When creating artefacts that belong in the material world artists choose specific raw materials
for particular reasons, including that selected resources are accessible and well suited to fitness
for purpose and expression of intentions. Many potters in Africa are engaged in zero electricity
usage ceramics practice, and each creative cycle usually starts with extracting clay from local sites
according to preferences and well established procedures that may sometimes include certain rituals.
Ways in which some potters who source their own clay are particular about certain factors that are
thought to be capable of influencing the effectiveness of physical properties of that raw material are
explored, with particular reference to what is known about the practices of Eastern Cape potter Alice
Gqa Nongebeza, of Nkonxeni Village [31°37‘59.66“S, 29°23‘22.26“E], Tombo, near Port St Johns.
Specific choices enacted by potters when gathering and using clayey raw materials are considered
in order to better understand some aspects of conceptual and social frameworks that may influence
clay extraction procedures. Thus, by means of comparisons between particular potter’s practices, as
well as through analysis of interview material and observed events, this paper aims to contextualise
how it transpired, inter alia, that clay seams close to the Nongebeza homestead were ignored by her
in favour of a relatively distant and almost inaccessible site that yielded a particular clay well suited
to her unique firing style of placing raw ware onto an already roaring bonfire, thereby effectively
creating pots for daily use and enjoyment
Xa kusenziwa iimisebenzi yobugcisa kwihlabathi esiphila kulo amagcisa omsebenzi wezandla
akhetha izixhobo ezikhethekileyo ezinjengepeyinti, inki kunye okanye nodongwe ngezizathu
ezikhethekileyo kuquka nokuba ingaba ezozinto zikhethelwe ukusetyenziswa ziyafumaneka na
kwaye zikwimeko nakumgangatho ohambelana neenjongo zokufezekisa lomsebenzi. Abaxongxi
abaninzi e-Afrika bakwiphulo lokwenza iiselamikhi ngaphandle kokusetyenziswa kombane,
kwaye umjikelo ngamnye wokwenza oko uqala ngokombiwa kodongwe kwindawo zasekuhlaleni
ngokweemfuno zomntu ngamnye neziye ziquke amasiko nezithethe ezidala nezaziwayo kulondawo.
Iindlela abanye abaxongxi abafumana ngayo udongwe labo ikhethekile kwaye bajonga iinto
ezithile ekucingelwa ukuba zinefuthe ekuphuhliseni izinto eziqulathwe kolodongwe ziyajongwa,
ingakumbi nokunxulumene nokwaziwayo ngomsemzi womxongxi waseMpuma Kapa u-Alice
Gqa Nongebeza, wakwilali yase-Nkonxeni [31°37‘59.66“S, 29°23‘22.26“E], kwisithili sase-
Tombo kufutshane nedolophu yasesaJonisi. Iizigqibo eziye zithathwe ngabaxongxi xa bekhangela,
beqokelela nasekusebenziseni iizinto eziqulethwe lolodongwe luluhlaza zithathelwa ingqalelo
khona ukuze kwaziwe ngcono ixinto ezithile eziye zibenefuthe ekombiweni kodongwe ngendlela
ekhethekileyo. Ngoko ke, ngendlela yokuthelekisa phakathi kweendlela ezisetyenziswa ngumxongxi
othile, kwakunye nohlalutyo lodliwano ndlebe kwakunye neziganeko ezithe zaqatshelwa, iinjongo
zeliphepha kubeka elubala nokuzama ukuqonda ukuba ingaba kwenzeka njani, phakathi kwezinye
iizinto, ukuba zithi zikhona iindawo ezikufutshane zokomba udongwe nomzi ka-Nongebeza
zityeshelwe kukhethwe indawo ekude nekunzima ukuba kufikelelwe kuyo nevelisa udongwe oluthile
nolulungele indlela yakhe engaqhelekanga yokubeka olodongwe luluhlaza emlilweni ngokwenza
njalo evelisa iimbiza ezilungele ukusetyenziswa iimihla yonke nolonwabo.
