Page 171 - Changing Living Spaces

Traditional Pottery Making as a Local Asset for Sustainable Development

smoked in a smoke chamber until it becomes hard and brittle. Finally,
it is fired in an open kiln until the black soot is gone and the vessels are
glazed. Pottery made here includes spout vessels, bowls on stands, lawn
bowls with lids, smoke pipes, spherical vessels with high necks, elongat-
ed cylindrical vessels with wide openings, and flower vases, among many
others. Before firing, a brown coating made from the bark of a tree called
Sohliya, scientifically known as Myragi Nagi, is applied with a brush. The
outer part and the inner surfaces are completely plain without any deco-
ration. However, the fabric of the pottery is thick and coarse, which gives
it an antique appearance.
In addition to agriculture and livestock rearing, the production of
traditional handmade pottery from clay, khiew ranei, is an alternative
source of income for several households in Larnai in the western Jaintia
Mountains. The village of Larnai was the first to start making pottery
by hand, and recently the village of Tyrchang, a neighbouring village of
Larnai, has followed suit by making clay pots to meet the demand for clay
products. They are located about 7 km from Ummulong village and are
the only two places where this indigenous craft continues (Shillong Times
2015). This art originated in the hills and was passed down from grand-
parents to village women. The vessels look antique without losing the tra-
ditional flavour. The vessels and pots are unique and special because they
are made for artistic representations and not for geometric accuracy.
In the villages of Larnai they want to preserve and carry on their tra-
ditional pottery craft and heritage without using the spinning wheel, a
piece of traditional craftsmanship made only from palms. Larnai pottery
demonstrates a true ancient tribal heritage. The most common products
of Larnai pottery are the clay items intended for making Khasi pancakes,
called ‘kpu tharo’, and for the local distillery brew (Shillong Times 2015).
Some distinctive shapes and forms have been passed down through gen-
erations, and some new forms have developed, but the tradition and its
simplicity and crudeness remain. Although they were intended for the lo-
cal market and had their basis in the rituals and the everyday needs of
local people, the demand for these products today is mostly as faux-an-
tiques (MtI, ODC-H, Larnai Clay Pottery).
Unlike in the rest of the world, only female artisans perform this
craft – a craft that their grandmothers have passed down to their daugh-
ters for many generations. They have honed these skills over centuries,
producing the finest handmade pottery and utensils for baking ‘pu-tha-
ro’ (a local rice-based snack) and other rice snacks, and for performing

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