The Earthenware Jug

This jug is very special. I received it from a very good friend of mine when I left Suriname. “Something to remind you of where you come from,” she said. The jug is native, being made by the natives in Suriname, who are very skilled at producing such jugs. They make these beautifully crafted jugs from red clay. They are used for different purposes: for spiritual herbal baths, as vases, as decoration in the house, or as storage.

My jug was given to me for spiritual purposes. My friend gave it to me because she believed that, in that way, my ancestors would come with me and watch over me during my travels into the unknown. The jug represents the ancient knowledge and crafts that the natives had and that they transmitted to the next generations.

The connection I have with my native ancestors is grounded on the belief that every Afro-Surinamese has native roots. This belief originates from the orally transmitted story that the enslaved Africans, upon their arrival in Suriname, were welcomed, embraced and guided by the native people, but also by the native entities that originally watched over the Surinamese land. The connection with spiritual persons and entities is something that is transmitted from generation to generation among the descendants of the enslaved people. Still today, the Afro-Surinamese people who follow the doctrine of the winti, honor these native entities with different objects, among which the jug. Coincidentally, in my case, my ancestral roots are not just spiritual, but genetic as well.

In Sint Maarten, the jug had a permanent spot in the hallway from my living room to my bedroom. In England, the jug stands on the first step of the stairway that leads to my bedroom. My friend taught me that the jug acts as a safeguard of the good and a protector against evil. My bedroom, then, is the place where I wish to experience happiness, joy and peace at all times. Hence the strategic placement near the room that leads to my bedroom.