Storage Container

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A stout vessel with a pointed bottom, wide shoulders, and a short, slightly flaring neck. The exterior is decorated with horizontal incised bands, and some bands with abstract patterns.

Culture Makonde

Title Storage Container (Chilongo Chakumuto)

Date 20th century

Medium Clay and kaolin

Dimensions Object: 21 × 26 in. (53.3 × 66 cm)
Overall: 21 × 26 in. (53.3 × 66 cm)

Credit Line Gift of William Itter, Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University

Accession Number 2015.154

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About this Work

Makonde water containers are treasured possessions. A girl receives a small version when she takes on adult responsibilities and later commissions her own full size vessel. The importance of these containers can be seen in their long lives. After a pot can no longer hold water, it may be used for grain storage and later be placed on a woman’s grave.

Makonde vessels are known for their incised geometric decorations, which are unique to each pot. The Makonde word for this surface decoration is nkova, the same word used for tattooing and there are many visual similarities between the two practices.

Provenance
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Provenance research is ongoing for this and many other items in the Eskenazi Museum of Art permanent collection. For more information about the provenance of this artwork, please contact the department curator with specific questions.

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"Storage Container | Collections Online." Collections Online. Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University, 2024. https://artmuseum.indiana.edu/collections-online/browse/object.php?number=2015.154