Soil is not only vital to human life because of the food that we grow from it, but humans have used soil in personal and cultural rituals, proving that our history is deeply linked to nature. From art to bodypainting, here are three instances that attest to our paramount relationship with soil.
The potters of Kalabogou
In the village of Kalabougou, which is located across the Niger River from Segou, Mali, a community of women are skilled pottery handcrafters who follow a tradition that spans decades. Pottery is one of the oldest human inventions and arts that is entrenched in soil. According to the University of Iowa’s “Ancient Technology Series”, the craft encapsulates the potter’s technique and history hundreds of years later.
“Because pots and styles were shared among groups, archaeologists can often relate sites in time and space because they contain the same ceramic types,” says the university in its series. The women of Kalabougou source the clay on the banks of a nearby river, and mold it into uniquely shaped pots and gourds before the finished products are piled under a cover of branches, grass and leaves. The pile is then set alight and the extraordinary pot firing process begins. From sourcing and cleaning the clay to firing and polishing it, everything used is rooted in soil and what grows from it.
Storytelling through art and language
Even closer to home, the Maloti-Drakensberg heritage route is home to some of the most unique rock art by the San people. The red, yellow and orange hues were created from various soils and plant matter, and remain preserved largely because they were created in nature, and continue to live in that very space. South Africa has the world’s richest collection of rock art which can be found in almost all provinces.
Ancient languages also continue to live on through ancient clay tablets and rocks, and some of the oldest forms of writing and language were documented on clay or using a soil mixture. Egyptian hieroglyphics, for example, exist because largely because of how nature has preserved the clay tablets and artefacts that they exist on. The Egyptians are also well-known for having some of the most intricately-designed ornaments in celebration of their gods, leaders and as ceremonial gifts.
Bodypainting rituals
For various African cultures on the continent, soil also forms an important part of many rituals. In South Africa, sangomas in training smear their face with a red soil or clay paste called ibomvu, and it's also used in traditional isiXhosa and isiZulu traditional ceremonies. For communities such as the Omo Valley tribes in Ethiopia, their intricate body paintings are an ode to nature and its beauty. National Geographic explains that the cultures of the various tribes in the valley are deeply rooted to the physical environment. This is all on the backdrop of the Omo River, which is their lifeline. The human body is the ultimate canvas on which body paintings mimic the human relationship with nature, which continuously sustains the life of various cultures and rituals.
While humans steadily move towards more modern lifestyles, many of which limit their access and interaction with nature, our bond with soil will also evolve. The soil of the earth is however always full of promise, and its capacity for regeneration means that our ties to it will always be continuous.