This outstanding specimen of traditional pottery made for everyday use as well as an art is a baked clay jar of the Angami Naga tribe from Nagaland in Northeast India. The Angami is one of the major Naga tribes that possess a rich culture and use nature in all its resourcefulness for everyday living. Pottery and earthenware play a significant role in domestic life and ritual practices. This is an earthen pot whose lower part is a little bulbous, slightly above the base, with a circular stand at the bottom to hold it. The neck is stout and long enough to enable easy pouring with minimum spillage. Like the rest of the jar, its lid, made of baked clay, has engravings on it that show the artistic vision of the tribe.
It attaches to the handle with a twisted thread of bark, so it never comes free. This technique of fastening aesthetically serves, demonstrating yet again how the tribe uses indigenous plant resources to make household articles. The exterior surface of the jar is beautifully decorated with incised designs which could be symbolic or decorative. In general, these jars are common household items - they are used to store water; some will hold rice beer (zutho); others seem to hold various grains - but above all else, they are storage jars for your fermented food.