Message
Make sense that they are made for export goods.
Kendi were very popular in Asia, especially South East Asian countries.
People put Kendi out on a pedestal next to street side for passerby to drink. At home to provide cool drinking water or to serve drinks if they get visitors. Also to carry clean water during long voyage over land or sea.
Kendi was used to carry Holy water from the sacred river for Buddhist and Hindu ceremonies. People use it as cleansing or symbol of purification.
I have seen Muslim people washing hands, feet and face before going to the Mosque.
People provide drinking water in a Kendi to Buddhist Monks (or Hindu Hermits), then, their devotees will bring him foods and offerings. You could see it in relief of Borobudur. http://rooneyarchive.net/articles/kendi/kendi_album/kendi.htm
In traditional wedding ceremony, after the groom breaks the raw egg with his right foot, the bride cleans the groom's foot with the water from Kendi. Then the bride throws it to break. Shows that she is pissed. Sorry, just a joke, I don’t know : ).
http://www.expat.or.id/info/weddings.html
In Burials tradition, people left Kendi in the grave as furniture to accompany the dead.
Due to above usages and their shape, I have seen many with broken spout, people replace them with metal. That makes me think it makes more sense, since there is an unwritten rule that you don’t suck or touch the spout, but let it flow in a stream into your mouth. Some Kendi was design with a “belly” spout to make the water swirled, makes the water cooler. Metals, such as Silver, Copper, Brass or Nickel have Oligodynamic effect, self disinfectants and microbiocides used to purify handles like door knobs and drinking fluid. Eating utensils in the past are made out of silver for that purpose. I heard people in the past, purified milk by dipping silver coin to it. It is logical to make it out of above named metals. Do you know why I know a lot about Kendi? Because it is my work to reinvent ancient devices to help poor people in the world to get Passive process (free) lights, drinking water, solar cooking and affordable homes. I am going to mass produce "refrigeration" based on Kendi technology. Right now, I am preparing to go back to Indonesia in the near future. Fourth largest population in the world with territory as large as US, 17,000 islands, 127 active volcanoes (only erupted after 1900 counts) and almost 2/3 is ocean. Home of violent Krakatoa volcano, Tambora volcano, Banda Aceh Tsunami and dormant Toba Super Volcano. Which probably now replaced by Sinabung (next to it), starts erupting since last September after 400 years dormant.
|
Note that we are now reviewing postings before posting due to the large volume of SPAM and inappropriate postings on the forum. The validation process may take up to 12 hours. |
|