Burial Pottery versus Domestic Pottery: An Ethno-Archaeological Study of Decoration and Style

Abstract

This paper examines pottery assemblages from two Musengezi tradition sites (12^th to 16^th Centuries A.D.), namely Monk’s Kop ossuary and Shinje settlement site. The need to establish the decorative and stylistic relationship of pottery from burial and domestic contexts, and their symbolical implications prompted this ethno-archaeological study. Empirical data shows that pottery from burial contexts were more decorated and stylised than their domestic counterpart, indicating the cosmological beliefs of the Musengezi tradition communities towards the dead. Ethnographic inquiry revealed that pottery accompanying the dead were carefully and intentionally selected from household context owing to their decorative and stylistic attributes, which, when in burial context, communicate some social messages about the buried individuals, their relationship with the living, and ideological aspects of the community.