Today a friend and I visited the tiny Newar village of Thimi. Tucked between Kathmandu and Bhaktapur, Thimi is known for pottery and has been producing it for generations in the traditional way for sale in the local market
Their methods begin with mixing the clay by hand, shaping it into lumps, and then spinning a wheel manually with a stick in order to throw the pot as the wheel slows.  |
Other villagers finish the bottoms of the pots, decorate them, and then leave them in the sun to dry. The pots are then fired in a large mound, with a fire burning under and around it for several days. They burn straw, and create ventilation holes at the bottom and upper sides of the mound to allow air in and smoke to exit. The fires must be carefully built and tended to avoid overheating the pots, and then cooled slowly to avoid breakage. It takes a great deal of experience to know exactly how to manage this firing process.
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The completed pots are generally sold for about Ru50, or approximately $.05 each. Generally, people travel to Thimi to purchase pots, but some folks, like this gentleman, will travel to Kathmandu to sell them. The villagers manage to make a living.
But times are changing. The villagers shared that the young people have a taste for modern life, and want to leave the village to make their fortune rather than learn the craft.
Adapting to the modern ways, one family has ventured into more modern techniques. They are now creating beautiful stoneware using processes such as a mechanical press to remove water from the clay, and a kiln lined with special bricks imported from India to fire the finished pieces.
However they still craft each piece individually, by hand, at every stage of the process. And they are employing many family members and villagers, as well as practicing Fair Trade Principles.
Thimi Ceramics is now shipping their products all over the world. In fact, today they were packing up their first shipment to Ten Thousand Villages in the US! Having shopped there many times, it was quite special to be able to witness these pieces being made, meet the artisans themselves, and see how important this business is to this little village.
I did my part by the local economy this afternoon, and bought a number of these beautiful pieces. : )
But times are changing. The villagers shared that the young people have a taste for modern life, and want to leave the village to make their fortune rather than learn the craft.
Adapting to the modern ways, one family has ventured into more modern techniques. They are now creating beautiful stoneware using processes such as a mechanical press to remove water from the clay, and a kiln lined with special bricks imported from India to fire the finished pieces.
However they still craft each piece individually, by hand, at every stage of the process. And they are employing many family members and villagers, as well as practicing Fair Trade Principles.
Thimi Ceramics is now shipping their products all over the world. In fact, today they were packing up their first shipment to Ten Thousand Villages in the US! Having shopped there many times, it was quite special to be able to witness these pieces being made, meet the artisans themselves, and see how important this business is to this little village.
I did my part by the local economy this afternoon, and bought a number of these beautiful pieces. : )
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