Zulu Beer Pot

The Zulu beer pot, known as ukhamba, is a traditional vessel used for brewing and serving sorghum beer. Crafted from clay, it features smooth, rounded forms and often includes symbolic patterns. These pots play a central role in Zulu rituals and gatherings, embodying community, hospitality, and the cultural significance of beer in Zulu society.

Beer has been made in the Zulu region for at least a millennium and is still important in Zulu life today. This type of pot is known as Ukhamba and is used as a communal drinking vessel.

There is a specific way that Zulu beer is served traditionally.  The procedure is started by the woman who brewed the beer, she skims the froth off and pours it on the ground next to ‘Ukhamba’ (clay pot) as an offering ‘kwabaphansi’  to the ancestors and spirits, who always drink first. It is then stirred and either a hollowed out gourd is filled and the hostess drinks first in front of all the guests to prove that the beer is safe to drink. This is all done while the hostess is kneeling. The host then drinks to check the quality and if he is satisfied, then his guests are served, in order of status. All people present drink directly from the clay pot or use the communal gourd.