The Kari'na ceramic tradition through ethnographic collections

The collections of ethnographic ceramic vessels made by Kari'na women in Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, and Brazil present part of the history of a ceramic tradition that was consolidated over at least 200 years. The characteristics of ceramics and their production process can be associated to historical relations established by the Kari'na with different collectors and other peoples, as well as the agency of potters to maintain and transform their own tradition. By relating the history of these collections to the global history of museum institutions, this article contributes to the debate on museum decolonization and the transdisciplinary study of ethnographic ceramic collections. In addition, a look back into the past of collections can also give elements for a look forward into the future of the relations between objects and peoples.