Andah Lembang … the last of a dying breed of unglazed claypot producers.
THE last traditional Iban potter could well be Tuai Rumah Andah Lembang from Nanga Sumpa, Lubok Antu. He is still active in producing ‘periuk tanah’ or unglazed clay pots for cooking.
Recognised as ‘adiguru’ (master craftsman) by the Malaysian government in 2006 through Kraftangan Malaysia, Andah will continue working to preserve the art of Iban pottery for posterity — even at the age 70 this year.
The septuagenarian shared his experience as a potter with thesundaypost during the recent handicraft exhibition at the Kuching Waterfront, delving, in particular, into the intricacies of producing the claypots the traditional Iban way.
The darker coloured pots are hot sellers.
Andah started to appreciate the usefulness of ‘periuk tanah’ way back in the 1960’s after watching his parents and grandmother cook and store water with these pots at their longhouse.
“In the old days, making claypots for cooking was part and parcel of living and surviving,” he said, adding that his forebears used the pots to cook meat or vegetables.
He revealed that over time, the traditional clay pots were replaced with conventional (and more modern) cooking utensils as a result of rapid development around the Batang Ai area.
According to him, food cooked in clay pots is tastier as the pots are able to trap moisture and aroma although the food may take longer to cook due to the porous nature of clay.
“The food will have a more earthy flavour which you cannot get from utensils made of metal or enamel,” Andah said.
Based on studies, clay which is alkaline, will also interact with the acidity of food, thereby neutralising the pH balance and making food healthier.
However, Andah pointed out that as the clay used for making these pots is not glazed, it may affect their long-term use for cooking from the health standpoint.
Pots dipped in the pounded kulit samak solution have a brownish colour.
Preserving claypots
On the tradition of producing such pots, he said it should be preserved — and all the more so, considering two of his Kelabit potter friends have decided to call it a day due to old age.
The duo from Bario learned the art from him.
“I learned they have stopped producing these pots. That perhaps makes me the last ‘periuk tanah’ potter in Sarawak,” said Andah who is now imparting his skills to his daughter.
“It will be a loss to the future generations if these pottering skills are not passed on. Our grandchildren and great grandchildren won’t know anything about ‘periuk tanah’ if the art of making them is to die a natural death.”
Andah said it was the need to keep the tradition of producing claypots alive that had spurred him to refine his skills and adapt to using commercially available clay and gas oven.
“In the old days, the pots were made over an open fire. Out of five pots, maybe two or three would show signs of cracks due to the potter’s inability to control the heat,” he recalled.
The process
According to Andah, producing the clay pots is no child’s play as it requires a high level of dexterity and concentration.
For instance, a pot, measuring about half a foot and using about 1kg of clay, can take hours to form.
Normally, three to four clay pots can be produced in a day at most. And the bigger the pot, the longer time.
“It actually depends on the size,” Andah noted.
He also pointed out that production based on the traditional Iban method was different in that the clay was beaten into shape rather than formed on a potter’s wheel as is usually done today.
The tools used by Andah to make traditional clay pots.
He remembers in the old days, the clay was dug from the ground and left to dry in the sun before being pounded into powder and sieved to remove foreign materials.
He said the powder would then be mixed with water and kneaded like “bread” to remove air bubbles and allow the powder to form cylindrical shapes.
“The clay must be properly kneaded into a solid form otherwise, it wouldn’t stick together. If you were using 1kg of clay, this was the stage where you could determine the price of the pot — based on the weight of the clay used.”
He added that the cylindrical forms of clay would subsequently be shaped — first, from the inside, with a round stone using one hand, and next, from the outside with a wooden paddle from the bottom up, using the other hand.
“This is to balance the pressure in forming the pot to ensure uniform thickness. After the pot is shaped, a wooden stamp with floral or nature motifs is pressed on the outside to beautify its appearance.
“The pot is then fired in a gas oven before being dipped in a solution of either pounded ‘kulit samak’ (mangrove barks) or pounded paddy husks.
“These two materials will determine the colour of the pot — with the ‘kulit samak’ solution producing a brownish colour and the paddy husks solution a darker colour.”
Andah explained that the dipping process was to ensure the pots were durable and waterproof.
“A lot of customers would prefer the darker coloured pots as they look more traditional.”
He said he generally preferred producing pots with 1kg of clay each, as he believes it’s the ideal size and weight for cooking.
Tourists, he noted, would also find it much easier to bring them back in their hand luggage.
(Video by Roy Emmor)
Recognition
Andah was named ‘adiguru’ (master craftsman) in 2006 and is among only four other Sarawak potters holding such a title.
Apart from the title, Kraftangan Malaysia has also given Andah funds to set up a workshop for training and holding demonstrations for students and visitors.
Besides running his workshop, he has also participated in various exhibitions in Kuala Lumpur, Kuching and Miri.
At these exhibitions, he would conduct training sessions and demonstrations and sell their products and network with other players of the industry.
Andah noted there was actually a lot of buyers from Kuala Lumpur who preferred traditional or unglazed pots for cooking and boiling natural medicine and herbs.