Clay and Terracotta of Meghalaya

Lyrnai and Tyrshang village, in Jaintia Hills, Meghalaya are popular for their terracotta pottery. The craft is performed by women and is the main source of income for these villages. The beautiful handmade pottery is well-known not only in India but also in countries such as Japan, Korea, and others.

The women work together through self-help groups. They gather in a small field to make the terracotta pottery and share a common storage. The pottery is still made in the traditional way without the use of moulds or a potter’s wheel. The shape and designs are achieved through sculpting using bare hands and some simple wooden tools. The earthen potteries are made of two kinds of clay. The clay is known as alluvial clay, and it can be found in the alluvial region of West Jaintia Hills’ Sung Valley. The first kind of clay is known as Silt pottery clay or red clay, and the second is known as black clay. The serpentine stone, a green stone, is also used in the production of black pottery. This green stone can only be found in Sung Valley. It’s crushed and sieved into a fine powder. This green stone powder is mixed and pounded with the clay On a leather mat, to make the pottery harder and more resistant to thermal shock. The pots are then dried and baked using firewood.

Unlike the traditional method of blackening terracotta in a kiln, the women of these villages use the bark of a tree known locally as the ‘Sohlia’ tree. This tree’s bark is compressed and mixed with cold water to create a milky solution. This solution can be used as a natural dye for pottery. The pottery is sunk into this milky paste, which turns it black. This process is called the “miracle cold process”.

This tradition has been passed down from generation to generation by the women practicing it. They create earthenware in a variety of shapes and sizes, including cups, plates, bowls, pans, water jars, and many other items that are used for household purposes.