Browse e-KNOWBASE

Category FAQs Search : Art, Culture and History of Sarawak, Malaysia

Question: The modelling of the pot used in Iban pottery:

Answer: 1. The clay is modelled into the shape of a cylinder. The size of this depends on the volume the pot is going to contain; this can vary from 1 1/2 gallon up to two gallons. For the average cooking pot the cylinder would need to be about 3 1/2" -5" high and 2"-3" wide.
2. The top of this cylinder is then beaten flat with the smooth side of the beater until it is almost twice as wide as the bottom. A moist rotan ring, about 1/2" smaller in diameter than the cylinder top is buried in this top by rolling the outer edge of the cylinder over it.
3. The pot is then given a rough shape by gently pressing the clay outwards from the middle and by plunging one of the smooth stones into the centre until the hole is big enough to hold a stone inside comfortably.

(Source: Iban Pottery: Sarawak Museum Occasional Paper No.5 , 20 Sep 2021)

Source Link: Pustaka Negeri Sarawak Book Collection