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Design Gallery
Zama Pottery Making
The craft of clay pottery
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Fine black clay is collected from the mountain beds of Langza village.
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Clay is mixed with water.
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Clay is then refined with the help of a local filter ‘Channi’.
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Refined clay is kept for sometime so that the clay particles are settled down, marking two layers of clay and water separate.
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Water is poured out and the clay is again poured into a porous sheet where it is refined again.
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The clay is then collected and beaten by hand continuously to make it soft.
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The clay is then flatten by hands with the help of simple tools.
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The desired shape is given by adding more and more layers of clay on top of the base.
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The clay is cut into required shape.
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The desired shape is given by adding more and more layers of clay.
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The desired shape is given by pressing hands.
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Zama Pottery.
Zama pottery is a traditional art from the high mountains of Spiti Valley. Originally used for practical purposes, like storing items, it has evolved into a decorative craft. Dorje Angtuk from Langza village is one of the few potters who still practices this nearly forgotten art.
In Langza, the clay is ideal for making large pots because it's very pliable and strong. Black clay is gathered from the mountains and mixed with water. After filtering through a local sieve called a 'channi', the clay settles in layers, with the water being removed. The clay is refined further on a porous sheet, then beaten by hand to soften it. Using basic tools made from wood, leather, and stone, the clay is shaped by hand into the desired form. Layers of clay are added on top of a base to achieve the final shape. The pottery is dried in the sun before being fired in a kiln at about 900 °C. Apart from the Zama technique, potters also use a potter's wheel for shaping their pots.
For more details:
https://www.dsource.in/resource/zama-pottery-spiti-valley
