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Chapter One. The Material Background |
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Only those who were middle-aged or old engaged in pot-making, and although pots were among the indispensable household goods, not all villages produced their own requirements. The Konyaks were unfamiliar with the potter's wheel and modeled each pot by hand from a single lump of clay. When a rough shape had been obtained, the potter proceeded to the final stage of shaping, firming, and thinning and, using a pebble pressed against the inside wall as a stiffener, tapping the outer surface with a flat wooden baton. |
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Several pots were modeled at a time. They were allowed to dry out before being taken to a place in the jungle where they were set on a low platform of bamboo and covered with wood, which was then set alight. When the firing was completed, the pots emerged a dark-gray color. During the firing of the pots no stranger was allowed to be present, but old men sometimes helped the potter to collect the necessary wood. |
