!i REL+-)

RESTRICTED
POTTERY
N
?APUA AND NEW GUINEA
JORGEN PETERSEN
ILO POTTEEY EXPERT
INTERNATIONAL LABOUR ORGANISATION
THIS REPORT HAS NOT BEEN CLEARED WITH THE INTERNATIONAL
LABOUR OFFICE, WHICH DOES NOT THEREFORE NECESSARILY SHARE
THE VIEWS. EXPRESSED.
1970
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50045
INDEX
PAGE
INTRODUCTION
I
SURVEY OF POTTERY &&KING MEAS
1
POTTEIIY TECHNIQUES
10
RCOMMNDATIONS
16
WORK DOJE
17
QLAY
13
KiIN
a
r
CERPNICS SUPPLIES AJD MATERIALS
52
PUBLICITY
53
RODUCT9
This report of pottery in Papua and New Guinea is the
result of a survey made by J$rgen
Petersen, International Labour
Organisation, who on a request by the Australian Government,
arrived in the Territory on 25th June, 1967.
The terms.
reference were as follows:-
A survey and research of pottery making areas
and clay deposits;
To introduce better techniques on cottage
industry level, in order to enhance the
marketability of various ceramic products;
(
The inauguration of a training programme
devised in light of (b) above.
The consultant was stationed in Madang where a temporary
workshop was built.
A5 it'soon became clear that a demand
existed for pottery, the three points in the terms of reference,
to a certain degree, overlapped.
The consultant has visited all important pottery
producing areas, and in order to do this he travelled approximately
10,000 miles, by all conceivable means of transport from walking
to canoes, ships and aeroplanes in a 12 months period.
SURVEY OF POTTERY MAKING AFEAS
The following are broad descriptions of the traditional
pottery making areas, district by district.
1.
WEdT SBPIK DISTRICT.
Along the coast to the border of West Irian, scattered
pottery making goes on, the consultant did not investigate this
area
because
distinctive pottery being produced.
there is no
pottery consists of simple cooking
A little
no decoration.
scale.
barter
The
and waterpots with little or
and
trade
goes on but
on a small
There are indications of considerable clay deposits,
EAST SEPIKDISTRT.
.
The consultant has travelled
as this is the
extensively
in this
area
home of vexr decorative and artistic pottery.
From Wewak to Maprik
scattered pottery making occurs in a lot of
villages, mainly simple cooking pots for i.te.nal use only. There
is little trade.
In Maprik Sub-District, the villages Saragum and
Stapigum as
well as other villages produce very fine coilmade cooking pots
as well as clay
flutes,
with very
decorative incised designs,
which after the firing, have bright yellow, black, red and white
earth colours applied to
initiation ceremonies
them.
This pottery is for
use
at
in the men's "Haus Tambaran".
The women make the pots and those for every day
cooking are left
undecorated..
men, who apply the last coils of
The remainder
are taken by the
clay, make the very artistic
2.
incised designs and also apply the colours.
The pots are very
brittle because of primitive firing methods employed.
The clay
itself is a very pure, high quality clay with a content of
silica sand, and is able to withstand a much higher firing
which would make them very strong.
NEAR AIVIBUNTI IN THE WASUK area deeply incised cone-shaped pots
are made, and int.rastin.g pcts with a big facQ applied to them.
Again the pots are britt.le and sometimes unfired.
Because of
the small population and the difficulty of communications, the
csuJta41'.e1s
that it would, be dificu2.t to find a commercial
&itlet for these products.
AIBOM
'n the Chambri. Lakes the big village of Aibom
produces a great range of pottey as figures, cooking pots,
sago storage pots, up to four
+) feet high, great fire places,
with a diameter between three and four feet.
The clay used is
very coarse and gritty, and the firing leaves much room for
improvement, e.g. the figures will often be completely raw and
unfired in the core, which makes them impossible to transport.
Trials made by the consultant show that if the clay is sieved
and properly fired, it is strong and has a beautiful deep red
colour.
3.
KOWUT- KAXJIVIENGOVI
Further down river opposite Tambanuni the two small
villages of Kowut and Kauniengovi produce cone shaped
S ago
bowls,
with incised design on the outside which are eagerly sought by
collectors.
The clay i
good but improsd firing is required
to allow for transportation of product,
DIMIRI-MkRUWAT
Jn the Yuat River, the village of Diniiri-Maruwat,
aDproximately three hours from Angoram, produces a great range
of pots.
Interesting figures and frogs are also made there.
The consultant tested the clay and it can be fired to a temperature
of ll000C. which is in the stoneware range.
This indicates the
very good quality of the clay but again the firing is poor and
an obstacle to marketing.
Further down river near the mouth of the Sepik and in the
Keram River, pots are being made, but the production is on a
level which precludes any attempt to market it.
The consultant took the names of 2
villages in the
Porapora area which make pots, but access to this area is very
difficult as the area is, flooded for half the year.
As can be seen from the above, the East Sepik District
shows promising commercial features which could be upgraded and
developed as sound economic ventures for some of the potters
in the area.
MADANG DISTRICT
The consultant visited BOSM[JM on the Ramu River and the
coastal villages of KORAP AND BONAPUTRA but pots are not
produced in either the quantity or quality which would indicate
the possibility of developing commercial exterprise.
YABOB AND BILIBIL VILLAGES
These people are by tradition potmakers and traders
and their daily production for traditional use and trade is
at a steady level of 100 pots.
MOROBE DISTRICT
The consultant investigated many clays from this
district.
They range from very sandy clays to clays with a high
lime content.
Cooking pots are being produced in the MARKHAM
VALLEY at KAIAPIT with handles modelled in the form of flying
foxes and other animals as well as interesting double pots and
drums.
The clay pots are usually black and very brittle, further
investigation has to be done however before commercial production
could be developed.
Kaiapit has easy access to Lae and the
Highlands.
0RTHERN DISTRICT
Again, a district with scattered pottery making.
The
pottery making has been covered in a report to the Department
of Trade and Industry by Mrs. Z. Schwimmer from Canada.
This
report points out the considerable clay deposits in the area,
-
but nearly all areas in Papua and New Guinea have an abundance
of good clay.
The consultant believes that there
has
to be a
dynami.c and decoratively interesting pottery tradition to warrant
any attempt to. commercialise production.
As this survey
has
shown, there are hundreds of villages
and several thousand people involved in making pottery, but only
a few artistic pottery villages have a definite future which
would ensure economic gain.
It is better to help an already
established, soundly artistic and viable production centre and
look at clay deposits generally with an eye to commercial
prospects in building materials such as bricks, drainpipes, floor
tiles etc.
The consultant considers the WANIGELA villagers in the
Northern District to be very good potmakers, and that the pots
they make could be sold easily if they were modified slightly
and firing were improved.
MILN,E BAY DISTRICT
Due to good co-operation from the Administration in
SM'LARA.I the consultant was able to use a government trawler to
6.
The
visit the islands where pots are being produced.
consultant visited WARI ISLAND, BROOKS ISLAND and PANEATE ISLAND,
all of which make similar pots for cooking.
The pots have a fine
incised design, but apart from that it is thought that there are
few commercial prospects as the communities involved are small
and difficult and expensive transport is involved.
Again,
although the pottery is good and well made there are other places
which make better pots and more saleable pots, e.g. the Amphletts
Islands between Trobriand and Fergusson Island.
In two small
villages pottery is produced with excellent craftsmanship and
the £j,..ring techniques are the best the consultant has seen and
the clay extremely good.
The pots produced are strong, of very
artistic design, and also of extrcmely consistent size.
produce six distinct types.
They
A major difficulty is transport
but when solved these people could develop a viable industry
as they do not have any other income or gardens.
They are in
fact almost dependent on the pottery they produce.
In the coastal regions of Mime Bay, pottery similar to
the Central District's Motu pottery is being produced, but there
are no commercial prospects.
CENTRAL DISTRICT
Pottery was at one stage a major factor in the
livelihood of the Motu people as a basis for trade and exchange.
7.
Today the craft is only kept alive by a few old women.
No young
girls seem to know about pottery nor are they interested.
The consultant has seen pottery produced in POPEBADA - BOERA
villages and on YULE ISLAND.
The clay used is very sandy and
with a high content of seashells, the firing is most primitive
and leaves the pots fragile.
Although it can be seen that a lot of different pots
were produced, it also looks as though the pots were for a
specific use and very little decoration was used, the pots were
very big, and the consultant doubts whether modification would
help as opposed to the case of some Sepik pots which with the
major emphasis on decoration lend themselves easily to
modification in size.
The consultant built a kiln in BOERA village, and
showedthe people there how to sieve the clay.
This has produced
better pots, and the people have been able to sell them in Port
Noresby.
The consultant however does not think that there is
a future along these lines for
DISTRICT who produce pottery.
U
the villages in the CENTRAL
Port Moresby nevertheless
should remain a market for the pottery produced in nearby
villages.
BOUGAINVILLE DISTRICT
The consultant visited SOHANO and MALASANG villages
8.
but the pottery there and in BUIN has all but died out, the clay
is a good. pure clay and can be fired to a very high temperature.
I GHLAND
DISTRICTS
The highlands districts have very little pottery
tradition, but the clay deposits show a great variety, from
lowfired earthenware clays to highly fired stoneware clays.
This
makes the highlands an area with good potential for a ceramics
industry based on building materials and 5lumbing ware, also,
a pottery industry based on modern niethods could be established.
OTHER DISTRICTS
The rest of the districts in Papua and New Guinea were not
investigated although there is some pottery production.
investigation was not warranted as there were no evident
commercial prospects,
9.
An
POTTERY TECHNIQUES IN PAPUA AND NEW GUINEA
In general terms three main methods are used, with
local variations, to form clay vessels.
The Coil Method is used in the Sepik Dis trict (Maprik),
along the coast (Bonaputra) in the Madang District and at Wan
Brooke - Pane ate Islands in the Milne Bay District.
In the
Sepik the clay is rolled into long thin coils on the stem of the
Pandanus Palm leaf.
In Wan
Island the coils are rolled between
the hands of the potter and hang free as rolling proceeds.
Wooden paddles, some very well carved, are used
to
smooth the
outside, and in Dimiri (Sepik) small seashells and carved
coconut shells are used for this, the latter having an amazing
resemblance to modern pottery tools.
For decorations
sharpened bamboo and pigbones are employed (Sepik).
In
Dimiri (Sepik) small seashells are used exclusively for
decorating and these give the decorations a certain slanted,
free flowing quality.
In
Mime Bay District small carved combs
of Black Palm with from two to four teeth are used to decorate
pots.
The stone and wooden taddle method is used in Madang
District.
Surprisingly enough, the method was also used in
Denmark in the Stone Age, and the method still survives with
certain families in the peninsula of Jutland, where an unbroken
10.
tradition can be followed down through the ages.
The potter takes a soft lump of clay in the left hand
and with slow circular movements, using the right hand she forms
the rim of the pot, the lumps of clay with the rim are left to
harden, then by using a rounded riverstone the pot is slowly
beaten out to its rounded shape.
For the final shaping, the
stone is held inside and a wooden paddle employed outside.
Eventually
.
per!ectly symmetrical pot is achieved.
Small
pointed bamboo splinters are used to incise a decoration in a
band from the lip to the shoulder.
3
Before firing a slip of
very red clay is applied to the nearly dried pot, this to get
a. uniform colour and smoothness.
3.
The last method consists of roughly forming thick
sausage-like rolls of clay, and by holding the left hand outside
and using the right hand to squeeze the clay upwards and then
adding another thick roll of clay and repeating the process
until the wanted size is achieved.
Wooden paddles, stones and
seashells are used to smooth the outside and inside.
Lastly
the rim is made by wetting the hands and slowly revolving the pot,
thereby rounding either the inward or outward curved lip of the
pot.
This method is typical of the Central District Motu
Pottery and Aiborn (Sepik).
In Aibom and Wanigela, clay strips
11.
are added for decoration.
In Aibom decoration wually takes
the form of heads of women and pigs in a rather grandiose manner.
In Wanigela, thinner strips are used which give the pot a more
textured look.
Of course there are all kiuds of variations and mixtures
of the above methods from village to village, e.g. the Amphlett
Island potters build their pots upside down starting with a big
round coil and then going up and inwards, which ends up with a
little hole in the bottom which is plugged up with a cork of
clay.
When the pot has hardened sufficiently it is turned
over, and then by using a seashell with a hole in it, as a clay
planer, the pots are scraped down to an even thinness.
This
accounts for the carving-like appearance of these pots.
Adding of Sand.
Nearly all potmakers add and mix sand
with their clay, except where the clay has a high content of
sand or mica.
The sand used is black beach or river sand with a
high silica content.
thite sand usually contains a lot of lime
particles arid cannot be used with clay.
The reason for mixing
sand is that it reduces shrinkage in drying and firing and
also makes the pots flameproof.
It is sometimes preferable to avoid mixing too much
sand in. clay from which smaller pots for tourists and overseas
12.
sales are made9 as such pots are stronger and there is no
necessity for flameproofing as there is in cooking pots.
The firing of pottery is primitive and uneven so that a
great deal of breakage occurs.
It appears that the New Guinean
potter has a much more refined firing technique than the Papuan
potter, with the exception of the Amphletts Island people who
have the best fired pots in TI,P.N.G.
Tests done by Peter Lauer for the Australian National
University showed an average temperature over 28 firings on
Gumivana Island in the Amphlett group was 90000.
As opposed
to temperatures in other areas which range from 600°C. to 850°C.
In Yabob village (Madang) a square is made by four long pieces
of wood and a bed is made with small pieces of firewood, the pots
-
then are placed on top of this and firewood is stacked around
the pots.
During the course of the firing additional Kunai
grass is heaped on top to prolong the fire, but still an uneven
firing results.
The method is also uneconomic as a lot of heat
is lost to the surrounding air and much firewood is used for
nothing.
The answer to this is construction of a simple
bricklined woocfired kiln.
Glazing.
Glazes are not known or used by any potters
in Papua and New Guinea but a lot of pots have, after firing, a coat
of sago starch mixed with water applied to them, or tree saps
13.
are applied to the outside of the pots.
waterproof.
This makes them partially
The Sepik potters apply natural, earthen colourø
to decorations after firing which, however smear easily.
The consultant suggests that the existing pottery
tecthriiques used, enable a woman to produce enough to make at
least the minimum male weekly wage provided she is able to market
all her production.
He also recognises that the weakness in traditional
pottery stems from two sources:
1.
The Preparation of the clay;
2
The primitive and uneven firing employed.
Action can easily be taken and has been taken to improve these
point
Preoaratjon of Clay.
Instead of picking stones and
other impurities out by hand, the clay is dried and soaked
in water then sieved through fly wire, and left to harden
and then pots are made, that gives a fine workable clay,
Demonstrations of the method have been given generally.
Firing.
A simple bricklined woodfired standard kiln
can be built in the important pottery villages as has been
done in several so that an even temperature of 900°C. is
reached in a couple of hours,.
The amount of firewood and
manual work are cut down significantly.
It is the belief of the consultant that a considerable
market exists for traditional pottery, and it is important to
keep the handmade and traditional elenient as this is one of
the important sales and marketing points.
potential customers to Papua
The reactions of
and New Guinea pottery at Trade
Fairs in Australia and of tourists to Papua and New Guinea
are so promising that there is no doubt that the best pottery
producing villages will be able to sell most of their production
through these channels.
As this survey has shown traditional pottery has a
definite commercLal future and should develop into sound economic
enterprise which will help village people by means of a
traditional craft, to make money.
Many pottery villages have
previously depended more or less completely and to a certain
extent still do today, on this specialised craft for trade
and exchange by which means they procure their basic foods and
other necessities.
The traditi,onal gift and barter exchange
Will
no
doubt continue for some time, but by the introduction of better
techniques and the possibility of finding new markets,
especially markets where cash is paid for pots, villages
concerned should be able to overcome the very difficult
15.
adjustment to a new economic order.
Also as many of the
potmakers are women, this would help them to achieve a
higher social standard and prestige.
The introduction of
new techniques and markets would also have the important
cultural value of developing a Papua/New Guinea craft to face
up to modern standards, without changing but rather developing
it from the basic skill available now, before it is too late.
As can be seen too from this survey, a lot of people
make pottery.
However, oniy the very best traditional
pottery should be developed as a project.
Only a few villages
should be concentrated on to ensure the best impact of a
project and. to guarantee that something really happens in the
villages involved.
It would be dangerous to try to cover all
potters in the Territory as it is obvious that it would be
impossible to assure sales and markets for everybody.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
Therefore, the expert recommends that -
1.
(a)
the Pottery Project concentrate on and work with
the following pottery villages:
(1)
EAST SEPIK DISTRICT
Villages:
Saragum/Aiboni/Kaumengovi/Maruvat/
Dimi ri
(ii)
MADANG DISTRICT
Villages:
Yabob/Bilibil
16.
(b)
and that contact be kept with and marketing
assistance be given to the following districts
and villages:-
NORTHERN DISTRICT
Wanigela
Village:
MILNE BAY DISTRICT
Amphletts Island Group.
2.
The following be aimed at by way of final objectives:That basic courses are given to people in the
aI'orementioned villages, to explain and train them, so that
proper firing techniques and clay preparations are ensured, to
produce better and stronger quality pots.
WORK DONE
Cunterpart Training
1.
Mr. Emmanuel Lei, Extension Assistant, D.TI. was
appointed as the experts counterpart in late 1968.
family settled in Yabob Village.
He and his
Mr. Lei showed good ability
and understanding for the role he was to play in the development
of the pottery production and marketing.
The expert's aim was
to train Mr. Lel to be a link between the pottery producers
and the outside world.
Therefore, he Was given a good
background in ceramics generally and the Papua/New Guinea
pottery production as such, so that .while he was not trained
17.
as a potter, he knew about what was going on in the field1
The potters took care of their craft and production
and Mr. Lei assisted them with marketing and simple bookkeeping systems, relayed orders received to the potters and
assisted them in packing and shipping.
in kiln building.
Also he was trained
He attended the ILO/SPC Course in
Business Management in Port Moresby in 1969, and made a
field trip to the Sepik pottery villages before taking up the
ILO/UNDP fellowship awarded to him, lasting six months in
Bangkok Thailand.
The training took place in the Ceramic
Institute in Bangkok.
Mr. Lel did very well and has kept in contact with
the institution he attended,
Mr. Lei now works as Acting Extension Handicraft
Officer based in Port Moresby.
He will probably receive a
3 year scholarship for the University of Papua/New Guinea
starting in 1971.
He has assisted in setting up the Hohola
Small Industry Centre and is for the moment assisting and
advising the newly appointed Technical Officer in Pottery,
Mrs.
T. Weatherill.
They have been on a field trip to
Goroka and Madang.
18.
2.
Future Training
The Department of Trade & Industry future planning
for development of Cottage/Handicraft industry in Papua/New
Guinea includes the establishment of Small Industry Centres
in Goroka and Madang as well as the one already operating in
Port Moresby.
This is a step in the right direction as is
the proposed training and employment of Handicraft Extension
Assistants. (8 positions by
1972-73).
It is very important that follow up work be
implemented, especially in the case of village-based
industries working with a traditional craft.
The pottery
project has identified good quality production potential in
the villages connected with the project.
Future development
should concentrate on the opening of new markets for the
production from these villages.
MADANG:
Because the expert stayed in Madang for nearly 3
years and most of that time in Bilibil village, the biggest
changes occurred there.
As what happened here will be of
interest to other people involved in rural development in
Papua/New Guinea, a short account of what was done and how it
worked out is set out hereunder.
The expert arrived in Madang in July 1967 and had
-19-
meetings with the village people from Yabob and Bilibil.
Both
of them are typical coastal pottery villages and are situated
8 and 10 miles south of Madang town with good access by road.
Yabob village is slowly being swallowed by Madang New Town
development and is beeoming short of land.
Most of the men in
Yabob are employed in some way or another in town, although
they have their foodgardens and do quite a bit of fishing.
The populations of the 2 villages are approximately 300 people
each.
It was on Yabob land that the first workshop was built.
The workshop is situated outside Yabob village No. 1 on an
From Yabob No. 2 there is a walk of 1 mile,
old cemetary.
from Yabob, 300 yards, and Bhlibil, 3 miles.
The Bilibil people
from the start showed great interest in the workshop.
They
supplied nearly all the bush building materials for the workshop.
The Papua/New Guinea Administration supplied funds and materials
so a 15 ft. x 15 ft. part of the workshop could be in sawn
timber and corrugated iron-roof to collect water in tanks for
the production.
The workshop was also to house the equipment
forthcoming for a planned more permanent Training Centre in
Madang town.
On the 1+th August 1967, the new workshop was
opened officially by the District Commissioner, Mr. D. Clif tonBassett.
The work and training started right away, Bilibil
sending + young women and young men every day to participate
in the training and work.
The production improved immediately
- 20-
and several modifications especially in size were successfully
carried out.
The better fired pots were easily sold and soon
the women potters received a steady and rising cash income.
This resulted in a clash with the men from Yabob village No.
2, who complained about them not getting any money.
The expert
could only say that only the women that worked got money, and
if any men were interested to work they were quite welcome as
the centre was open for all.
Early in 1968, the expert decided
it was necessary to move to the village to be in closer contact
with, the development work
they were willing
to
taking
place.
He asked Yabob if
build a house for the expert and his
family, paid for of course
all native material house.
at current price
for building an
Yabob enthusiastically agreed to
do this, but never did get around to doing it in time.
When
the expert and his family moved, Bilibil Village had a brick
house ready..for the expert, and in a week's time they built
a kitchen and toilet faci1ities.
The work continued satis-
factorily at the Yabob workshop.
Big orders for pottery started
to come in, and in some weeks, single women potters received
up to
O Australian.
Visits by tourists were on the increase
and again the men from Yabob started to complain that not
enough money was coming their way.
that
the men who complained most,
-21-
It was interesting to note
wouldn't allow their wives
to work at the centre.
The expert kept in the background,
and let the discussions run their course without interfering.
The women working and getting an income from the centre were
not interested in giving any of the hard-earned money away.
Most of the women working were either single or widws.
The
men then wanted pots given to them to sell to the tourists coming
to the villagQ.
Here the expert intervened and recommended
that only properly fired pots should be sold, as one of the
major problems befo.re the expert arrived was bad firing with
resultant brittle pots, and reluctance of visitors to buy
accordingly.
The expert agreed to obtain bricks so that kilns
could be built in Yabob No. 1 and 2.
Bricks were obtained
but no interest in building kilns was shown.
Bilibil Village decided to build their own workshop
for the reason that it would be easier for the women to work
there.
The workshop was built right in the centre of the
village, and with the training received in Yabob Centre,
work started right away, but in a slightly different direction,
because Yabob made and had a considerable sale in small
decorated pots as well as big decorated pots.
The production
taken up in Bilibil was flowerpots in different sizes.
The
expert had found several species of orchids in a swamp near
Bilibil, so this provided plants for the pots.
a good secure little business for Bilibil.
-22-
All in all,
In 1968 an ugly
incident occurred in Yabob workshop where a man threatened
Mrs. LITON with bow and arrow and abused her because she was
making too much money.
At the same time the young men working
in Yabob workshop were forced to buy food and beer for some
of the old men in Yabob.
The Yabob men wanted a meeting with
the expert because they had heard that a permanent training
centre was to be built in Madang town.
They wanted the
pe.rmanent training centre to be built in Yabob close to the
workshop.
The expert told them that the Papua/New Guinea
Administration would not put up permanent buildings on village-b
owned land, but if the owners o
the land agreed to lease the
land to the Administration for a certain period, say
-lO
years, then the village would not lose the land and furthermore
would receive rent for the land.
The expert advised them that
he could then put their case forward rather strongly to the
Administration.
The men got involved in a discussion about
who owned the land, and have to this day not reached a decision
about ownership.
Therefore, there was no case to put forward
to the Administration.
The Expert was to have a counterpart
from the Department of Trade and Industry.
As the expert was
then living in Bilibil Village, and because Yabob was enjoying
increasing sales and problems, he approached Yabob Village
about the possibility of having the counterpart living near
the workshop.
They agreed to this and were willing to build
- 23-
him a house to be paid for by the project. In the end, men
from B±libil built the house and received the money.
The
counterpart Mr. Emmanuel Lei and family arrived and started
working.
He was accepted.
This could have been a problem
as he was from Papua but working in New Guinea.
However
Mr.
Lei showed a very good ability for this work, so while he was
in Yabob, sales increased steadily. He taught the village
people simple book-keeping systeni which they understood and
did themselves.
It worked very well. Bilibil villagers steadily
increased their sales too and got interested in organized
Tourist visits to the village. They planted orchids all over
the village. They got Mr. Kaiau elected to Madang Tourist
Committee, and soon the tourists started to arrive in increasing
numbers, adding further cash income to the village.
In Yabob, the workshop had been decorated with
several wood-carvings and pots from other parts of Papua/New
Guinea of interest to visitors. One of the best wood carvings
disappeared one day. A note was left saying that this Tambaran
(Evil Spirit) had been put in the fire. Yabob No. 1 made an
attempt to locate it and find out who had done it, but in
vain. Since that day it is not too much to say that Yabob
workshop lost its soul. Production has since been erratic
and only borne up by the widows.
The otte
th-
odu e is
and ip one instance, of superb artistic quality and as such,
- 2+-
e asilv niarke iable.
Orders are coming for Yabob pots from
Australia, Lae and Port Moresby but it is difficult for the
widows to organise this themselves.
PQI\TCJSION3:
The reasons for the development of the workshops
working out so differently.
(In Yabob in the start great
enthusiasms and then slow decline.
development) are many and varied.
In Bilibil a steady orderly
In the expert's opinion,
here are the main reasons:
Yabob workshop was not built inside the village and
therefore never got to be a part of village life.
This
opposed to Bilibil where the workshop is in the middle of
the village and therefore used by all the potters.
Because most of the men in Yabob are working one way or
another in town, and therefore receiving a cash income,
they have not shown a great interest in the workshop.
So
only single women and widows started to work and use the
workshop, but being single and widows means that they
don't have any backing from mon in assisting and helping
them in work, e.g. packing of pots and construction of
buildings.
In Bilibil, the men are of great help in
construction of kilns, the packing and shipping of
pottery and the organizing of tourist visits.
- 25-
3.
Because Yabob is so much closer to town, a major part of
the productive male population is engaged in low income
cash employment and, as a result, their wives have prop-
ortionately much greater work to do in the gardens than
in Biljbil. A major part of the productive male population
in Bilibil is not employed in town, or ariyiay less frequently
than Yabob males and therefore plays a greater part in
traditional garden work and fishing, therefore leaving
the wives more time for pottery production and thereby
giving the men more interest in obtaining the pottery
cash income for the village. So, when the single women
and widows in Yabob suddenly started to have a cash
income, in many instances higher than many men, probably
the wives nagged at their husbands to complain about these
women making too much money.
Also, the women from Yabob
No. 2 had to walk one mile with their children and other
gear to the workshop.
Therefore, the workshop was not
used so much by all the women in Yabob as could have been
the case.
..
Yabob village had very high expectation mixed with cargo
cult philosophy, wanting instant cash income, but no work.
When it was documented that the income for the workshop
for one year was $3,000 Australian, probably the highest
income they ever received any time in their history, they
-26-
were not satisfied, and didn't show any constructive
interest in developing the work or the workshop.
Nevertheless, the Department of' Trade and Industry
should take a continuing interest in the situation in Yabob
and work to find a solution for the problems encountered.
All
towns in Papua/New Guinea have similar problems with villages
close by.
The expert hopes this experience has thrown some
light on some of the problems of development in Papua/New Guinea
and possible cuases of the apparent apathy and non-interest
In Port More sby similar problems have been
in development.
encountered by Administration Departments working to develop
village and low covenant areas near and in the town.
running along similar lines;
Always
in the start, great interest
and then decline when instant big cash returns are not realised.
EAST SEPIK DISTRICT
East Sepik district has many villages which produce
highly decorative pottery, well suited for marketing.
The
expert has travelled extensively in this area and assisted
the selected villages.
KOWUT..KAUMENGAWI,
AIBOM-DIMIRI-MARUWAT-SAILA.GUM..STAPIGUM-
In August 1968 the expert arranged for 16
selected potters from these villages to go to Angoram for a
i+ day course.
They were brought by boat and for many of
them it was the first time they had been outside their village
area.
They were installed in a compound near the primary
-27-
school where the course was held.
The potters brought their
own clay in order to demonstrate traditional clay preparations
and potmalcing.
Then instructions for sieving the clay were
given and certain other modifications carried out.
The expert
and the men built a kiln and some of the dried pots were fired
in it, while others were baked on the traditional open fire.
When the first pots were done there were noticeable differences
between the two firings with black smoke stains on the open
fired pots, in contrast to the deep red even colour of the
kiln fired ones.
uncracked.
The pots made of sieved clay were smooth and
Those of unsieved clay had numerous small cracks
around stones and other impurities.
One traditional fired pot
The
and one kiln fired pot was placed outside in the rain.
next morning, only the kiln fired pot was left.
This made a deep impression, as did the ready sale
(A$37 worth) of the well fired pots to passing visitors.
made five more firings in the kiln - all very good.
evenings, pottery films and UN/ILO films were shown.
They
In the
Near
the end of the course, the potters and the expert acted as
instructors to seventy schoolchildren and teachers from the
local primary school, demonstrating potmaking and instructing
in firing the kiln, which will henceforth be used by the
schools.
-28-
The expectation was that these potters - self
appointed counterparts in a sense - would return to their
villages and implement the changes which they had tried out
in Angoram.
Some nine months later - for news was long in
coming - it appeared that four out of five villages had built
kilns and had adopted other modifications and the fifth had
at least improved the preparation of clay.
Consequent visits
showed many changes:-
The Angoram Local Government Council by chance employed
a person who was interested in the people and their
Arts and Crafts.
As a result, sales jumped from 143000
a year to A$17000 and then in a six months period, to
A2OG0.
Pottery from Diniiri-Maru-.wat and Kaumengawi-
Kowut was included in this spectacular sales jump.
pottery appeared in shops in Port Noresby.
Soon
Pots bought
for $1 in the villages and resold for A$3 - were fetching
prices from A$l0-25 in Port Moresby and other centres
in Papua/New Guinea and overseas.
The Council employee
has since left Angoram and the sales and future of the
artifact sales are not known.
Saragrim-Stapiguni.
(Reference to page +i)
Due to the interest and assistance
from the heathnaster of the primary school in the area,
2 kilns were built and very good pots were produced.
-29-
The Papua/New Guinea newspaper POST-COURIER had a full
page article about the new pots.
The conclusion of the
article was that the new modified pots represented an
original cheap authentic, easily packed article that
should be sold in Papua New Guinea as something really
representative of the Maprik people.
The Maprik Local
Government Council had an artifact outlet, but due to lack
of trained personnel, it was more or less given up.
3.
Meanwhile the Pagwi L.G.C. and Anibunti L.G.C. started to
get interested in the sale of handicrafts, including
Pottery.
The Patrol Officer's wife in Pagwi started a
womens club in Aiboni.
She said that the 2 families which
went to the course in Angoram used the new way of
preparing the clay, with resulting better pots, but they
didn't have any more flywire left.
The expert briefed
the Patrol Officer's wife how to use the fly wire and she
promised to use the womens club to further this important
Improvement for their production.
Anibunti L.G,C. meanwhile tried to start up commercial
artifact sale from their area.
5
As can be seen, the prospects are good for the development
of Handicraft sales for this area and the Department of
Trade and Industry should provide assistance and guidance
-30-
for the Local Government
Assistants.
Councils ii forms of Extension
The assistance should cover Bookkeeping
systems, marketing and technical assistance.
Within the
scope of the pottery project, the following information is
given to ensure future development and to assist officers
from the Department of Trade and Industry with general
information about the area.
(a)
Dimiri-Maruwat Villages:,
Productior)
Clay figures, smoking pots, sago
storage
pots,
water pots, cooking pots.
Cl av
Good quality, no need for sieving.
2 Kilns
built
and used.
2 new kilns to be
built to replace the old ones.
Bricks
made already.
Outlet.
Angorarn
Access
to
Local
Government Council.
villages by boat or canoe from
Angorani to Biwat Catholic Mission
Station on That River, 1 hour walk
inland.
Resthouse in village.
Approxi-
mate time, 3-+ hours by boat and 1 hour
walk.
(b)
Kauniengawi-Kawut
Production.
VillageS.
Coneshaped plates, incised on
beautiful patterns.
-31-
outside,
No need for sieving.
Clay
Good.
Kilns.
No kilns built.
Traditional well-fired
pots, easy to pack.
Outlet.
Angoram Local Government Council.
Access
to villages by boat or canoe from Pagwi
or Angoram to Tambanun.
Resthouse here.
3 hours walk inland from Tanibanun.
Pots
from the 2 villages can be bought in
Tainbanuni and Timbunke.
Time
Approximately +-5 hours by boat and 3
hours walk.
Aibom Village on Chambri Lake
Pvoducton.
Cooking, water, storage pots, figures,
fire places and candle holders.
Clay
Very gritty, needs sieving.
Kilns.
Not built, pots too big.
Outlet.
Pawei Local Government Council.
Access
By boat from Pa.qi, resthouse and
mission station in village.
Time,
approximately 3-+ hours.
Saagum-StaDigum Villages, Mrik Area
Prouc 1j or
Cooking pots and tambaran flutes, very
decorative patterns and sizes, colours
black, white, yellow, red.
-32-
(d) contd.
Clay.
very good, no need for sieving.
Kilns
kilns built, need replacement
Outlet
Pagwi or Maprik LG.C.
Access
by road from Wewak or Pagwi.
Time
approximately + hours from Wewak, 1 hour
from Pagwi.
The best time of the year to travel is June, July,
August.
Dry season.
Diagram of pottery villages and river
Maprik
Wewak
Seragum-Stapigurri
Kauniengawi- ICowut
Sepik River
Anibunti
Pagwi
Tanibanun
Ang orani
Djnijrj-
Aiboni
Maruwat
Biwat
Ce)
Wanje1a Village, Northern District
Production:
Cooking pots highly decorated.
Ulav
Good, no need for sieving
Kilns:
There is a definite need for a kline to
be built.
Outlet
Many tourists come to the area from
overseas countries.
Port More sby is wi thin easy reach by
plane twni ce weekly..
-33-
(f)
AmphIetts Island Group, Milne Bay District
Production:
Different size cooking pots very
artistic finish.
Clay
Good, no need for sieving.
Kilns
The traditional firing very good
Outlets
The biggest problem is the isolation of
the Island group.
Possible solution
would be outlets through the Kiriwina
Local Government Council and the United
Church artifact stores in Losuia,
Trobrjand Islands and Port More sby.
Access
By plane to Trobriand Island or
Esa'ala9 and then by boat.
IiOHOLA SMALL INDUSTRIES TRAINING CENTRE
In June, 19709 the Expert was asked by the Department of
Trade and Industry, Division of Industrial Development to advise
and assist in setting up a ceramic workshop at the above mentioned
Centre. Four trainees were selected from Hohola Welfare Centre
to be trained and supervised by the Expert. The workshop and
training Centre were split up in two tarts:(1)
Actual production workshop, complete with clay pit,
three wood fired kilns, potters wheel, drying racks,
clay preparing facilities and drying facilities.
The equipment in the workshop were m.de out of local
- 3i-.
materials e.g. the shaft f or the potters wheels came
from an old broken down
International" truck9 this
exercise provided very valuable training for the
trainees showing them to use what materials you are
able tot on the spot without outlay of scarce capital
(2)
The second part of the training centre was to be
housed in a building, originally intended to be a
library.
Here Laboratory equipment received from
ILO/1ThDP was put in working order.
The equipment
included Electric test kiln, De-aired Vaccum Pug Mill,
Power tools, Chemicals, segercones, Pottery tools and
raw materials for glaze2.
The laboratory is to be used
for testing of Papua/New Guinea clay and research
into glazes.
I prefer this way of training people on the spot.
arise and are solved.
Problems
Instead of putting an electric kiln in
front of the people, they dig the clay and make the bricks, and
build the kiln as well as makin. the fires.
This gives the train-
ees a much nxre personal contact and better understanding of what
they are doing.
Remember that when the Expert travelled and
trained village people, after discussions about their clay and
production the most frequent question asked was, how do you make
and Airplane?
Many discussions in Bilibil brought again and
again questions as, how does one make glass, fabrics etc.
-35-
When the first. glazed pot was shown in Rimba, a noted
cargoc1t irillage on the
ai,Coast, people started to cry..
It must
have been a .thock for them to be face to face with a local, product
giaz6d. like Euro-pean products
but made in New Guinea, a hard
blow to the notion that cargo is made by ancestors by magic means.
Production training started with the trainees undertaking
wheel thrown pottery production.
Prom the start the expert
concentrated on flowerpot production, because here was a promising
field of activity in a town like Port Moresby with many people
interested in orchid growing and gardening.
1ow pots made by the
trainees were presented to the Norticultural Society in Port
Moresby.
trainee
Sales have been satisfactory and increasing.
One
has shown very good ability in this field and will shortly
set up his own, pottery enterprise with assistance from the Papua/
New Guinea Development Bank and the Department of Trade and
Industry Business Promotion Centre.
Other fields of thrown pottery with glazes, and tiles have
been taken up, also with good results.
The Department of Trade and
Indust7yhas closely watched the setting up of the workshop and
seen the training undertaken.
They have employed a Technical
Officer in Pottery,who works in close co-operation with the expert
first counterpart, now Acting Handicraft Extension Officer,
Enables
This
he Department to pursue their forward planning in the
ceramic field which includes the setting up of small industries
-36-
centres in Goroka and Mad.arig.
Land has been obtained and positions
for Technial Officers have been advertised.4
The centres will
include a ceramic section built on the pattern set in Port Moresby.
Research undertaken at the Hohola Training Centre has:
resulted in low-fired glazes composed of local clay
and. Borax.
These glazes can be used in wood-fired
kilns and will vary from place to place, according
to the clay used in the composition.
produc1 satisfactory clay mixtures for the Port
Moresby area.
made possible the conducting of a course for Port
Môresby High School arts and crafts teachers in basic
pottery techniques.
V-i-)
has made possible the provisions of assistance to
various individuals and groups regarding clays and
kilns0
These include the Kaugere Welfare Centre and
the University Pottery Group.
The Hohola Centre fulfils a need and should be used and
expanded for training of Extension Assistants and further research
in possible clay material products.
PRICES
Most of the pottery produced is reasonably priced, many
village potters are not accustomed to selling their pottery for
cash, and are therefore unable to set prices, according to work
-37-
or materials involved.
It is quite important that the pottery
project takes this problem up and helps the village people to get
a realistic cash return for their work.
The women make the pots,
but in many places it is the men who set the prices and sell the
pots and this often results in an awkward situation.
For
instance, the expert was offered a clay pig in Aibom made by a
man for $129 while the same man would offer a big decorative fire
place with much more work involved for only $2.00 because it was
made by a woman.
Also, in the Maclang District where cooking pots and water
pots are made, the cooking pot will be sold for $0.7
-
$1.00
whereas a small waterpot will be priced at $.00 - $10.00.
The
work and time involved in producing these items are the same.
The explanation
or this extraordinary difference is that a
cooking pot will break more quickly but a waterpot will last
a lifetime0
Of course, a waterpot will last longer, simply
because it is handled with much more care in order not to spill
the water,
often taken from a spring miles away from the village
The cooking pot is put on the fire every day and roughly handled
so it has to be replace quite often.
All in all, most potters
do not have a clear conception of the factors involved in any
coinme rcial venture, but on the other hand, pottery has escap' ed
the exploitation of other artifacts which have resulted in most
unrealistic price setting, simply beeause of the brittle nature
-38-
and the difficulties in transporting it.
Pots today represent
one of the cheapest, most authentic unchanged artifacts in Papua
and New Guinea.
The price list which follows represents a typical cross
section of both prices and pottery
EAST SEPIK - AIBOM
Sago pot 2*
3 feet high
$3.00
-
3.00
-
6.00
Figures 15" high
1.00
-
3.00
Smaller items
0.10
-
0.50
$1.00
-
$2.00
0.20
-
0.50
$1.00
-
33,00
Small items (frogs)
0.30
-
0.50
Cooking pots and bowls
0.50
-
1,00
-
$0.80
-
Fire place 2
-
3 feet diameter
MAPRIK
Decorated Cooking pots 1 foot diameter
Flutes and small pots
MARUWAT
Figures 15" high
MADANG
Small pots
Cooking pots
1000
-
2.00
Wate rpots
1.00
-
10000
$0050
-
1000
-
3q00
AMPHLETTS ISLAND
Nediu
size pots
Big ceremonial bowl
3*
feet diameter
-39-
AMPIUIETTS ISLANDS (Contd.)
The pots were bought on the spot and transport cost not included.
MAB1OTING OF POTTERY
Difficulties in marketing pottery are manyf old.
Pottery is still part of the traditional trade
pattern and neither pottery products nor the potters
are as yet geared towards a cash
onatedmar1cet,
Many villages are isolated hence the difficulty of
regular access.
The pottery people together with other village
people producing artifacts do not have an conception
of regularity in quality, production, or reliability
S
in delivering orders by a specific time.
This is the major problem affecting all the handicrafts
production in Papua and New Guinea, and it seems to be a vicious
circle, but if a viable cottage industry is to emerge these
problems must be solved.
This could be done by organising a
central sales organisation as has been done in many developing
countries.
This organisation could either be built up by the
Administration or private enterprise, but since no such organisa-
tion exists the expert has tried to mrkeb the pottery through
the various channels that exist, which are curio and artifact
shops within Papua and New Guinea.
The expert thinks naturally
that first the Territory's needs must be supplied before attempts
-*O-
Pottery has been exhibited in
are made to export overseas.
Department of Trade and Industry Trade Fair in Australia, and
Art Exhibitions in Port Moresby, Lae, Madang and IRabaul with good
results.
There is widespread interest in Papua and New Guinea
handicrafts and sales through the various handicraft shops have
been satisfactory.
No village and not many Local Government
Councils are at the moment able to handle the packing and shipping
procedures involved satisfactorily
This is a field which coull
be investigated and developed more actively, taking into account
the work done in other countries in the promoting and organising
of their small scale industries and handcrafts.
It is quite
obvious that many more Local Government Councils should be involved
more actively in this work, but the need for trained personnel
is an obstacle which is difficult to overcome since trained
people are needed everywhere.
As one example, the expert knows of
one Local Government Council who has a annual sale of artifacts
to the value of approximately $3,000 whereas the nearby mission
has a turnover of $37,000,
The difference is due to efficient
handling and the presence of trained personnel at the mission,
The whole handcraft production, pottery included, represents
a substantial avenue of income but lack of organisation in regard
to quality, production and marketing, and the absence of regular
outlets and markets has prohibited the establishment of regular
cottage industries.
Nearly all handcrafts are produced as
-i.1-
supplements to subsistence gardening, therefore both the supply
and demand change.
ESTIMATE S
It is assumed, that pots will be modified in size, that
clay preparation and firing techniques will be
improved.
The expert assumes that 50% of females available will
work in the scheme, as the villages in question have
been selected for their high production and quality.
The estimates are based on 1 woman being able to
pots per week, an annual
produce 2 pots per day or
production of 180 pots.
(Allowing time for her other
duties and allowing 22 weeks for emergencies).
(Li..)
The average price for 1 pot is calculated at $A060
Some traditional big pots will bring a higher price,
but smaller pots will be sold in greater numbers
because of better packing and transportation qualities
and last but not least their lower price.
The estimates may be a little on the low side, but
then maybe more realistic.
ESTDATES OF PONTThL PRODUCTION QF TRADITIONAL POTTERY
Village
Females over
Yearly
Production
16 years.
NORTFL2N DLTRICT
Komabum
50
18
50
54
12
I'.oreaf
ere sari
ainu
iJaukwate
TOTAL
16,560 Pta
184
£AST SPII DISTRICT
Aiboni
136
Saraguin
i5
Stapigum
67
Kauinengavi
21
Iiaruwat
46
:ojjrj
46
TOTAL
421
40,000 Pots
iJISTRIOT :.A4PHLETT ;s.
C'uniivana
27
17
Gumisila
-
L
44
3,500 Pota
WDANG DISTRICT
Yabob
Bfljbil
68
TOTAL:
119
pa-
-
-
-
18,000 Pots
-
I
78,060
GEATQTALS
ESTTED VALUE:
768
A &pprox. 42.,00o.00
Pottery Project as included in the revised review of the 5 year
Developinerit Plan for P.N.G,
Pottery 1969/70 L 84,000.00
Pottery
the figures are calculated to include items used for Traditional
sale and barter, The sale of pottery through handicraft and tourist
outlet during 1969/70 baa been approxj.niately 24,000 whereas the
value of traditional trading in pottery are estimated at 6O,Ooo.
It is anticipated that the cash econo
share of pottery production
will rise by 20% per annum as more field assistants work with village
potters, The value of the subsistence sector trade is likely to
-'i.n constant in the near future. The number of pottery kilne
has mncreaee to 25, of which 5 are in east Sepiic District, 7 in
Nadang area, 2 in astern EIC'-landc. District,
lands District and 8 in the Qentral iiistrict,
(1)
3 in the Western
Righ...
A further 25 kilu..
Public Works Department, Building Research Station
-+3-
Boroko, Port Moresby.
C0S.I.R.O. Soils Laboratory Station, Port Moresby.
Department of Trade and Industry, Division of
Industrial Development (Pottery and Brickmaking files)
Port Moresby0
The expert found by chance a report from the Department
of National Development, Bureau of Minerfl Resources, Geology and
Geophysics, Canberra, entitled Clay Deposits Maclang Area0
Probably more reports are aval lable from the above source0
The expert tested clay from the Goroka area, Eas tern Highlands.
It is extremely well suited for pottery making, very
little shrinkage (+-io%) and has been fired to 1280° which indicates
that the clay is a stoneware clay.
Similar clay exists in the
Southern Highlands and possibly in all the Highland districts.
Anyone interested in having clay tested for suitability for
pottery or brick and tiles, should send approximately lib. of
dried clay, wrapped in plastic, iarked 'Clay Sample", location
it was found and indicating approximate size of deposit, to-
Department of Trade & Industry,
Division of Industrial Development,
P.O. Box 612,
PORT MORESBY,
T. P 0N. G.
CLAY PFEPABATIONS
The clay is dug out and left to dry completely - it should
be broken down to lumps, approximately 2?t size, then it should be
dissolved in water, a half 4i gallon drum is good for this - the
clay should be left here for 1 - 2 days.
The clay is then sieved
through a mosqui..to net wire into another half
The clay then settles slowly to the pottom.
)j
gallon
drum.
The surplus water is
taken off.
When the clay has a consistency like thick mud, it is poured
out on either slabs of plaster of Paris or alternatively on Fibro
pieces.
When it has the right consistency it is wedged by hand
and then stored in plastic foil or in a garbage can with a tight
I
fitting lid - it is then ready for use.
If the clay is too plastic, which means it shrinks too
much with resulting cracks, sand can be mixed with it - the sand
shortens the clay and lowers the shrinkage.
usually one part sand to two parts clay.
silica sand,
aôt sand with coral in it.
The best mixture Is
The sand should be
A lot of sand in Papua/
New Guinea is black and well suited for mixing.
If sand is not available, sawdust is a good substitute or
burnt clay which is ground to powder - same mixture applies
here.
KILNS
The kiln is a simple
The first kiln wa built in Yabob.
round updraught woodfired pottery kiln easily constructed by local
materials, (see drawing page
All in all, 21 kilns have
since be en bull t and used w ± th good results.
Village potters seem to understand that the quality of
the pots improves with the better firing.
Kilns which have
broken down have been repaired by village potters.
in B±libil Village now fire their cook±n
The potters
pots in the new kiln,
and consequently ask a higher price for them at the market.
In
some villages the re is a tendency to speed-up the firing but in
general village potters seem to have no difficulties in building
and firing in kilns.
As a further step, a small glaze kiln
at the Small Industry Centre, Hohola.
in Bilibil Village, Madang.
and takes about
This kiln
has been developed
One more has been built
is very easy to build
- hours to reach a temperature of 9500 centigrade.
A simple non-poisonous Borax glaze has developed to be used in
Local clay is used, which means that the glaze will
that kiln.
vary from locality to locality as to the clay used in it.
Formula
-
1 part Clay
2 parts Borax
Central District
East Seik District
1.
Angoram Primary T School
1.
Porebacla village
2.
Dimiri - Marinwat
2.
Boera village
2.
Saraguii - stapiguni
1.
Kaugere Welfare
-
Centre
1.
Taurama Army Barracks
3
Hohola Training
Centre
Madapg. District
3
Bilibil village
1
Yabob Village
1 Bau Vocational School
1 Sagalau Teacher Training College
I Bion Corrective Institution0
Eastern Ejghlands District
1
Goroka Teacher Training College
TOTAL 21 KILNS
KILN CONSTRUCTI ON
In order to construct a simple updraught pottery kiln9 one
needs clay bricks. They can be made in a wooden mould out of
local clay, the clay should be mixed with sand to make them more
fire-proof (mixture one sand - to clay). The bricks can be
used dried, but unfired as the first firing will fire them.
-+7-
building a potteiy kiln 2' x L'
Letts say we ax
need approximately 200 standard '
need a kiln floor.
will do.
circle
3'
We
sized bricks, then we will
For this we need some kind of iron, anything
I have used Airstrip mats, joined together and cut in a
diameter, but any odd iron will do e.g. carspring,
angle iron, flat iron with holes in, just so we have a floor to
pur the pots on, and at the same time, allowing the flames or
heat to get up through it,
If no iron is available, grates and
kiln floor can be made in bricks.
(See drawing No. 1,)
We will need some lj- feet long iron bars for a grate -
8 to 10 will do, a piece of flat iron or part of a
appiximately 1-' x 1k'.
- gallon drum
it is a good thing to dig the kiln into
a hillside, but it can 'be built on flat ground too.
First a circle 3' diameter is laid with bricks on
the flat side, leaving an opening 1' for the fire
channel, this continues 3 bricks up,
A hole is dug for the ashpit at the fire channel,
it should be two bricks long and 1-' wide and two
bricks deep
ash out.
and slope up so one is able to rake the
The side of this hole is lined with eight
bicks sideways, four on each side, they should now
be level with the bottom floor of the kiln.
A thick sausage of clay mixed with a lot of sand is
placed on top of the circle bricks and also on top of
of the bricks lining the ashpit.
()
Again a sausage of clay is placed on top of that an
new bricks are laid on top - this time a complete
circle, but still 3' in diameter.
This continues
till the kiln has reached a height of four feet.
Eight bricks again, four on each side are placed
similar - but on top of the bricks lining the ashpit0
They should now be level with the kiln floor,
The
iron 1' x 1-' is placed as a roof on top, and the
fire channel is ready.
The last thing is to squeeze claynd mix where the
fire channel and kiln wall meet, and squeeze the same
at any openings between the bricks.
If the kiln is
built on flat ground, one puts earth or clay up along
the walls, so the whole thing looke like a fat cone
with a hole on top and a fire channel at the side.
This acts as insulation.
If the kiln is dug into a
hillside, this acts as insulation except at the front,
where claysand mix or earth are put on the roof of
the fire channel, sloping up to the rim of the kiln.
Let the kiln
to fire,
dry out a couple of days and it 1
ready
One should put a pieve of corrugated iron or
something similar over the kiln so that the rain does
not seep into the kiln,
This iron should be there too1
(8)
when the kiln is fired so the heat doésfl
too fast
FIRING PROCEDURE FOR CLAY PRODUCTS
All clay products should be comtletely dried out before
they are fired, the drying out period can take from 2 - 3 days
to weeks, depending on climate, weather, himidity,
The drying
should be even - it may be rcessary to turn over the products
several times to achieve this.
Clay shrinks when it dries, so
if a big pot has a thin lip, this will dry first, whereas the
The result will very often be a
bottom will still be wet0
cracked pot, or if a brick is placed in the sun, the outside
dries quickly and the inside is still wet - the result is a
cracked brick.
The dried products are placed carefully in the
kiln then a small fire, repeat small fire, is started at the
mouth of the kiln.
On the coast, coconut husks are used - they
glow and smoke slowly away.
The reason for this slow heating is
to get rid of the hygroscopic moIsture.
If too fast, this
moisture will be transformed into steam and the products will
exlode0
The time period for this smoking out depends of course
on the size of the kiln,
The small pottery kiln is usually
Another way is to feel the air
smoked out in 2 - 3 hours.
coming out of the kiln - ones hand will get wet and the air has
a distinct wet smell.
When the water is gone, the air will be
-
dry and hot,
Then the firing is pushed int
the
slowly - the fire is then slowly built up until the tomperature
wanted is reached0
The best way to measure the temperature is by
using segercones but in the standard wood fired updraught kiln,
900°C is reached when the inside is uniformly orange red glowing
it is difficult to get higher in this type of kiln, but this
temperature is sufficient for earthenware clay.
As soon as the
wanted temperature is reached, the firing is stopped and. the kiln
is scaled up, so that no cold draughts seep in and the cooling is
slowed down.
If cooling goes too fast, the pots will crack,
Most
Papua/New Guinea clay is low-fired earthenware clay0
The kiln is then cooled so thepots can be taken out by hand,
usually the next morning.
The kiln is then emptied and a now
firing can take place.
Firing schedule for standard pottery kiln 2' x
0800 filling the kiln and start pre-heating
0800 - 1200 pre-heating
1200 - 1+00 building the fire up
1+00 - 1500 firing going full speed
1500 stop firing, sealing kiln
0800 next morning - empty kiln,
- 5'l -
CERA.MICS SUPPLS AND MATERIALS
Anyone interested in getting tools, kilns, glazes, potters
wheel etc0, can, by writing and enclosing 25' cents, get a complete
and up to date list of Australian suppliers of pottery material
and equipment.
Address:-
The Editor,
Pottery in Australia,
Turramurra Avenue,
TU1RAMUBRA
NOS.W.
2O7-3-
As pointed out in this report, most basic equipment can
be built in local materials.
The Department of Trade arid. Industry
can supply plans of woodfired kilns, potters wheels and simple
glazes0
Furthermore, with the employment of more Handcraft
Extension Assistants, Department of Trade and Industry will be
in a position to assist villages, Local Government Councils and
other interested parties in the development of pottery.
enquiries should be addressed:-
The Departmental Head,
Department of Trade and Industry,
P.O. Box 612,,
PORT MOPLESBY
T.P.NO G.
-
Al
PUBL IC ITY
The pottery project and pottery production have received
good publicity through art exhibitions in Papua/New Guinea.
Pottery has been exhibited at Trade Fairs in Sydney9 Melbourne,
Brisbane, London and Stockholm.
The Trade Fairs were arranged by
the Department of External Territories, Canberra.
The Department of Information and Extension Services, Papua/
New Guinea have made 3 colour films 16 rn-rn of pottery making in
Papua/New Guinea.
Women from Aibom (Sepik District)
Legend in Clay (Milne Bay District)
Pottery in Madang.
Another film called "Kampani belong yu.mi" shows pottery
making in Bilibil village.
These films together with photographs
are all available at the Department of Information and Extension
Servicds, Konedobu, Port Moresby.
It is strongly recommended that
this material be used to a greater extent by the Department of
Trade and Industry to further the knowledge of pottery making in
Papua/New Guinea0
The expert recommends that the Department of
Trade and Industry in conjunction with the Cultural Centre, Port
Moresby arrange a comprehensive exhibition of pottery actually
being produced in Papua/New Guinea now and that this exhibition
together with films and materials be sent to Sydney, where the
Pottery Society ot Australia will be very happy to co-operate,
-
P1JBLICIT
(Contd,)
to further the knowledge of pottery production in Papua/New Guinea.
The deadline for the exhibition should tentatively be set for
July, 1971.
The Department of Trade and Industry should make sure, that
pottery is sent to the various annual Art Exhibitions in Rabaul,
Port Moresby, Lac and Australia.
The expert recommends that
emphasis should be placed on pottery produced in Diniri, Maruwat,
Saragun, Stapiguni for these exhibitions.
These villages have the production potential and the
necessary artistic quality for a much greater market to tourists
if their products were more widely known.
The Department of Posts and Telegraphs have issued stamps
featuring pottery.
In 1932 one stamp showing a Motu Potter at Work, 1969 five
cent stamp, Madang potter at work,
ñ)197O fifteen cent stamp
featuring an Aibom Sago Pot, were issued.
The Department of Posts and Telegraphs have blown up sets
of these stamps which could be used with good effect in exhibitions.
At the Goroka Secondary Teacher Training College 's
Education Material Centre, slides, filniloops and 8 mm film
were made of kiln building.
pottery are kept there also.
Several colour slides of traditional
1p41.1ARY AND CONCLUSIONS
1.
The pottery project in
reference:
Papua and
New Guinea has the following
terms of
A survey and research of pottery making areas
clay deposits;
and
To introduce
better techniques on cottage industry level,
in order to enhance the marketability of various oerric
products.
The inauguration of a training programme devised in light
of (B) above.
The project has covered all aspects put forward in the terms reference.
The project has shown that good production potential of pottery exists
in certain traditional pottery producing villages, that through
exbension work direct With village people, firing methods, production
methods and modifications of traditional pottery to meet market
requirement is possible, as has been the case in Yabob and Biibil
villages, Nadang District; Saragum-Stapigum Dimiri Maruwat, East
Sepik District and .Amphlett Island, Milne Bay District.
3,
The Project has trained Mr. Emmanual LEI as counterpart, by practical
a 6 month ILO/UNDP fellowship taken in Bangkok Thailand
field work
and a 4 month ILO/$PC course taken in Business Management in Port
During this training, Mr. Lei gained wide experience and
More sby.
is in a position to take responsibility for further training of
personnel in the Handicraft field.
The project has successfully established village workshops, where the
workshàp established in Bilibil is working very well.
By establishing the pottery section at the Small Industry Centre in
Hobola, Port Moresby, it shows that modern pottery techniques and.
production in. urban centres are possible and have a good future.
6
As it is now established that the production potential is there, major
emphasis has to be put on marketing in. future, building on the groundwork laid down by the project.
7,
Equipment from ILO/UNDP delivered to the pottery project will enable
the Department of Trade and Industry, Industriaj. Development, to
continue and intensify research and de-ve].opment in the ceramic field.
3.
Was it not for the generous co-operation and help the expert received
from all Departments in the Papua and New Guinea Administration,
Missions of all faiths, individuals from all parts of the community,
the resih].ts obtained would not have been possible.
A special thanks goes to Mr. 0. Clifton-Bassett, District Commissioner,
Maclang. The people in. Bilibil Village Madang and the Department of
Trade and Industry, Division of Industrial Development, who all went
out of their way to assist the expert and his family in every way.
(JOEGEN ETERSEN)
I.L.O EXPERT,
CAPITAL AND EQUIPMENT REQtJIBEMENTS FOR A
POTTERY WORKSHOP IN URBAN AREA T.P.NG.
The following estimates are based on the experience gained from the
eatablisFmient of the Small Industry Centre, Hohola, Port Moresby.
Number
I
1
50.00
Workshop building 15'x 15' with
overhanging roof
1
1000.00
3
Potters Wheel
2
400.00
4.
44 gallon drums for preparation
5
2000
5.
Kjlns made of local bricks
2(168
bricks)
35.00
6.
Cement
I ton
28.00
7.
Firewood
5 loads
per year
50.00
I
Land - leased land, rent p.a.
2.
B.
9.
acre
Timber for she.ves/Dryixig racks
Various Tools e.g. buckets
-
TOTAL:
200.00
200.00
2O83. 00
A major problem in establishing a workshop in an urban area, would
be the availability of land. Once land has, been obtained e.g. through
the Papua/New Guinea Development Bank or Department of Business
Services, Business Promotion Centre, c good workshop could be built,
and by using as much as possible the local materials the same way
Hohola, Port More aby.
as they were used in the Small Industry Centre,.
A veil equipped workshop employing 3-5 people could be
established
for between 2O0O 5O00.
/
S
The expert thinks that in bigger urban centres like Port Moresby and
Lae, there is definitely an economic basis for a pottery workshop,
producing flowerpots, and a variety of glazed pottery such as ashtrays,
cups, jugs etc.
-S.
CAPITAL AND EQUIP11ENT REQUIIENT$QL
VIILG
1
BA
0TL
WORXSHOP
Land is usually available at no cost, since a workshop would be
established in a traditional pottery village. The buildings would
be made of all native materials. The estimates are based on the
workshops in Yaboh and Biibil Villages, Nadang District, Territory
of Papua and New Guinea.
Workshop building 40 x 20'
Number
$
1
200.00
Timber for drying racks
Potters Wheel
44
gallon drums for clay preparation
5,
Kilne made of Local bricks
6.
Various tools, e.g. buckets
TOTAL:
1
200.00
5
20.00
2
100,00
3A 520.00
A good well equipped village workshop should, with cooperation from
the Lllage in question, be established for between $A500 to $1,000.
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