Spreading the "flow" of Cham ceramic heritage

At the same time, it sets out responsibilities and challenges for all levels, sectors, and communities that own the heritage. In Ninh Thuan , solutions to preserve and promote the value of the intangible cultural heritage of Cham pottery art have been and are being vigorously implemented to maintain a smooth "flow" and bring new vitality to the heritage.

The essence of traditional crafts

As a traditional craft, the pottery making of the Cham people in Ninh Thuan is unique from the way they choose and process raw materials to the way they create shapes, patterns, dry and fire the products. All of these demonstrate the creativity and meticulousness of the craftsmen. Artisan Dang Thi Tam, Bau Truc pottery village, Phuoc Dan town (Ninh Phuoc) said: The main material to make Bau Truc Cham pottery products is clay taken from the Nu Lanh field next to the Quao River. The soil here is smooth and flexible, the sand is also very fine, with tiny grains. Clay is only taken once a year, each time lasting half a month. When it is time to take the clay, people bring it home to store for use throughout the year. After taking the raw clay, the craftsman must dry it, crush it, then leave it overnight with just enough water. The next morning, the left-over clay is mixed with fine sand and kneaded until smooth before shaping the ceramic product.

According to Mrs. Tam, potters in Bau Truc do not need to use a turntable when shaping the product. Instead, they walk backwards around the clay block, while rubbing and stroking it to shape the product. After creating the shape and pattern, the pottery is dried and fired outdoors at a temperature of 500-600 degrees Celsius. The still hot fired pottery is sprinkled with a type of water made from star apples or soaked cashew shells to create streaks. Therefore, each product is unique, not duplicated or monotonous.

Cham ceramic products in Bau Truc craft village are very diverse and rich, from ceramic products used in daily life such as rice cookers, water jars to ceramic products associated with cultural and spiritual life such as fire burners, reliefs, statues, towers. In recent years, to meet market demand, artisans in the pottery village have also developed fine art ceramic products such as fine art ceramic vases, decorative lamps, water towers... All are made entirely by traditional manual methods that Cham families have maintained for many generations according to the matriarchal system "mother passes on - daughter passes on".

At the ceremony to receive the certificate of UNESCO inscription of Cham pottery art into the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding held in Ninh Thuan province in June 2023, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha emphasized: UNESCO's inscription of Cham pottery art into the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding is an affirmation of Vietnam's national cultural identity in the world's cultural heritage treasure, therefore, Ninh Thuan province needs to have a more specific and practical plan in preserving, conserving, reviving and promoting tangible and intangible cultural values, including Cham pottery art.

Spreading the flow of heritage

Proud of its listed heritage, but in reality, like many other traditional crafts, the pottery making of the Cham people in Ninh Thuan is facing many challenges. Currently, due to the impact of the market economy mechanism, the development of science and technology, the craft village is facing many difficulties in terms of consumption market, product prices, income from pottery making...

Mr. Dang Chi Quyet, Head of Bau Truc Quarter Management Board, Phuoc Dan Town (Ninh Phuoc) said: Bau Truc Quarter currently has 2 cooperatives, 11 production and business establishments and about 300 households still maintaining the pottery profession. The profession needs to be maintained and developed through many generations, but in reality, many artisans are old. Therefore, organizing training and improving skills for the younger generation, at the same time "fueling the profession", love and passion for the traditional pottery profession is very necessary.

At the end of November 2024, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism coordinated with the People's Committee of Ninh Phuoc district to organize 2 classes to teach the art of Cham pottery making to 30 students of the younger generation and 30 students who are skilled potters of Bau Truc pottery village. As one of the artisans participating in the teaching, artisan Dang Thi Luyen shared: In the past, few young people in the village had a desire to learn the craft, and those who had the skills were already old. Since the art of Cham pottery became a world heritage in need of urgent protection, propaganda work on preserving and promoting the value of pottery making has been strengthened. Thanks to that, up to now, the younger generation in the village has been interested in learning the traditional pottery craft. Participating in the vocational training class, I and skilled artisans not only instruct children in the techniques of making household pottery and fine art ceramic products, but also explain the meaning and value of each product and the pottery profession of the Cham people so that the young generation can better understand and love the traditional profession of their homeland and people.

Teaching traditional pottery making to the younger generation.

Comrade Pham Thi Thanh Huong, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said: The province is concretizing commitments to protect the Cham pottery art heritage in the direction of building Bau Truc pottery village into a community tourism village to develop unique local tourism products, while preserving, maintaining and promoting the value of Bau Truc Cham pottery art heritage. In particular, helping potters make a living from their profession. Specifically, Bau Truc pottery village has established a Community Tourism Development Board with more than 60 members, with full professional groups such as pottery making, cuisine, arts, and traditional musical instruments. Thanks to its professional activities, Bau Truc village's Community Tourism Development Board not only serves tourists visiting the village, but is also invited to perform and promote Cham pottery products throughout the provinces and cities in the country, thereby generating income for the people.

Preserving and promoting the value of traditional pottery requires the synchronous participation of all levels, sectors, sense of responsibility and heritage practice from the Cham community itself, creating new vitality, spreading more strongly the "flow" of this heritage. Recently, Ninh Thuan province has developed a Project to Preserve and Promote the Value of Intangible Cultural Heritage "Cham Pottery Art" for the period 2023-2028 with a total investment of over 220 billion VND. The specific objectives of the project are to preserve traditional pottery techniques and processes; train and pass on the profession to the younger generation; enhance the development and promotion of Cham pottery products; protect traditional pottery making areas; raise public awareness of the value of the heritage; ensure cooperation between authorities at all levels and the community to protect and promote the value of pottery art; ensure sustainable development and environmental protection; ensure the long-term existence of the pottery profession; propose to confer the title of Meritorious Artisan, People's Artisan to artisans who have made many contributions to preserving, teaching, protecting and promoting the value of Cham pottery art heritage. All of these specific goals not only focus on preserving cultural heritage but also emphasize developing pottery as a sustainable profession, bringing long-term benefits to the Cham community.

With the project that has been built, along with the strong and decisive participation of authorities at all levels and the enthusiasm and love of artisans for Cham ceramic products, it can be expected that in the future, the pottery art of the Cham people in Ninh Thuan will continue through many generations, like a "heritage stream" flowing forever with time.

Minh Thuong

Source: https://baoninhthuan.com.vn/news/152833p1c29/lan-toa-dong-chay-di-san-gom-cham.htm