A Memory Jug Attributed to Arabella Walker, GA, Bellevue Plantation.

1920s-30s, a jug, sometimes referred to as a 'grave yard pot', which is covered with wet clay into which assorted china plate fragments have been inserted, no inscriptions or identifying markings.

10 1/4 in.

Private Collection

The origin of memory jugs can be traced to the Bakingo people creating vessels of objects associated with deceased, often broken into fragments. African cultural traditions such as the Bakongo burial practices continued when people were moved North America. The tradition of memory jugs was carried on largely in the South, and primarily within African American communities where they may have continued to serve as grave markers.

Good condition.