Tru Son pottery village

(Baonghean) - No one in the village remembers when the craft of making earthenware pots originated here. They only hear stories from the elders, that hundreds of years ago, people made earthenware pots and sold them throughout the South and North to earn a living. Through many ups and downs, the craft village has experienced periods of prosperity and decline. As society develops, earthenware pots are still bought directly from the villagers by traders, but the number of households practicing the craft is dwindling...

The products of Tru Son pottery village (Do Luong district) include pots, pans, steamers for sticky rice, pots for brewing rice wine, etc. People say that cooking in earthenware pots makes food tastier, more flavorful, and keeps it longer. Stewing fish or meat in earthenware pots is incredibly delicious! But earthenware pots are fragile... Recalling the atmosphere of earthenware pot making in the commune in the past, Mr. Nguyen Huu Tao, Secretary of the Party Branch of Hamlet 12, said: “From the moment I was born, I saw that every house in the village made and sold earthenware pots, and every yard had a kiln for firing pots. The village market was full of earthenware pots, and traders and people from other places flocked to buy them. It was hard work, but the pot makers were mainly women. By the age of 9 or 10, girls in this commune already knew how to knead clay and mold pots; they only gave up the craft after marrying into other communes. Women from other communes and villages who came here to marry also had to learn how to make earthenware pots.”

Not many families in Tru Son are still passionate about the craft of making earthenware pots.

Although Tru Son commune is famous for its pottery making, the clay used to make the pots is not readily available in the area. The clay must be pliable, free of grit and stones, and usually requires digging 2-3 meters below the surface. In the past, whenever the weather was sunny and dry, men in the commune would line up at 3-4 am, carrying loads of clay for dozens of kilometers to Yen Thanh and Nghi Loc districts. They would leave home at dawn but wouldn't bring the clay back to the village until 5-6 pm. Later, with improved transportation, people in Tru Son started using bicycles, motorbikes, and even oxen to transport the clay. Now, men in the commune are reluctant to travel far to get clay and have outsourced this service to a few households. The fuel used to fire the clay pots must be easily combustible, producing a low, evenly distributed heat, usually straw, but later replaced with pine needles. Each year, households making earthenware pots usually have to go into the forest 5-6 times to gather enough fuel to meet their needs.

Making a clay pot involves many steps. The pot maker must cut, pound, and knead the clay until it's smooth, removing impurities. This work is usually done by men, but subsequent steps such as shaping the clay, molding the pots, trimming, beautifying, sun-drying, and firing in the kiln cannot be done without the skillful hands of women. The craftsman must be meticulous, careful, patient, and hardworking. However, the firing process is considered the most difficult because if the temperature is too high, the pots will crack, rendering all the work useless. The kilns are open-air, without roofs; if it rains while the kiln is still burning, only "heaven can save" them. Usually, each family produces a batch of pots after about 10 days. The task of selling the clay pots is entrusted to the men. They carry or transport them by cart to the North and South of Vietnam to sell. Some trips lasted a few days, while others lasted several weeks, carrying the hopes and expectations of wives, children, and families back in their impoverished hometowns. Many trips were unsuccessful, and the goods had to be carried back home in hardship.

No one has bestowed the title of artisan upon the women who make Tru Son clay pots, but over hundreds of years, their hands have produced countless products to serve the needs of life. Those hands transform lifeless lumps of clay into useful products, which the men carry far and wide to earn small amounts of money, saving up to support their families.

Currently, only three hamlets in the entire commune maintain the craft of making earthenware pots. Hamlet 12, with 102 households and 410 inhabitants, now only has 5 households with around 10 workers participating in the craft. Hamlet 13 has the most, with 9 households and nearly 20 workers. In total, the entire commune has fewer than 20 households still practicing the craft. Mr. Nguyen Huu Tao lamented: “I fear the craft of making earthenware pots will disappear. This is not only a means of livelihood but also a beautiful aspect of this poor rural area; it's inextricably linked to people's lives, like their own flesh and blood. To break it off now would be very painful…” Then, as if explaining the risk of extinction, Mr. Tao continued: “This craft is hard work, and the income is very meager. Even working hard every day, you only earn about 50,000 dong per worker. The younger generation now goes to work as factory workers or overseas laborers, leaving behind elderly parents and children who don't have the strength to continue the craft…”

Previously, families mainly made clay pots, but now they mainly make small pots for brewing medicine, and other smaller pots with more complex techniques and attractive designs to serve in restaurants and hotels. Recently, households in Tru Son have started making a tool called a gold panning pot (?). It's unclear whether they use it for gold panning, but traders come to their homes to place deposits, and everything they make sells out quickly, generating significant income. However, those who still practice the craft in this commune don't want to burden their children with the hardship. The traditional craft is gradually fading away. Many people are thinking about reviving the village and earning the title of a traditional craft village for Tru Son, but it seems very difficult. "For a long time, we've wanted to establish a craft village cooperative, specializing in supplying raw materials, checking designs and quality, and securing markets for the products, but it's incredibly difficult. Now, few people care about this craft anymore!" – The Party Secretary of Hamlet 12 said…

Text and photos:Vo Dung