Cord-marked Pottery in Oinam
An extant craft in the Naga Hills, India
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.2218/himalaya.2023.6615Keywords:
Ethnography, Naga Hills, pottery, cord-marked, hand-madeAbstract
Oinam village in the state of Manipur in India, is known for its enduring tradition of pottery, defined by the cord-marked design on the pots. Cord-marked pottery is also found in various archaeological sites in Northeast India. Scholars have argued that pottery remains with cord-marked designs could be traced back to the Neolithic period. However, while these hand-made, earthen pots were once in high demand, they have been replaced by durable plastic and metallic vessels in recent times. Further, once considered a viable source of income, especially for women, today this tradition is seen as labor-intensive and monetarily unrewarding. As such, this tradition is preserved only by a few women of the older generation, as an act of preservation, rather than for income generation. The fifteen recent photographs in this essay document and preserve the surviving pottery-making tradition in Oinam.
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