Pottery products of Cham people are made by women. (Photo: VNA) On November 29, 2022, the art ofpottery making of Cham people was inscribed on the list of intangible culturalheritage in need of urgent safeguarding by UNESCO.
Champottery products are mainly household utensils, religious objects, and fine artworks, including jars, pots, trays, and vases. They are made by women andviewed as an expression of individual creativity based on the knowledgetransmitted within the community.
Insteadof using a turntable, the women move backwards around the piece of clay to shape it.The pottery is not glazed but baked outdoors with firewood and straw for sevento eight hours, at a temperature of about 800 degrees Celsius. Raw materials(clay, sand, water, firewood and straw) are collected locally, and theknowledge and skills are passed on to younger generations within familiesthrough hands-on practice.
Bui The Nhan, Director of the BinhThuan Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said the province has beenimplementing a project on preserving and developing the heritage practice in Binh Duchamlet of Phan Hiep commune, Bac Binh district, where the pottery making is along-standing craft. Many detailed targets were set in this project, includingraising the rates of households engaging in pottery making and artisanspracticing the craft to more than 15% and over 16% by 2030 from 11% andnearly 12% in 2021, respectively.
All-level authorities, sectors,villagers, and businesses are making joint efforts to expand the market forpottery products. Authorities have also been repairing and upgradinginfrastructure to protect the environment there, while selecting a site in Binh Duc to build a hall for exhibiting products, the production process,as well as other traditional arts of Cham people, aiming to both preserve the Chamculture and develop tourism, he noted.
Early last month, theMuseum of Binh Thuan province coordinated with the People’s Committee of PhanHiep commune opened a class to teach traditional pottery skills of Cham peopleto over 30 young residents in Binh Duc.
In the neighbouring province of NinhThuan, the pottery village of Bau Truc is now home to two cooperatives and 11establishments producing and selling pottery products, along with about 300households involved in the craft.
Ninh Phuoc district, whereBau Truc is located, is investing efforts in a project on preserving anddeveloping this pottery village. In particular, it is mobilising resources for infrastructureimprovement, providing craft training for the young, and combining craftpreservation with tourism development.
Pottery products are displayed at a store of the Bau Truc Cham pottery cooperative in Ninh Thuan province. (Photo: VNA) Since the art of potterymaking earned UNESCO’s recognition, communications about heritage preservationand promotion have also been enhanced, thus encouraging many young people to learnthe craft.
Identifying this art as a preciousresource for tourism development, various measures have also been carried outin Ninh Thuan and Binh Thuan to enhance the provinces’ tourism attractiveness.
Under its tourismdevelopment plan for 2021 - 2025, with a vision to 2030, approved by the provincialPeople’s Committee, Ninh Thuan will focus on four typical products, namelymarine leisure tourism, hi-tech agro-tourism, ecotourism at the Nui ChuaBiosphere Reserve, and cultural tourism, especially the one linked with theCham cultural heritage.
Nguyen Van Hoa, Directorof the Ninh Thuan Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, noted the Bau Trucpottery village is an outstanding destination in this province. Acommunity-based tourism board was established in the village and groups setup to develop specific tourism products such as a group for cuisine, a group ofartisans, a group for traditional music and a group for the Cham culture.
Binh Thuan, the host of Visit VietnamYear 2023, has paid special attention to bringing into play the values of culturalheritage elements so as to concurrently preserve heritage and diversify tourismproducts.
Chairman of the Binh ThuanTourism Association Nguyen Van Khoa pointed out that exploring and experiencingcraft villages are becoming attractive tourism activities, helping both promotecultural values and generate socio-economic benefits. Tours of craft villagesof local ethnic groups, including Cham people, have left good impression ontravellers./.
VNA
