Au (sago pot) 2011

Before the introduction of rice, sago was the staple carbohydrate eaten in the villages along the Sepik River of Papua New Guinea. Highly valued, sago continues to be harvested and traded by women along the river and into inland communities, where the palms do not grow. While modern equivalents are available, tall earthenware pots remain the best way of the storing this precious commodity. Aibom is the only village along the river that has suitable clay to make this style of pottery. Clay is collected from pits at the foot of the Aibom Mountain behind the village. The location of the best deposits is knowledge shared amongst only initiated Aibom women like Kimgimani, who make pots of all types during the wet season.