Page 169 - Changing Living Spaces

Traditional Pottery Making as a Local Asset for Sustainable Development

Figure 1 Location Map of the Study Area (Author: Monica Mawlong)

Primary data were collected through field observations and visits to
active pottery workshops, and interviews were also conducted with arti-
sans in Larnai. The secondary data were also obtained from various on-
line sources such as documentations, newspapers, journals, etc. In this
context, the important research questions of the current study are as
follows:
(i) What are the characteristics of the local pottery of Larnai (kh-
iew ranei)?
(ii) Which characteristics are compatible with environmental
standards?

To understand the characteristics of Larnai pottery, a descriptive-ana-
lytical method was used.
The predominance of shouldered celts and the characteristic cord-
stamped pottery characterise the pottery culture in northeastern India
(Hazarika 2006, 29). Many excavation sites such as Sarutaru (Rao 1973,
1–9), Parsi-Parlo (Ashraf 1990), sites in the Garo Hills (Deshpande 1975)
and Manipur (Singh 1992–1993, 21–35) have yielded numerous potsherds,
especially cord-stamped and other handmade wares. The fast turning
wheel was unknown to the Khasis and Jaintias. The pottery shows the
survival of one of the oldest traditions of handmade traditional pottery
production without any decoration or painting, as found in Larnai village
in Jaintia Hills, Meghalaya (Hazarika 2006, 29). Pottery production may
have been low because people used traditional materials.

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