Indigenous pottery making in Meghalaya, Larnai village is well known for its traditional pottery making on its own design and technique. Larnai is located within the Thadlaskein Block of the Jaintia Hills, about 58 km from the capital city, Shillong. Women of the village, for many years, have been working and engaged in the making of pottery items locally known as Khiew Larnai (Larnai’s pottery) or Khiew Ranei (Ranei’s pottery) used by the people around the Khasis and Jaintias hills. The earthenware is hand moulded using raw materials. There are two kinds of clay used for making pottery the ‘khyndewiong’ (Black Clay) and khyndewkhluit (Grog) which are obtained from a place named Sung valley. These two clay types are mixed and then pounded using a wooden pounder known as synrei (a tool to pound the clay). The clay is then moulded and sundried. When the pots are ready, they are fired, after which they are coloured using the bark of the Sohliya tree.
• Terracotta potters in Meghalaya carried out by Women folks especially in the region of Larnai is what my project is based on.
• The potters used the old methods while processing and production of the products, perhaps the new development introduced, encourage them in marketing procedure not only at state level but also outside the state.
• They have been using minimum tools for making process As per their requirement. Wooden hand tools for tapping, stone, clothes, and woods for pit firing.
• They collect their own local clay which is available in the nearby area and collectively the clay is being carried out to the pottery area by each one of them, this place is about 2 hours distance from the making area in the village.
