ceramics is not method of manufacture, design and decoration, or even form and function but the association or potential association with African diaspora populations. The ceramics incorporate some skills and techniques possibly brought by African potters to the Americas, as well as skills reflecting European and Native American traditions, and local adaptations in form, function, and manufacture.Analogies linking African ceramic traditions to American industries have at times been employed uncritically and have relied on generalized characteristics to infer overly specific meanings. With particular reference to low-fired earthenwares from Jamaica, this paper examines the historical and cultural context of these ceramics and the methodological and theoretical problems faced in their interpretation.
Recommended Citation
Hauser, Mark W. and DeCorse, Christopher R., "Low-Fired Earthenwares in the African Diaspora: Problems and Prospects" (March, 2003). International Journal of Historical Archaeology, vol. 7 #1, pp. 67-98
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International License.
Additional Information
This is an Author's Accepted Manuscript of an article published in International Journal of Historical Archaeology. All rights reserved to the authors. The final publication is available at link.springer.com. See Creative Commons license below.