The desire to preserve the Luo culture and tradition is what drives the Oriang’ pottery industry in Karachuonyo constituency to keep operating.
The industry has about 20 members, mostly women, as pot modellers.
It started in 1981 after the then Karachuonyo MP Phoebe Asiyo, through a German organisation known as the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit, discovered a clay-based soil useful for making pottery at Oriang’ in the constituency.
Asiyo, through her influence, wooed more than 200 women. Some were registered under Maendeleo ya Wanawake (MYW) Organisation to join the industry, and she became its leader.
The women got empowered because they had a source of earning a living. The money they got from pottery works could also be used as a contribution to the MYW.
Most of the women took advantage to join the industry because they were coming from around.
Group secretary Grace Jakoyo says the industry was started with the aim of improving the economic status of residents. Members could make and sell pots for money.
Moulding pots was also seen as a way of preserving the Luo community's culture and tradition.
Jakoyo says the industry also served as a centre where young women (married and unmarried) could get an education on Luo cultural practices.
They were taught how to live with their husbands when they are married and how to prepare food, among other ways of living in the society.
Elderly women in the industry provided such training services.
MODERNISATION THREAT
Jakoyo says the advancement of technology has posed a lot of challenges to them and the industry as society embraces modernity.
The introduction of modern household items in the markets is killing the industry and its operations.
The secretary attributes the shrinking membership to the fast spread of modernisation.
Death, ageing and reluctance by youthful people to join the industry have also contributed to the low membership.
The industry apparently has also been neglected.
When the Star visited, we found potter women Doris Auma, Ulda Adoyo and Caren Adhiambo busy in earthenware making processes.
The once resplendent pottery house has cobwebs on the roof and walls. Some parts of the walls have also developed cracks.
Dilapidated water pipes, the kiln and some equipment used for producing the earthenware are visible.
Jakoyo says commitment to maintain the Luo culture and tradition is what keeps them going.
“The potters we have here are doing the work out of passion and desire to safeguard our culture and tradition. The industry is no longer as vibrant as before,” she says.
At the centre, the women divide the works as some make pots for cooking food, storing water and herbal medicine.
Others make flowers pots, pots for serving food and jiko-stoves.
The secretary says for a long time, their pottery work has been neglected and some people mistakenly considered it dirty and muddy work that was looked down on.
Jakoyo, however, says if given time, she cannot opt for another job because they consider pottery as sacred work. She insists that not everyone can make a good pot.
The women consider themselves as special people in the society.
“Pottery works come as a result of talent. We have colleagues who cannot model pots regardless of the training sessions they have undergone,” she says.
Potter Auma agrees with the secretary, saying most pots moulded by ungifted people develop cracks and are not durable.
Auma, 63, says she has been making pots since 1990.
She says pots made by untalented people do not pass the processes of curing and kilning. Many such pots easily get deformed during moulding.
“Unless you are gifted, you cannot make a pot. There are times when even the experienced potter gets unlucky and moulds poorly shaped pots,” Auma says.
She says they love making pots. Previously, when the pottery business was booming, they used to make more than 800 pots a day.
But nowadays, they attend to the work after going to their farms.
However, Auma says she is motivated by the scripture of Isaiah 64:8, which says, ‘But now, O Lord, you are our Father, we are the clay, and you, our potter; and all of us are the work of your hand.’
POT-MAKING PROCEDURE
They mould pots from a mixture of fine sand, water and clay soil.
The clay soil is usually prepared at least a week before it can be used for the work.
Preparation of the soil involves kneading the clay using their hands until all air bubbles are eliminated. The soil becomes more pliable and malleable when it is ready.
Men members help in bringing and preparing the soil.
Oriang' pottery women's group owns a one-acre piece of land 500m away from the pottery site, where they source their raw material (clay-based soil) from.
“The pliable soil mixture is usually covered tightly for either three or four days with a polythene bag to strengthen it. The bag also keeps at bay any foreign materials from mixing with the clay,” she says.
Despite the advancement in technology, the potters find solace and get encouraged to continue with the work because they are also involved in environmental conservation.
Jiko-stoves require a small amount of charcoal for preparing food because they conserve heat.
The stoves have remained popular among the kitchenware in many homes as the government tries to fight deforestation.
In 2014, the women attended a worldwide cultural festival in the US. They also participate in Luo local cultural festivals locally.
“People need to know that foods cooked in pots have good taste. Many governments worldwide encourage their citizens to use low-fuel appliances,” Jakoyo says.
ENVIRONMENTAL COMPLIANCE
The Environment ministry is also supporting artefacts because it’s a practice that conserves the environment.
The activities are less harmful to the green economy since they help reduce carbon emissions into the atmosphere.
An organisation called the Participatory Ecological Land Use Management (Pelum)-Kenya appeals to the Homa Bay government to support activities that promote environmental conservation.
Pelum-Kenya officials Beth Omae and Kevin Wanjare say economic activities, such as pottery making, should be supported because they have less environmental degradation.
“Apart from promoting pottery works, a clear policy framework should be put in place by the county government to protect the environment,” Wanjare adds.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) calls for reduced carbon emissions into the atmosphere.
The emissions are a major component of greenhouse gases, which enhance global warming, thus causing climate change.
Climatologist Clifford Omondi says the IPCC wants all industrial sectors to embrace cleaner production technologies.
Pottery works are safe to the environment and at the same time enhance economic growth by creating job opportunities for the people.
“Pottery is one of the activities that promote green economy through the efficient use of natural resources and energy,” he says.
The University of Nairobi don says industries are tasked with capacity building and improving efficiency as they strive to reduce waste of raw materials and energy.
“It important for the green economy to be embraced at all levels to reduce individual carbon footprints and uphold sustainability,” he says.
