Pottery artisans

(Baonghean.vn) - In Tru Son commune (Do Luong district), everyone knows Mrs. Pham Thi Hong when you ask about her pottery village, because she is not only an elderly woman with many years of experience in the craft, but her hands are also among the most skillful in the village...

Mrs. Hong (from Hamlet 11) comes from a family of traders, but she has loved and been involved in pottery making since childhood. In the past, when the pottery village was thriving, her family was one of the largest producers of earthenware pots in the village. Now, with her children grown up, only she and her husband live together. Being elderly, the family no longer makes and fires earthenware pots as they used to, but, missing the craft, she still works for other households.

At 76 years old, with over 60 years in the pottery-making profession, Mrs. Hong's hands are still skillful, and she continues to diligently create durable and beautiful products every day.

According to Mr. Hong, the craft of making earthenware pots involves many steps: kneading the clay, breaking it, shaping and repairing it, drying it, and cooking it... among which, preparing the clay and cooking the pots are the most labor-intensive tasks. Thanks to his skillful hands, meticulousness, and productivity, people in the village often hire him to work for them, mainly for breaking, shaping, and finishing the products.

She made many different types of earthenware pots, such as fish stew pots, large earthenware pots, herbal medicine pots, charcoal pans, roasting pots, etc. Although she didn't use molds, everything was perfectly round and of high quality. The most difficult product to make in the earthenware craft was the pot lid; only a few people in the village could make them beautifully, and Mrs. Hong was one of them.

Despite being over seventy years old, she remains healthy and sharp-minded. When making pots, she uses both hands to smooth the clay while holding the pot, her big toes pushing the pot on the pot stand rhythmically. All her movements are quick, precise, and skillful.

Her rough, wrinkled hands, dedicated to making earthenware pots for over half a century, have earned her the nickname "golden hands" from the villagers. Each month, she can produce thousands of products in various shapes and sizes.

Ms. Luu Thi Khang (Hamlet 11), who often hires Mrs. Hong to make pots, said: "Whenever she comes to our house, she sits down and works until she leaves. I've never seen her complain of fatigue or back pain. She works diligently and beautifully, so everyone wants to hire her. It seems like she works for one house after another all year round." Watching Mrs. Hong work and chat cheerfully with those around her, everyone admires her health, skills, and love for her craft.

Depending on the size of the pot, she can make 80 to 100 products a day. That means she makes thousands of earthenware pots in various shapes and sizes each month. She works for others, then comes home for lunch and dinner, earning about 100,000 dong a day; she refuses any higher pay. She says, "I work for enjoyment in my old age; I can't stand sitting around doing nothing. I'm so happy to have the health to make these pots."

These large rice cookers, roasting pots, and charcoal pans were made by Mrs. Hong at the home of Mrs. Luu Thi Khang (Hamlet 11).

Currently, dozens of families in hamlets 10 and 11 of Tru Son commune are engaged in the pottery making profession, but someone with over 60 years of experience and still working effectively like Mrs. Hong seems to be the only one.

In recent years, the village's pottery-making craft has flourished again, with more buyers. Every house regularly displays hundreds, even thousands, of earthenware pots neatly arranged throughout the house, yard, and porch, each bearing the mark of Mr. Hong's hands. Mr. Hong shared his passion: "I haven't thought about resting yet, my child; I'll keep working until I can't anymore." Although no organization or agency has officially recognized him, the villagers still respect and admire him, calling him "The Village Pottery Artisan."

Huy Thu