Browsing by Author "Adong, Sanday Rhodest"

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Developing pots from indigenous Acholi ritual pottery for use in contemporary space
(Kyambogo University(Unpublished work), 2018-11) Adong, Sanday Rhodest
Acholi indigenous pots, like any other indigenous pots elsewhere in the world, were and are still important to the community. The pots served several functional uses that supported daily chores (domestic use) such as; storage of water, grains, brewing, cooking, serving food and ritualistic ceremonies such as initiation rite, birth rite, naming, marriage, death, appeasement of the spirit(s) among others. Though the Acholi community still takes pride in their traditional cultural values and practices, confinement of the Acholi people in Internally Displaced peoples (IDPs) camps for over 25 years which was further worsened by factors associated with the modem ways of living; Western cultural ideologies such as religion, education and technology led to the decline of indigenous pottery use. Yet the community has neither fully adopted the contemporary cultures nor discarded the traditional practices. The study set out to design and produces pots inspired by indigenous Acholi ritual pots for contemporary space. Specifically, the study analyzed the factors that influenced the production of pots among the Acholi community, designed pots from selected Acholi ritual pottery for specific contemporary spaces and produced pottery ware inspired by Acholi ritual pots for use in contemporary spaces. The significance of the study was to link the Acholi culture to contemporary life by adding to the existing body of literature, helping the community to improve their livelihoods through production, use and sale of pottery items and providing the policy makers with another avenue of empowering the communities and ensuring sustainable development. Using qualitative study approach and ethnographic research design, ten respondents were purposively selected and data was collected using in-depth interviews, participant observation, photography and focus group discussion. The collected data were analyzed thematically, and emerging patterns were isolated and subjected to studio practice. Three types of pots were identified and used as inspirations to design and produce four projects for use in the Hotel reception. The study findings indicated that production was influenced by the needs of the community, and designs were created from what the community believed in and practice and those pots can be redesigned to fit contemporary spaces. The study recommends that, policy makers should support the production indigenous material such as pottery as an alternative source of income, modern developers and urban planners should integrate indigenous product s such as pottery in development, awareness creation among the communities to embrace production of indigenous material culture and mass production investment by government to enable communities produce in large scale.
Ritual pottery and its repurposing in contemporary social design space in Acholi sub-region, northern Uganda
(Kyambogo University (Unpublished work), 2025-10) Adong, Sanday Rhodest
Pottery constitutes a fundamental element of material culture, deeply embedded in the socio-cultural fabric of communities across the world for millennia. Among the Acholi people of Northern Uganda, pottery has historically played a pivotal role in familial and communal rituals. However, the forces of modernisation and globalisation have engendered misconceptions surrounding both the rituals and the associated ceramic traditions, leading to the secret production and use of ritual pottery, which is the main focus for this study. This study was conducted in the sub-counties of Awach, Paibona, and Pukony in Gulu District with the overarching aim of adapting the Acholi ritual pottery for integration into contemporary social design space. Specifically, the study explored Acholi family rituals that used pots, analysed the significant use of pots in rituals, and engaged in a community-based practicum to explore the potential for repurposing ritual pots within contemporary physical and ideological contexts. Blumer's theory of symbolic interactionism served as the theoretical foundation for the study, which employed ethnographic research design and a qualitative methodological approach. The research population included potters, cultural leaders, elders, and pot users from both rural communities and modern social environments. Purposive and snowball sampling strategies facilitated the selection of twenty-five (25) participants. Data collection techniques included in-depth interviews, participant observation, focus group discussions (FGDs), and photographic documentation. Thematic analysis was employed to interpret the data systematically in alignment with the research objectives. Findings revealed that despite prevailing societal stigma, ritual pottery continues to be produced and utilised within the community. The study documented a range of ritualistic practices involving ceramic vessels, with a specific focus on three primary family rituals: birth, naming, and death. Five distinct ritual pots were examined, some of which were explicitly crafted for ceremonial use, while others were repurposed from conventional pottery. These included twin pots (Agulu Kirubi), bathing troughs (Agulu Otako/Otako Lwok), serving bowls (Atabo Lobo), umbilical cord pots (Atabo Pen/Lawum Pen), and burial plots (Agulu Lyel). Furthermore, through the community practicum, ritual pottery was reinterpreted and produced for adaptation within the contemporary spaces. The study recommends the implementation of vocational skills training to mitigate the skills gap among ageing potters and to ensure the sustainable transmission of pottery-making techniques. Additionally, the research advocates for the conservation and innovative repurposing of ritual pottery within contemporary design frameworks to foster cultural continuity and enhance the visibility of Acholi material heritage in contemporary social settings.