URUSIKA NYINTIN (COUSCOUS STEAMER)
[1,2]: NYINTIN (COUSCOUS STEAMER)
[3]: A different nyintin showing the holes at the base of the ceramic vessel through which steam rises
[4,5]: Illustrations of different pottery typologies (including a nyintin/couscous steamer) for specific uses (cooking, chicken watering, washbasin, incense burner etc.) amongst the Madinka and Bamana peoples. We will explore these further in future posts…
[6]: Nansa Doumbia, a Mandinka potter from Mali 🇲🇱, punches concentric, alternating holes for steaming at the base of the large nyintin she’s making
[7]: A woman (likely Senegalese 🇸🇳) preps couscous in a large bowl
[8]: A Malian 🇲🇱 woman puts couscous into a nyintin steaming over a metal pot on a fire
[9]: A contemporary, metal couscoussière showing the similarities and continued design language of couscous steamers. Most likely North African/Arabic.From: Mandinka culture (Manding, Mande speakers), likely Gambia 🇬🇲, Senegal 🇸🇳, Guinea 🇬🇳, or Guinea-Bissau 🇬🇼Source [1,2]: “First art: historic African ceramics” by Douglas Dawson. Seen on @internetarchive
Source [3-6,8]: “Mande potters & leatherworkers : art and heritage in West Africa” by Barbara E Frank. Seen on @internetarchive
Source [7]: “Thiéré” as the best couscous in the world” by Adame Ndao on Africa Green Magazine blog (Translated to English) @africagreenmagazine
Source [9]: Catskingloves on Wikimedia
Source notes [1,2,5]:
“20th century. 12”x9”…One common trait shared by a number of the widespread Mande groups is the use of steamers such as this to cook millet couscous, Couscous steamers take many shapes, but the basic principle remains constant: water contained in the lower receptacle is heated above a fire, which produces steam that in tum cooks the millet in the upper bowl. The steamer is usually held above the fire with stone supports and the gap between the upper and lower basins is sealed with a paste made from damp millet powder... Here the potter has taken advantage of the disparity in the ratio between grain and water used when cooking rice to create an exceptional form that seems to defy gravity.”
Source notes [8]:
”Woman cooking couscous with a ceramic nyintin over a metal pot. They are wrapped with cloth where they meet in order to make the seal between the two pots as tight as possible. Kangaba, Mali 1991”Observations: process-driven design, visual hierarchy, formal harmony, ergonomics, material as beauty, simplicity.