Daniel Ayantoye examines the patronage and survival of mortar and pestle sellers amid modern methods of preparing foods associated with the items
Fifty-six-year-old indigene of Niger State who learnt carving of mortar and pestle at 19, Sheu Usman, said that he would prefer his children to be educated and secure lucrative jobs than learn the trade which he said was facing extinction.
Every day, he said he spends 30 minutes arranging the mortars and pestles which come in various sizes and types with prices ranging from N3000 to N5000 at the interchange bridge area on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. Then, he lies down under his wooden hut to await buyers.
However, for 10 hours in a day, Usman said he barely sells two pieces unlike in past years when he sold at least five pieces of giant mortars and pestles daily.
He appears not to be aware of the influence of technology on his trade. To him, the low patronage is caused by the country’s poor economic situation.
Usman said, “My children are still in school. I don’t want them to take after me in this business. It’s better if they are well educated and secure good jobs.’’
He further said that he travels to his village to farm every year to meet with his financial obligations.
Lamentation galore
Similarly, 35-year-old Lawal Sulaiman, who hails from Sokoto State, said he had been in the business for eight years after taking over from his father who trained him. He, however, said that he wouldn’t want to hand over the trade to his children.
He said though he desired the continuity of the business, he was eyeing a government job, and thus wouldn’t teach his children because he wanted them to attain financial independence.
He stated that he bought the items from some carvers in Niger State, adding that the process of smoothening and polishing was tedious and would only be justified if one made good sales.
Sulaiman stated that the woods used in carving a good mortar and pestle are from hardwood, Madaci, Iroko, Kirya and Kadanya trees.
He stated, “It was when I grew up that my father taught me the job. I learnt it for two years before he returned to the North. I am continuing with the business. I try to send money to him whenever I have.
“My children are in school and I don’t intend to teach them the work. I want them to have good business or get employment from the government. It’s better than doing this business.”
Asked how he’s continuing his father’s legacy trade, he disclosed that he trained three people including his biological brother who hawks the products between Lagos and Abeokuta.
He lamented that the country’s economic downturn made people shun their items.
Sulaiman stated, “I buy from Niger State and bring it here and work on it better. I also use shea butter to rub it so that it will be shiny and attractive. The people carving it do it in a bush at Niger State and I just buy from them to sell here.
“Over there, they carve a part of it and we bring them here to complete them. If there is no market, you may not sell even one. Now, people are more interested in what to eat and not spending money on things to buy which are not edible things. If there are sales, we sell between one and three pieces. The price of each ranges from N3000 to N6000 depending on the size.”
Speaking on the effect of pounding machines on their sales, he noted that some customers prefer mortars for pounded yam rather than machine.
He urged the Federal Government to tackle security challenges facing the country, adding that the situation was adversely affecting their sales.
He added, “I want the government to tackle insecurity. There is insecurity in the North and many parts of the country. When someone is kidnapped, one is made to pay ransom before one is released. It’s a big problem. If insecurity is addressed, Nigeria will be good. That’s what is worrying me. If everywhere is peaceful, we can go about our business without fear.’’
Also, 38-year-old Ibrahim Saliu, who hails from Niger State, told Sunday PUNCH that he learnt the trade from his father when he was 17 years old.
He stated that his father had returned to Niger State, adding that he often sends money to him from the profits made from the mortars and pestles sold.
Brushing one of the pestles covered with dust, Saliu noted that he never considered passing down the trade to his children, stating that preferred better job opportunities for them.
He added that he used to sell five mortars and pestles per day, stating that he couldn’t understand how things went so bad that he could hardly sell two per day now.
Saliu noted, “My child is still small but I don’t know if I would allow him to continue the business. I want him to get a better opportunity.”
He also said that sales could have been worse if not for the smaller sizes which most of his customers now prefer to buy.
On why some mortars were better than others, Saliu stated that various woods were used in making them, adding that it was for customers to request original mortars and pestles and be ready to pay the amount.
For another indigene of Niger State, Hassan Abdullahi, whose sales dropped from five mortars and pestles per day to two in the last few months, the poor economic situation in the country was responsible.
Fifty-year-old Abdullahi who said he had been in the trade for 25 years said that he was introduced to it by his brother. He further said that the increasing reduction of customers had made the business tough for sellers.
Abdullahi said, “Sometimes, customers come and most times one will not see anyone at all. At times, there may not be sales for three days. I go to Niger State to buy the mortars and pestles and bring them here to sale. I do the sharpening and polishing, and place them out for sale. Transportation is costly now. I will be happy if the government can help with funds between N200, 000 and N250, 000 for me to buy more products. We usually had many sales before but patronage is low now. I will appreciate it if the government can help with anything to stock more items.
“I have injured myself when I was trying to sharpen and smoothen one of the mortars before. It can take a year to teach an apprentice the trade. But if the person is smart, the training can be completed before one year. But there is no one to teach now.”
Carvers lament low demand for mortars
In his view on the issue, a wood carver and Director, Alao African Arts & Crafts, Kudus Ola, disclosed that he stopped making mortar and pestle due to low demand.
He stated, “I have been into the business of carving wood for several years now, but I don’t do much mortar and pestle again. I only carve mortars and pestles when there is a special demand for them. For now, there is no demand for them. Also, technology has infiltrated the pounding items as people now use grinding machines for pounding yam.’’
Noting that some people still insist on pounded yam made with mortar and pestle, the wood carver said that generally it’s believed that using mortar for pounded yam was more stressful than using a pounding machine.
Similarly, another wood carver, Makinde Kazim of Adugbologe Sculptural Artists, said the making of mortars and pestles was hinged only on special demands. He added that civilisation had led to the seemingly abandonment of the traditional tools for pounding yam.
Kazim noted, “People don’t demand the tools anymore. Before now, we got order frequently. We only make it for those that need it now. Civilisation has made people to stop using them more like before.’’
Pounding machine vs mortars, pestles
Speaking with our correspondent, an indigene of Omu-Ekiti, Ekiti State, Mrs Feyisayo Joseph, who sells yam in Ibadan, Oyo State, said she started using mortars and pestles for pounded yam since she was six years old. She advised that such items should not be allowed to go into extinction because they were preferable to the pounding machine.
According to her, eating a pounded yam produced with a good mortar retains the taste longer than machine-produced pounded yam. She added a good mortar could be used for more than 20 years.
Joseph said, “If you want to buy mortar and pestle, you should look out for a good one. There are some that peel with the yam while others change the colour of the pounded yam from white to off-white. Buyers should look out for a mortar that is built with bitter kola wood. Also, if the wood has been cut and kept for long before carving the mortar, such mortars are stronger than the ones whose woods were cut and mortars carved almost immediately. A good mortar and pestle can last more than 20 years.
“There is a huge difference between what the machine produced and what mortar produced. If you use a machine, within a period of 30 minutes, the pounded yam will not be good again. But if you use mortar and pestle to pound yam and it’s properly done, it will still be okay for consumption till the following day. Even the taste of yam pounded from mortar is better.’’
She stated that it had become an integral part of her family’s culture to use mortar for pounding yam, adding that the use of the machine would be strange and not produce the meal quality her family was used to.
On her part, a caterer, Olanike Sanmori, said that mortar and pestle which she got from her mum has been with the family for more than 20 years.
She added that she was once advised to purchase a pounding machine but she rejected the advice after hearing several complaints regarding it.
Sanmori added, “It has been over 15 years that I was advised to get a pounding machine. Though it’s faster, later we discovered that the pounded yam is not as good as the one done with a mortar and pestle. Using mortar to pound yam for me is easy for me. It’s when someone is not used to using a mortar to pound yam that she will complain that it’s difficult. But if one is used to doing it, it will be easy.”
Also, a mother, Bridget Ayodele, who runs a catering service, said that she switched to using a pounding machine five years ago to be able to serve many people during events.
According to her, though pounding yam with a machine is not as good as that of pounding using a mortar, a pounding machine is faster and stress free.
She said, “Most people don’t want to use mortar and pestle again and they prefer a pounding machine. Using a pounding machine is okay too. There are some people who prefer yam pounded with a mortar to the one pounded with a machine.’’
She, however, explained that the yam pounded with a machine must be eaten immediately; else it would lose its original form.
Ayodele stated, “Nowadays, our ladies don’t want to stress themselves. That is why most of them prefer using a machine to pound yam. There are portable machine sizes; from medium sizes to bigger ones used for big occasions.
“As time goes on, I believe mortar will go into extinction and people will concentrate on machines. But for me, I still prefer pounded yam produced by mortar because one can keep it for up to two hours and it won’t break. But the yam pounded with a machine can only be kept for 30 minutes to one hour before it goes hard and some people will not be able to eat it. The taste is also different.’’
She advised wives to learn how to use mortar and pestle in pounding yam to prepare quality meals for their households.
In the same vein, owner of a food joint in Ibadan, Oyo State, Angela Damisa, told Sunday PUNCH that though she had prepared yam with a pounding machine many times, many of her customers preferred pounded yam prepared with mortar and pestle.
She explained that mortar and pestle come in different types and a buyer must be vigilant when buying original ones.
Damisa disclosed that she bought a mortar and pestle in Ibadan and another in Benin City, Edo State, adding that the former always changed the pounded yam colour because of the wood used in making the mortar.
She also stated that because she sometimes had chest pain whenever she pounded yam with mortar and pestle, she decided to engage some people to assist her in doing it.
Damisa added, “It’s stressful, but there is nothing I can do about it. It’s what my customers want and I will have to give it to them. Sometimes, some people who have a big event request yam pounded with mortar and pestle for their guests.’’
In her contribution, a Canada-based woman from Kwara State, Bibi Babatunde-Ikotun, said that though she preferred using mortar to pound yam, she stopped using it to avoid damaging her house floor and avoid noise pollution.
She said that the yam quality needed for pounded yam was not readily available in her location, adding that two yam tubers cost Canadian $25 (About N10,000).
Babatunde-Ikotun added, “I prefer pounded yam made with mortar and pestle rather than machine not necessarily because of the taste but because it is most times made by people that love and care about one.
“Yes in Canada, we have access to mortar and pestle in some African markets. But where I live I can’t really use mortar and pestle because first; I can damage the floor and that means I will have to pay for it when I leave. Two, I don’t have a backyard where I can pound. I can also get into trouble if there’s noise pollution if people hear pounding sounds. I will end up making use of a machine to pound yam for my family.
“Nigerian yams are not popular here. One can see Chinese yams and potatoes but not the Nigerian yams that we know and love. Some people say one can substitute with the Mexican poundo yam. I have tasted it but it’s not really the same.
“I mostly put it in our food processor, and it processes it, so we have not pounded yam. Yes, mortar and pestle is available. In fact, in the Chinese market, one will see some because the Chinese also use it for certain recipes. But most of us would rather go with the machine because of the kind of place we live to avoid noise pollution and damage to the floors. I know people that have their own houses and are able to pound in their backyards without damaging the floor.”
Besides, an Ekiti housewife, Mrs. Ayo Sanusi, said that she lacked the strength to pound yam, noting that her husband often helped out using mortar and pestle because her family eat it as a daily delicacy especially during yam season.
She added that she would prefer pounded yam produced with machines because of the smoothness.
Sanusi stated, “I bought the mortar and pestle I use 14 years ago. We eat it every day, especially during the yam season. I will prefer machine-made pounded yam to the one made through mortar and pestle because it’s always hot and soft. Everyone is civilised now and nobody wants to stress themselves. Someone like me, I don’t have that power to pound yam.’’
For Afolayan Ayodele who said that he had been pounding yam for nine years, he noted that he helped his wife because the family eats pounded yam every day.
Ayodele said, “I know that some people sometimes use the machine used in grinding pepper to pound yam especially if it’s for a large number of people. One of the benefits is that it will come out hot and one will be able to serve it hot. But the one made with mortar will become cold a few minutes after one finishes. Otherwise, I prefer pounded yam made through mortar. There is also a risk involved in using the machine. If a particle from the iron mixes with the yam, it’s dangerous for the health.’’
He further said that civilisation was gradually changing things, stating that whether people liked it or not, as technology evolved, people would dump mortar and pestle and find a convenient way to make their pounded yam.
Mortar myths
Despite being age-old items in food production, there are some myths associated with them.
One of the taboos is linked to transportation. It is said that before a mortar can be moved from one place to another, especially from where it was bought, money must be dropped inside it. Findings showed that the money is meant to prevent accidents.
Also, because there are mortars in the shrines of Sango (god of thunder and lightning) to hold calabash vessels storing thunder-stones (Edun ara), it’s regarded as a taboo to sit on a mortar because when it rains, there’s a likelihood of being struck down by lightning for the person will be mimicking Sango.
In addition, it’s believed that breaking a mortar to use as firewood for cooking was forbidden.
Some stakeholders have however argued that such myths were not only ineffective but merely established to educate people properly on the use of the items. .
Commenting on the issue, a mortar builder, Usman, said that some of the myths warned that the tyres would burst; hence money should be placed in the money after buying it.
He said, “That’s why they put money inside the mortar. I believe in God, I don’t believe in such things. It is the people who don’t trust in God that believe such things.”
Cultural perspectives
In his contribution to the development, an artist and art administrator, Mufu Onifade, said that mortar and pestle had been in existence for long.
Onifade said, “We have endured the rigours involved in using them to make certain types of foods, apart from pounded yam. In the hinterlands, people do not see what we call “stress” in their usage. They see a definitive process in making their foods. However, the story is not the same in the city where people are exposed to modern technologies.
“While I agree that the use of technology may diminish the use of mortars and pestles in the city, not everyone will discard them. Some people will consider many factors such as health and cost of modern technology. And also the people living in remote villages where there’s no electricity will never think of using the modern tools because mortar and pestle will always be useless to them. In many years to come, in spite of technological advancement, mortar and pestle will still remain relevant and useful in the scheme of things.’’
Also speaking, a director of theatre business and management at the Oyo State Council for Art and Culture Mr Akinola Akintoye, told Sunday PUNCH that some of the popular taboos were propounded to instill discipline on users of the items.
Akintoye added, “It’s an age-long tradition. Before the mortar was adopted for cooking, it’s one of the items of Sango. Whenever Sango is going out, there will be someone who will always carry a mortar for him to sit down to address issues or when he is angry. He always goes round with the mortar.
“One thing I have come to understand is that myths are just a way of traditional education for children. The one indicating that one must not sit on a mortar is believed that when one sits on it and one farts, there can be a drop of faeces. By doing so, such an act will corrupt the mortar. It’s an attempt to train the children to be clean. Also in the aspect of cutting the mortar to make fire, I think it’s to guide against destruction of something that is culturally special because to make a mortar is a strenuous work and shaping it is not a day’s job. So maybe based on the strenuous level of making mortars, it’s made to be a taboo to cut it to make firewood. The taboos I think are to ensure discipline on usage.’’
Akintoye expressed concern that the existence of mortar and pestle were threatened with technological advancement and dwindling manpower in the wood carving profession.
He noted, “There are no enough wood carvers or are there enough? Well, I don’t think so. Few people are practising it and it is traditional. People should not berate the profession. There are graduates that are wood carvers. A wood carver makes many things other than carving mortars.
“Because of modernity and generational shift, people are no longer interested in going through the process of pounding yam and sweating. I am afraid that in some years to come, mortar and pestle may no longer be in use for pounding yam.’’
He stated that that the step to take was to appeal to those knowledgeable about the items and their use not to allow them to become extinct.
According to him, this is because they are part of Yoruba’s cultural heritage and what the unborn children have to know.
Akintoye added, “I learnt how to pound yam from my father when he was alive. He was a teacher and a farmer. He couldn’t do without eating pounded yam in a day.”
