Skillful hands preserve the 800-year-old pottery craft

(To Quoc) - For hundreds of years, the people of Bau Truc village have preserved the traditional pottery making craft with the unique secret of hand-molding using a backward-moving technique.

Cham pottery making originated in Bau Truc village (Phuoc Dan town, Ninh Phuoc district, Ninh Thuan province) in the late 12th century and has survived for over 800 years thanks to "mother-to-son" tradition.

Mrs. Truong Thi Gach, 80 years old, is one of the oldest artisans in Bau Truc, who has dedicated her life to making Cham pottery, contributing to preserving the oldest pottery-making craft in Southeast Asia to this day.

Every day, she wakes up early in the morning to begin "walking backward" beside her pottery wheel all day long. Her calloused hands move nimbly and skillfully, shaping the clay to create her products. Every few minutes, she stops to admire and meticulously embellish the pottery with patterns and designs to make it even more beautiful.

"The Cham pottery craft has been preserved to this day thanks to mother-to-daughter tradition," she said, recounting how her mother taught her "the creativity of Cham women" from the age of 15. To make pottery, the women walk backward around a circular pillar, requiring strength and endurance because they have to walk backward for many kilometers each day.

"Cham pottery is special because it's handcrafted, not made using a potter's wheel, but by the skillful hands of women," Ms. Gach shared. This unique feature also reflects the sophistication and diligence of Cham women. Over 65 years of dedication to the craft have made her familiar with the potter's wheel, the smell of clay, and the intense heat from the kiln.

Mrs. Truong Thi Gach.

After shaping the pottery, the 80-year-old woman quickly wiped the sweat from her face, then gently placed the raw ceramic product to dry in the sun, a process that lasted 4-6 hours before being smoothed with a piece of pottery.

For 3 to 5 days, after gathering enough raw pottery, families in Bau Truc together take the finished products to an open-air kiln for 4-12 hours depending on the size, stacking them in layers of straw, dry firewood, and coconut shells. The finished pottery has a vibrant red color, the natural hue of the clay tempered by fire, and is then sold on the market.

Currently, Bau Truc pottery village has over 400 households involved in pottery making, accounting for approximately 70% of the Cham ethnic minority households living in the area; there is one cooperative and 12 pottery production and trading establishments. Each year, they produce more than 12,000 products of various types for the market.

Bau Truc pottery is famous for its everyday products such as earthenware teapots, water jars, clay pots, charcoal stoves, etc., as well as art pottery such as Apsara goddess statues, Cham towers, and decorative interior reliefs.

The reputation of the pottery village has spread far and wide, attracting many tourists to visit and experience it. Pottery making is becoming a livelihood for many families. The soul and traditional cultural identity of the Cham people are still vividly preserved in each product.

Currently, the Bau Truc pottery village has over 400 households involved in pottery making, accounting for approximately 70% of the Cham ethnic minority households living in the area.

Bau Truc pottery products.

Mr. Phu Huu Minh Thuan, Director of the Bau Truc Cham Pottery Cooperative, said that to develop tourism , the pottery village has established a Community Tourism Development Board with over 60 members.

Thanks to the attention of the authorities at all levels and the unity of the local people, the pottery village is gradually becoming a favorite destination for tourists, contributing to spreading the unique culture of the Cham people and ensuring a livelihood for the local residents.

In 2022, the Cham pottery art was inscribed by UNESCO on the list of Intangible Cultural Heritage in need of urgent safeguarding. Accordingly, Ninh Thuan province has invested in infrastructure at Bau Truc pottery village, linking it with community tourism development to promote the value of this heritage.

Currently, the local government is implementing plans that focus on disseminating knowledge and providing vocational training to the younger generation. Alongside this, they are establishing associations and groups to perform and serve tourists visiting the area. Furthermore, they are investing in infrastructure and facilities in this craft village to support future development.

With a new direction and the attention and support of the local government, Bau Truc pottery village will develop even more strongly in the future, continuing to attract tourists and becoming one of the attractive tours and routes in the Ninh Thuan province's tourism exploration journey.

Source: https://toquoc.vn/nhung-doi-ban-tay-kheo-leo-gin-giu-nghe-gom-hon-800-nam-tuoi-20241204134123017.htm