Cham pottery is a unique cultural feature that is still preserved today. Currently, the Cham pottery craft is still preserved in two localities, Ninh Thuan and Binh Thuan . However, the most famous is still Bau Truc pottery village (Ninh Thuan).
Bau Truc pottery village is located along National Highway 1A in Phuoc Dan town, Ninh Phuoc district (Ninh Thuan), 10 km south of Phan Rang - Thap Cham city. After thousands of years, to this day, the pottery making art of the Cham people in Bau Truc craft village is still preserved and developed.
In 2017, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism recognized the traditional art of Bau Truc pottery as a national intangible cultural heritage. In November 2022, the art of Cham pottery was included by UNESCO in the list of intangible cultural heritage in need of urgent protection.
The characteristic of Bau Truc pottery is that the manufacturing process does not use a turntable, but the artisans will use their hands to move around to create the shape. Artisans at Bau Truc Pottery Cooperative (Phuoc Dan town, Ninh Phuoc district) said that the way to create pottery products is "hand-made, rotated with the buttocks", without any machinery involved from the stage of kneading the clay until the pottery is out of the kiln.
The raw material used for Bau Truc pottery is clay mined from the banks of the Quao River, which is flexible, smooth and has many other special characteristics. The pottery firing process lasts from 6 to 10 hours depending on the thickness and uses an open-air kiln, the kiln fuel includes firewood and straw.
“From the past until now, people have been attached to pottery. It is the pottery profession that has helped many Cham families in Ninh Thuan have food, clothes and a stable income,” said Ms. Truong Thi Gach (80 years old), an artisan in Bau Truc pottery village.
Mr. Gach is one of the oldest artisans in Bau Truc pottery cooperative who is still keeping the profession. His main job is to demonstrate the pottery making process to tourists and locals when they come to visit and learn about Bau Truc pottery. Despite his old age, when he starts working, his hands still rhythmically follow each rotation of the skilled craftsman, the products he makes are highly appreciated.
Sharing about her profession, Ms. Gach said that since she was a girl, her mother taught her how to make handmade pottery. By the age of 20, she had mastered the craft. “In the past, boys worked in the fields and worked the land, while girls learned how to make pottery. After nearly 60 years in the profession, Ms. Gach seems to have experienced all the emotions with pottery.
“During the day, I work, and at night, I have to think about how to create a beautiful work. How to put soul into the product, that is the difficulty. Until now, my joy is that I still have the health to make pottery, to pass on the craft to my children and grandchildren to preserve the quintessence of my people,” Ms. Gach shared more.
Similarly, with over 30 years of experience in the pottery profession, Ms. Dang Thi Lieu (60 years old) said that making a piece of pottery is easy, but making a unique product that meets customer needs is increasingly difficult.
“Without determination and perseverance, it is impossible to do. Many times, when the product is formed, but it does not look pleasing to the eye, we flatten it and knead the clay to do it again. We only stop when we find it beautiful and satisfactory. Ninh Thuan Cham pottery is made entirely by hand, without molds, so each product has its own unique characteristics,” said Ms. Lieu.
According to Mr. Phu Thanh Ngoc (29 years old, working at Bau Truc Pottery Cooperative), to have a beautiful ceramic product, there are often many stages. These include kneading the clay, shaping, decorating, drying and then firing. In particular, the shaping and decorating stages require the maker to be meticulous and creative. Before completing the work of art, the craftsman will use a thin cloth to gently rub the ceramic to create a smooth, shiny surface.
“Currently, Bau Truc Pottery Cooperative helps many people have a stable income of 4-5 million VND/month,” said Mr. Ngoc.
Mr. Phu Huu Minh Thuan, Director of Bau Truc Pottery Cooperative, said: Bau Truc pottery village has existed for a long time, it is one of the oldest craft villages in Southeast Asia.
Pottery making in Bau Truc is traditionally a profession reserved for women; men only gather firewood, dig soil, and carry straw to help with the pottery firing. In recent years, the market has favored large-sized pottery products weighing tens of kilograms, even tons, so in Bau Truc village, there are more and more young and middle-aged men learning the craft and making many products.
Before 1997, this was just a normal craft village, people made pottery to exchange for rice, or for decoration. However, in recent years, along with policies from all levels and sectors, Bau Truc pottery making has developed steadily, and product output has also improved.
At Bau Truc Pottery Cooperative, there are currently more than 50 workers with stable income. Currently, in addition to expanding the pottery market, the craft village is promoting the development of craft villages associated with tourism through pottery making experiences.
Over time, Bau Truc potters have also flexibly created products that are suitable for the times, not rigidly focusing on typical products as before. Currently, the cooperative is producing 3 main ceramic product lines, which are household ceramics, spiritual ceramics and fine art ceramics. More and more tourists come to experience, thanks to which ceramic products are widely promoted, bringing significant income to the people.
“In addition, policies for developing ethnic minority and mountainous areas, policies for developing craft villages of all levels, sectors and Ninh Thuan province have been promoting the strong revival of craft villages,” Mr. Thuan added.
Artisan Dang Thi Hoa with the profession of "living with the land"
Source: https://baodantoc.vn/tham-lang-gom-cua-nguoi-cham-noi-tieng-o-ninh-thuan-1726993195974.htm
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