Ideqqi, art of Berber women" is the first exhibition devoted to traditional Algerian pottery. It will be held at the musée du quai Branly, in Paris, from 18th June to 17th September 2007. It will present 130 pieces, taken from the musée du Quai Branly’s reserves, illustrating the various forms and functions of pottery as well as the symbols and patterns with which the pieces are decorated.

Origins

The domain of Berber pottery extends west to east from Morocco (Middle Atlas and Rif) to Tunisia and covers northern Algeria, from the Oran region to the Aurès Mountains and Small Kabylia. The exhibition primarily focuses on Kabylia, the cradle of the most refined Berber production.

The Berbers were the first inhabitants of northern Africa. In the mountain regions, the Greeks and Phoenicians had only a superficial influence, and while the population did adopt Islam, it nevertheless continued to observe a large number of beliefs and practices handed down from generation to generation since Prehistory. The women of the rural North African societies, who were both potters and weavers, were the guardians of an ancestral culture and know-how which is on the decline today as the economy continues to develop and people migrate from the country to the cities.

The berber pottery techniques

The Berber women used neither wheel nor kiln to make their pottery. The pieces were shaped by hand and cooked in the open air. In this way, they more closely resemble objects discovered in archaeological digs at megalithic burial sites in Northern Africa than they do ancient Mediterranean pottery shaped on a wheel and cooked in a kiln. The fragility and daily use of these objects explains why there are no examples pre-dating the 19th century. It is the archaic style used to create the pottery that gives it its antiquity. The geometric patterns decorating the pieces – which are also found on the women’s textiles and tattoos – carry symbolic meaning, whose origin traces back to the Neolithic era and was present on all continents.

This original traditional art echoes contemporary sensibility. The functionality and beauty of these objects are enhanced by their timeless sacred dimension.

Forms and functions

Rural families have a large number of terracotta recipients which can be divided into four categories: jars, pitchers and pots for transport and conservation, utensils used for cooking, tableware and, lastly, objects not used for food storage, preparation or service: mainly oil lamps. In a country where the water supply was (and sometimes still is) a daily problem, it is hardly surprising that there is a large quantity and variety of pottery used to transport, store and serve water.

Large jars, like the two shown at the top of the screen, are used to transport water from the source or well to the house. They are reminiscent of Greek amphora or Roman vases, which have very similar shapes. They differ in usage however: instead of being placed in the ground or the holds of ships, and filled with grain, oil or wine, these water jars are carried on the back, with the base tucked behind the belt and the two handles gripped by the hands. The elegance of form, particularly the shapely handles, and the beauty of the red and black designs, some of which have a prophylactic meaning, demonstrate the importance of a fresh water supply. Interestingly, the potters of Greater Kabylia also made these kinds of jars, dubbed amphora, to meet French demand for decorative objects, which were used to adorn dressers and fireplaces.

Some jars, such as the one on the lower left, also held milk or oil. The exceptionally beautiful pitcher on the lower right may have possibly played a religious role as a votive offering vase.

Jugs, pitchers and gargoulettes

Recipients used to serve water at the table - jugs, pitchers and gargoulettes – come in a variety of shapes and decorations. The jugs, usually with two handles, and pitchers are also used to store and serve milk and oil. The gargoulette is a speciality of Berber pottery, and more specifically pottery from the Greater Kabylia region. In their simplest form, the jugs consist of a body, a neck and a spout. They are portable water containers, with a capacity of a half-litre to 2 litres, used to pour water or to drink directly from the jug by tilting the head back and pouring the water into the mouth. The water is kept cool through a process of capillary evaporation.

Together with the oil lamp, the gargoulette is one of two objects representing the most extraordinary formal inventions of the Berber women. The variety of shapes is nothing short of remarkable (we can compare, for example, the gargoulettes in the first three pictures. There are also double gargoulettes, as the one in the last picture. Utility sometimes seems to play a secondary role to design. Given the diversity and audacity of forms and custom decoration, always well suited to the shape and design, the gargoulette is highly representative of Algerian Berber pottery.

While most single and double-handle gargoulettes come from the Greater Kabylia region, the jugs and pitchers illustrate the styles of various regions. The jug shown in the first picture, made of very fine clay, with a polished finish and light brown engobe, comes from the Chenoua mountain region, west of Algiers. The second photo provides a closer view of the motifs decorating the jug. The pitcher in the third picture, with an off-white, unglazed engobe and well-spaced, predominantly dark brown motifs, comes from Little Kabylia, not far from Constantine. The jug in the final picture, whose colours and patterns are reminiscent of Rif pottery, is from the region that lies between Tlemcen and Nedroma.

Food storage and preparation

Cereal is the foundation of the family diet, supplemented with vegetables, fruit and dairy products. Oil and mutton fat are the sources of fat. Poultry and meat are rare and usually reserved for celebrations, when they are added to the vegetable broth and served with couscous, a traditional national dish which was known to have been enjoyed as early as the 15th century but may even date back to Antiquity.

The main meal of the day was eaten in the evening. In the patriarchal family, the men were served by the women, who would eat afterward with the older girls and young children. The family ate on the ground, seated on a floor mat, from a collective dish. The meal was served according to carefully observed rules. The oldest woman was responsible for serving the dishes which had been prepared by another woman, often her daughter-in-law. The semolina was presented in a large dish, and when meat was served, it was placed in a smaller dish, while the vegetable broth was served in a jug. Solid foods, such as flatbreads, were broken up and eaten with the hands. The soup and couscous were eaten with a spoon. Each person took turns drinking from the same jug, or pouring the water into the mouth when drinking from a gargoulette.

The semolina was prepared in a couscoussier, which was placed in a pot, where the water was heated using a chafing dish.

The last picture shows the dish used to cook flatbread.

Here we have presented several water, milk and broth jugs from various regions: the first two are from Greater Kabylia, the third from the Tlemcen region and the last from Small Kabylia.

Some broth jugs with a handle in the form of a semi-circle, like the one in the first picture, are quite remarkable for the purity of their design, as shown in greater detail in the second picture. The bottle is a small gargoulette. The pitcher with the animal-head spout is in fact a teapot from the Tlemcen region, whose colours and patterns are reminiscent of Rif pottery (Morocco).

Food, and especially couscous, is presented in dishes from which everyone serves themselves. Smaller plates, like the one in the first picture, are used to hold oil, butter and honey, or to serve couscous to children. These dishes are vividly decorated and are reserved for special occasions such as weddings and religious holidays.

The most spectacular dishes come from the Greater Kabylia region, as shown in the other three pictures presented here; they are distinguished by their large size and rich, harmonious decoration. These particular celebration dishes from Greater Kabylia have an off-white or dark brown engobe which sets off the brown and red geometric patterns, usually consisting of diamonds, triangles and checkerboard motifs. When not being used, the dishes are displayed on shelves next to oil lamps and gargoulettes.

Celebration dishes

Food, and especially couscous, is presented in dishes from which everyone serves themselves. Smaller plates, like the one in the first picture, are used to hold oil, butter and honey, or to serve couscous to children. These dishes are vividly decorated and are reserved for special occasions such as weddings and religious holidays.

The most spectacular dishes come from the Greater Kabylia region, as shown in the other three pictures presented here; they are distinguished by their large size and rich, harmonious decoration. These particular celebration dishes from Greater Kabylia have an off-white or dark brown engobe which sets off the brown and red geometric patterns, usually consisting of diamonds, triangles and checkerboard motifs. When not being used, the dishes are displayed on shelves next to oil lamps and gargoulettes.

Wedding pieces

Among the rituals passed down from Berber animist history and reinterpreted by Islam, the wedding is a capital ceremony. The day before the wedding, the young woman goes to the hammam, then later that evening, her hands and feet are decorated with henna to bring beauty, happiness and protection. From the first day, the day of presentation, to the seventh and final day, the “day of the belt”, the wedding ceremony gives the future bride the opportunity to wear opulent garments prepared for her hope chest, and gives her family the chance to use the pottery specially reserved for the occasion: henna cups, tripod dishes and large oil lamps.

The mixture used to coat the hands and feet of the bride are placed in cups like the one shown in the first picture. In dishes with several compartments, like the one in the second picture, the wedding guests place three eggs, some couscous and dates, as a blessing for the newlyweds. The large oil lamps, like the one in the third picture are among the most spectacular examples of the pottery of Berber women, both for their complexity and rich decoration. Their impressive size and intricate decoration are the perfect expression of the religious significance and magic of the wedding ceremony. The oil lamp is a prestigious object that precedes the bride’s wedding procession and also the magical object placed in the nuptial room where it protects the newlyweds and ensures their fertility.

The smaller oil lamps with a single candleholder, like the one in the fourth picture, are lit in the houses for the protective genies, during wakes and in sacred religious sites during religious holidays and the Day of Ashura.

Symbolism

The exhibition also presents photographs of Algerian women taken by Marc Garanger, in addition to articles of clothing and pottery of various forms and functions.

Marc Garanger was in Algeria in 1960 to complete his military service. The French army had decided that members of the indigenous population had to have a French ID card so their movements in the villages could be controlled. While he was there he took a large number of pictures, mostly of women.

Bringing together such a variety of objects allows us to observe that the same geometric patterns found on textiles and tattoos are the same as those painted on the Berber pottery: chevrons, triangles, diamonds, and zigzags, for example. These motifs were passed down through the ages from the Neolithic era, and experts agree that they hold magical/religious significance: preservation of the self and of the species, fertility of the earth and Man, death rites, protective magic. Today, their meaning is being lost and the women who still make such pottery either do not wish to reveal or simply do not know their meaning, content to blend them in with the objects around them or elements of the surrounding landscape.

Among these patterns, we often find: zigzags, which represent water, the source of fertility; diamonds and triangles, associated with the fertility of women and the earth; chains of triangles, representing the fertility of women, copulation and childbirth; they are also associated with the number 3, which appears in religions and divinatory rites. The snake, a symbol of virility and regeneration, is also a talisman against evil spirits.

You will notice the menacing and protective scorpion; the stars and the dotted lines in circles that can be interpreted as representations of the sun and earth and of the source of life, heat and light; squares, representing farmland and seeds; crosses, symbols of the earth with its four cardinal points and four seasons; and the tree of life, a symbol of the family and abundance on earth.

Artists

We know the names of the artists who produced the pottery presented here because the administrators and ethnologists who collected these pieces took the trouble to note them. This is quite exceptional, considering that the potters worked to meet the needs of their families and did not seek recognition other than the esteem of the people close to them and especially the other potters in their tribe.

Today, traditional pottery is a dying practice that remains only in a few isolated mountain villages. A new type of production has appeared to satisfy the interest of foreign enthusiasts. It is not without charm, exuberance and humour, and continues to demonstrate the skill of the potters and their ability to integrate elements of modern life in their choice of decorative motifs, for example by including images of aeroplanes and automobiles.

Alongside this commercial production, a strikingly original form of ceramic art is being developed, rooted in millennium-old tradition and open to the use of new techniques. The works of artists such as Ouiza Bacha and Fatima Kerrache are presented in the musée du quai Branly’s exhibition as examples of this revival and allegiance to ancestral values.

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