Storage Container

The Turka, Gouin, and Tusyan peoples of southwest Burkina Faso are closely related to the Senufo, with whom they share a similar language, political structure, and system of belief. These groups can be divided into smaller subgroups, each with unique variations of culture. The southern Tusyan, who live predominantly in and around the town of Toussiana, call themselves the Win, and jars like this—dark in color and decorated by patterned bands applied by roulette—have at times been attributed to them. Such vessels are indeed found in Win homes, where they are often lines up in two rows and used to store grain and sometimes millet beer. This container has a broad mouth for easy access and a thick lip to withstand frequent use. The abrasions on its extremely narrow base suggest that it was set into the earth to stand upright. The potter took this into account in her choice of decoration: she applied the understated, crisscrossing net of roulette-impressed bands only on the upper two-thirds of the body.