Barkwende and her sister are pounding millet, a popular    grain in West Africa. All children have chores here, especially the girls. The children will make a game of their chores with laughing, singing, and dancing integrated into their tasks. Pounding the hull off of the harvested grains, mashing yams and bananas into fufu, a starchy dough, and grinding spices makes the mortar and pestle an everyday tool for each family.  Children learn how to “pound” from an early age. Walking down the street, you can hear the boom, boom, boom of pounding throughout the day and evening. 

Technique:  colored pencil drawing digitally printed on cotton, machine quilted              

Materials:    100% cotton cloth, polyester threads, wool/polyester batting

Size:             40” (H) X 33” (W)