Figure 1: Slip Banded Dipped Whiteware Bowl. Photo courtesy of NYC Archaeological Repository: The Nan A. Rothschild Research Center
Dipped Whiteware Bowls of Seneca Village
Asha Suganthan
This essay focuses on the duality of an earthenware dipped bowl excavated from the demolition of Wilson’s House in Seneca Village. From the physical attributes to the deeper social meanings of the artifact, this bowl reflects the lives of the typical Seneca Village family as well as the role both women and African Americans played in kitchen and foodways. Although African American knowledge was traditionally shared through oral stories or personal experiences, food provided a means to maintain their personal and community identities while passing along their history to future generations.