Reimaging Black Clay Pots of Larnai West Jaintia Hills

The two objects shared in this post were made of the same clay. The only difference is that the two items were made by different people, living in two different places using a different techniques. The pots are, the usual black clay pots from a village in West Jañtia hills commonly known as “kchu larnai” or Larnai pots. Although the tradition of making the black clay pots started at Larnai but people who were originally from Larnai and moved to Tyrchang village also make clay pots. But it is the other items that have an interesting story to tell.

Along with Willhelmost Shylla and Olary Nongtdu we have done a comprehensive study about the pottery activity in the two villages and the people who continue with the tradition. But to emphasis the importance of the pots and this activity, it is always appropriate to start by asking the uninitiated if they had ever tried “pu tharo or tpu señ”. How you ever tried the famous rice cake of the region? The fact is one cannot make “pu tharo” without “kchu larnai or khiew ranei”.

To cut the chase, it was in one of the annual visits organized by Martin Luther Christian University, Shillong for its scholars that a very unusual incident happened. On that particular visit when the visitors reached Tyrchang and saw people making clay pots, one of the guests requested me to ask the artisans if they would sell him a kilogram of their clay. Kong Matilda Shylla one of the potters laughing said they only sell pots and not clay. She also said that she cannot estimate the cost of a kilogram of clay. Gideon persisted and said to me that he does not mind how much they charge for a kilogram of clay but wishes that he can take home the clay. Kong Shylla then finally said, “ok give me Rs 35 for a kg of the black clay.” The clay was then packed in a plastic bag and we left the village.

A few months later, when I visited Dr. Glenn Kharkongor, the chancellor of Martin Luther Christian University, at his office, he asked me if I remember the guy who bought a kilogram of clay from the potters in Tyrchang. I said ‘yes I distinctly remember the incident because ordinarily, visitors to the villages would only buy pots from the artisans, but it was the first and the only time that a visitor would buy clay instead. Dr. Glenn then handed to me two small plastic boxes and when I look inside I saw two beautiful black pendants. He told me that Gideon made several pendants with the clay that he purchased and these are some of the items he made with the clay. When Dr. Glenn told me the price of the pendant, I realized that the price of one small pendant is much more costly that the price of a “weñ” a pot, and a cover used for baking “pu tharo”. One can make about fifteen pendants with the same amount of clay the potter use for making a “weñ”.      

Coming back to the study we made, the other findings of the studies was the clay which can only be found in the area around Sung valley is limited resources, and it can exhaust anytime. The need of the hour is to make the maximum profit from the available clay and making pendants and other items are ideas that one can explore. Another finding of the study is the fact that young people of the two villages are not interested in continuing with the activity. We have suggested involving them in adding value to the traditional products by painting the pots with local motifs or any image for that matter, but the youths are not interested.

Many times it was the people from outside who make us realised the true value of what we do. In this case, Gideon has opened up our eyes and our minds, that to help artisans earn more money from their clay, the need of the hour is to reinvent their activity.  Surely the new way of using the clay will also attract the young people in the village to engage in the activity. We have approached the Meghalaya State Skill Development Society if we can bring Gideon to the village and help train the potters in the two villages to make pendants, bracelets, or even necklaces from the clay.