Whispering from Yang Tao Pottery

Thanks to my luck as a writer, I have had the opportunity to visit many ceramic centers across the country. Ceramics are of different types in each place, with simple products and sophisticated ones; the creation process is both manual and industrialized with several stages.

Each place gave me different impressions. But when I arrived at Dong Bak village, Yang Tao commune, Lak district, and saw the M'nong Rlam women making pottery for the first time, I was startled. Perhaps, this is the most primitive way of making pottery that I have ever witnessed, and through it, the true beauty of the profession considered to be the most ancient of mankind has appeared.

I don’t want to say much about the materials or the pottery making methods of the M’nông Rlăm people. Because Yang Tao is at the end of the Mother River - Krông Ana River in the Northeast, before converging with the Cha River - Krông Nô River to form the majestic Serépok River flowing back to the West. The land here is quite fertile, but importantly, along the deep alluvial plains there are always smooth, soft clay layers.

This is an abundant source of raw materials for pottery makers. Clay is brought back by the makers and pounded with a pestle until the clay fibers are evenly mixed and bonded together.

Next, the clay mass after pounding is pulled evenly into long, tapered strands like rope, the diameter depending on the product to be made. Those clay rope strands will be rolled or arranged from low to high according to the shape of the product. Next, without using a turntable, the workers only use their hands or a wet cloth to go around, rubbing as they go to create shape, rubbing evenly on the outside and inside until the product takes shape, then dry it.

Making pottery in Yang Tao. Photo: Nguyen Gia

At this point, the ceramic bone is considered complete. Depending on the weather, the product is dried until it is sufficiently dry, then the patterns are drawn and fired. To color the product, the artisans only add a black smoky color using fine ash burned from rice husks. Yang Tao ceramics are fired outdoors with firewood or straw, and it only takes about 1-2 hours for the product to come out of the kiln. That’s all, but to me, Yang Tao ceramic products have a strange appeal. And the process of making Yang Tao ceramics seems to hypnotize the viewer into an experience that is difficult to explain.

Many books say that pottery first appeared around 7,000 years BC, originating from the Middle East. Later, the Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese and many other countries in Asia also knew how to make pottery. Pottery and pottery products were popular and spread to Europe. Archaeologists also said that the earliest pottery products excavated in the Middle East had traces of spokes. Then when the pottery industry developed, the pottery products as they are today had thousands of different processes and secrets to create shapes, colors and durability.

From this primitive ceramic line, I realized that art often does not need to be sophisticated or focused. Look at the artists when drawing patterns on ceramic bones, they use sharpened tree branches to carve geometric lines or simple motifs. If they need a circle, they use coins or bracelets. I have seen and admired when artists use shells, spoons... to create patterns. That means any object with a geometric shape is used, without any restrictions. In my opinion, that is art that has reached the level of minimalism. Minimalism in life is only with two colors, the light brown of ceramic and the smoky black of rice husk ash, but it contains a unique folk art concept.

Yang Tao pottery village artisan. Photo: Huu Hung

Many Central Highlands scholars also believe that, although Yang Tao pottery is simple, it is a place that hides the mysteries of the cultural flow of the past. In an ancient historical period, Yang Tao pottery was brought by merchants and owners of this pottery line to exchange and trade in many places in the Central Highlands, even to the Central Coast.

Yang Tao pottery was announced by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to be included in the list of national intangible cultural heritage in December 2024. Recently, in March 2025, at the Lak District Dugout Canoe Racing Festival, there was a demonstration of the ancient Yang Tao pottery craft with the participation of many artisans, which was admired by visitors from near and far. However, it can be seen that, like many other traditional crafts, Yang Tao pottery is facing difficulties and challenges in promoting and consuming its products.

The process of drawing patterns on ceramics. Photo: Huu Hung

The Yang Tao pottery line of the M'nong Rlam people is indeed struggling to reach the market, but I think that is just a break in an increasingly pragmatic life. I say that because I have traveled and witnessed many pottery villages such as Thanh Ha (Quang Nam), Bau Truc ( Ninh Thuan ) ... have been and are reviving, even thriving. Of course, everything depends on the correct policies of relevant levels and sectors, and importantly, the dedication of artisans who keep the fire of the profession alive. For that reason, I hope to hear the whispers from Yang Tao pottery, that one day in the not too distant future, the public will again know, seek out and love a product line that represents the red basalt land on this plateau.

Source: https://baodaklak.vn/phong-su-ky-su/202505/thi-tham-tu-gom-yang-tao-e5906a4/