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Magic of Manipur clay
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In Manipur, pots are never sold but bartered for goods, as participants learnt at a recent workshop conducted in the city.
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THE ELDERLY woman seen shaping clay, which she has brought all the way from her native Andro village in Manipur, is Sharubam Dharamomala. She was in Chennai to teach Manipuri pottery at a workshop organised by the National Folklore Support Centre in collaboration with the College of Fine Arts, Chennai at the latter's campus.
Of the seven villages where pottery is the main vocation in Manipur, six of them allow women, that too married ones, to indulge in the craft, as it is believed that men should engage in more strenuous jobs like hunting. The only village where men have taken to pottery is Nungbi.
That is because the clay also called Salla Nalai, has to be dug out of several layers of earth; it is also rock-hard and difficult to powder. A tempering material called lesonlung is added to it to prepare the clay.
Lungbi pottery comes in various shapes and sizes and is used mainly for cooking. After firing, the pots acquire a black colour and look almost like metal.
They are either rubbed smooth or decorated with relief motifs. Before getting clay from Salai, believed to be an abode of spirits, prayers are offered to Katang Nali by the Tangkhul people, and the ceiling of the hearth where the pots are dried, is sprinkled with blood of a sacrificial hen. The Nungbi potters barter their ware for boarding and lodging during their travels.
Artist Machihan Sasa, hailing from a traditional potters family of Nungbi, was also present at the workshop and worked on the special clay he had brought from his native place.
Chakpas of Andro village make beautiful pitchers and containers of various sizes, many of them in the shape of gourds, which are used for storing water, brewing liquor and for storing clothes.
Two varieties of clay are used. After firing, the reddish brown colour, made from the bark of Kuhi (pasania pachyphyla) that is soaked in water, is sprinkled on the pots.
After storing the water for few days, the empty pots are kept in the kiln; in course of time, the colour changes slowly to black and gets a glossy sheen and the pot becomes stronger.
The earthen pot is a symbol of the womb and plays an important role in every ritual in Manipur. Generally, Manipuri pots are not sold but exchanged for goods in the barter system, according to Chirom Rajketan, who has done extensive research in this field and was in Chennai giving lectures on the subject during the workshop.
The workshop, which was held between November 11 and 15, attracted 20 participants, mainly women. Since Manipuri pottery requires the special clay available only in that State, they would have to be satisfied with just trying their hands on it.
LAKSHMI VENKATRAMAN
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