Situated in the old Entumeni Farmers’ Hall, the Khamba Pot is the archetypal country retreat. A mere 25km outside Eshowe, this culinary oasis is reached by taking the road that eventually leads to Nkandla, and turning off at the first Ntumeni sign (the road is tar all the way).

Within many factions of Zulu society, both the phenomena of beer consumption and the crafting of pottery are integral. This pot is known as “Ukhamba,” and the libation consumed from it is “Utshwala,” a local sorghum or millet beer which is nutritional and relatively low in alcohol content.

Zulu Tribal Clay Beer Pot, Ukhamba is made for brewing, drinking and the ceremonial serving of beer. This can be either a social or spiritual event for the traditional sorghum beer popular in the Zulu Culture of South Africa.

The ukhamba pot is used in all beer drinking rituals, including ones where beer is offered to the ancestors, and even when it is broken it still serves a purpose, with the broken pieces being used to burn imphepho to communicate with the ancestors.

Each handcrafted Ukhamba pot is customarily used by men sitting in a circle sharing Umqombothi | traditional African beer | Ukhamba beer. Ukhamba for sale. African traditional beer pots vastly known as Ukhamba are made the traditional way using clay extracted from river beds.

The monument is marked by a giant “khamba pot”, the traditional clay pots which Zulus use to drink “mqombothi”, their home-brewed beer.

Amazing baskets, many of the pieces by the doyenne of weavers, Rubin Ndwandwe, share the museum’s space with “khamba” pots, the clay pots made for the communal drinking of Zulu “umqombothi” traditional beer.

When looking at the beautifully symmetric form of a Zulu pot, one must remember that there is no potters wheel or kiln available. The pot is formed by building up coils of clay and smoothing them down with any found items such as the back of a spoon or a water-worn rock.

Today we’ll look at the significance of the decoration of ukhamba, the pots used for drinking traditional beer. In recent years these beer pots have become sought after decor items. But while they may be very attractive, the decoration isn’t purely for aesthetic reasons.

kamba - definition of kamba in A Dictionary of South African English. Meaning and origin of kamba with spelling and pronunciation. History and development of the term kamba with example sentences.