Pottery in Ladakh

The tradition of making fired clay pots in Ladakh goes back many centuries. Once probably more widely practised, today the making of these pots is confined to the village of Likir, located in the Sham valley of western Ladakh. Within Likir itself it is practised by very few families, at the last count there were only two potters in the village. However, more recently a women’s self-help group has taken up the art so that continuity is ensured.
The film revolves around Lumchung Tsepel, a potter (dzam khan), and his family. Lumchung has been making pots since he was a young boy, and he talks about the history of the craft and how he got involved with it. The film then goes on to trace the process of making pots, from procuring the clay and sand to making it soft and malleable to work with to the different tools used to turn, coil, beat and build the pots, then incise simple patterns on their surface and, finally, the firing using dry shrubs and cow dung. Lumchung’s family members, including his wife, son, Rigzin Namgyal, and daughter in-law, all help him and contribute to the process of making terracotta pots along with many other utensils such as incense pots (phobskor), lamps (chudkung), teapot with brazier (tibril and meslang), among others. Lumchung hopes that his son will continue the tradition.