Reviving ancient Yang Tao pottery in H.Lak district, Dak Lak province

The feelings of the artists

While meticulously creating an elephant shape next to a traditional long house, artisan H'Huyen BHok (49 years old) stopped and invited us into her house to learn about the ancient Yang Tao pottery craft. At the foot of the long house, she was drying her creations such as elephants, pigs, vases, etc. under the winter sun. "In my village, there are only a few artisans making Yang Tao pottery left, and they are all old. If we count the artisans who can make Yang Tao pottery, I am the youngest," said Mrs. H'Huyen BHok.

Yang Tao Ancient Pottery Village

PHOTO: HUU TU

Ms. H'Huyen Bhôk said, according to her great-grandmother, in the past, people in the village did not have household utensils such as cups, bowls, etc., they only used banana leaves to hold rice. From there, the ancients thought and created, searched for a source of soil to mold the first bowl, successfully fired it, and then continued to make larger utensils such as ceramic water containers, rice jars. At that time, people in the village learned from each other and created their own utensils for use in the family.

"To show gratitude and respect to the ancestors, the initiator set many rules when making Yang Tao pottery. Those who violated the rules would be reprimanded by the ancestors," said Ms. H'Huyen BHok, adding: "In the past, only women made pottery. Men in the village were not allowed to do so because of the matriarchal system. The age at which girls were allowed to make pottery was from 17 to 18 years old, and they were not married. Before going to get the soil, girls were not allowed to have contact with boys, and it was not on the same day as their period. If they violated the rules, their hands and feet would tremble and they would not be able to find their way home."

Artist H'Huyen is creating an elephant out of clay.

PHOTO: HUU TU

Artisan H'Lum Uong (63 years old), who lives next door and taught Mrs. H'Huyen BHok how to make pottery, has just returned from the hospital, her limbs are still weak due to a stroke (in June 2024), but her nostalgia for the profession is still deep in her eyes. "With this condition, my mother (my mother) also misses the profession very much, her limbs are always uncomfortable. Every day, she can only sit in the long house and watch H'Huyen BHok make pottery, hoping to recover soon so she can continue making pottery like in the old days. Since the 1990s, modern bowls and plates have been imported from other places, so this village only has a few people making pottery...", Mrs. H'Lum Uong shared.

With a sad voice, artisans H'Huyen BHok and H'Lum Uong recounted that more than ten years ago, while selling Yang Tao pottery in Cu Mgar District ( Dak Lak ), the car carrying everyone unfortunately overturned in the middle of the pass, Mrs. H'Huyen BHok suffered a head injury, fortunately not affecting her life. But from then on, people in the village no longer went to sell pottery far away (for fear of accidents) but only made household items. Then, following the development trend, handmade pottery could not compete with industrial pottery, so the number of potters in the village gradually decreased, only 5-6 people still keep the profession to this day.

Revive the ancient pottery village

In 2008, Ms. Luong Thanh Son (former Director of Dak Lak Museum) came to Dong Bak village (Yang Tao commune, Lak district ) to encourage and support people to preserve the long-standing ancient pottery craft in the region. The artisans and ancient potters in Yang Tao always remember that, without Dr. Luong Thanh Son, the pottery craft would have been lost.

Yang Tao ancient pottery has a characteristic black color.

PHOTO: HUU TU

Ms. Son said that in the years before 2008, she had researched and proposed projects to restore traditional craft villages of the Ede and M'nong people in Dak Lak province. Among them, she requested funding for a project to restore the pottery making profession of the M'nong people in Dong Bak village (Yang Tao commune, Lak district). At that time, the village opened a class to teach about ancient pottery making for about 15-20 people, including 3 artisans known as the "golden hands" of the locality.

"Through the time of doing cultural work, being attached to the people in the villages, the thing that I am concerned about now is how to create revenue and output for the people's Yang Tao ceramic products. H.Lak is a famous tourist area of Dak Lak province, especially Lak Lake tourist area, this is the basis for developing ancient Yang Tao ceramic products to send to tourists from all over the world", Ms. Son said.

The decision to announce the list of national intangible cultural heritage for the pottery making craft of the M'nong people in Yang Tao commune is an important basis for the revival of ancient Yang Tao pottery.

PHOTO: HUU TU

Ms. Son added that, according to information from a researcher (Belgium) whom she guided, ancient Yang Tao ceramic products are present at the British Museum. During a recent return to Dong Bac, the artisans (now old and weak but their hands never get tired) also showed her that Yang Tao ceramics have been visited and purchased by tourists from travel agencies. From there, it has also created a significant source of income for the people to maintain their profession.