By Manjeet Dhillon
Tanah galian hasil bumi,
Di tangan cekap menjadi periuk,
Warisan lama takkan mati,
Seni budaya turun temurun.
The National Museum of Kuala Lumpur’s west wall isn’t just a surface; it’s a window into Malaysian craftsmanship. Artist Cheong Lai Tong’s iconic mural, “Malayan Crafts and Craftsmen,” goes beyond individual figures. It’s a thematic map, inviting us to explore the core elements that bind these crafts together: earth, fibres, metals, textiles, and wood.
Through this exploration, we’ll unlock a conversation between nature and human ingenuity.
This bi-weekly series will feature seven articles, each focusing on a specific element. We’ll appreciate the mural’s artistry while discovering corresponding collections housed within the museum’s walls.
A Legacy from Earth
The story of Malaysian pottery is a fascinating journey that begins with the earth itself. As early as the Neolithic period, when nomadic hunter-gatherers transitioned to a more agricultural lifestyle, the need for storage and transport vessels arose.
A key element in this tale is clay. Its remarkable malleability allowed these early artisans to shape the earth with their hands, creating vessels that could hold their form after drying and transform into permanent fixtures through the application of fire.
The museum’s collection reveals the multifaceted nature of Malaysian pottery. It’s a story not just of form and function but also of cultural heritage, technological advancements, and artistic expression. It facilitated early barter trade systems, as these functional objects became valuable commodities exchanged across the region.
| Location | Pottery type | Description |
| Museum of Malay Ethnography | Bacong | Large, wide-mouthed jars traditionally used for storing water and rice. |
| Labu Sayong | Gourd-shaped water bottles made from terracotta feature ribbed bodies and are often adorned with incised geometric patterns. Traditionally, they were hand-moulded without the use of a potter’s wheel. | |
| Buyong | Large, wide-bodied water containers with a narrow neck, often decorated with floral motifs. | |
| Bekas Ubat (Medicine Container) | Small, lidded containers used for storing traditional Malay medicines. This double-spouted kendi is a water container used in Southeast Asian rituals. The name “kendi” comes from the Malay term derived from the Sanskrit word “kundika,” meaning “water vessel.” Unlike most kendi, which lack handles, this specific example features a small handle connecting the two spouts. Their use was prominent in important ceremonies like weddings and funerals. Water from a kendi would be sprinkled during these rituals. | |
| Terenang | Crafted from earthenware, these cooking pots feature a rounded bottom and a wide rim. Decorated with stamped and incised geometric motifs around the body and rim. Terenang’s name derives from the word “tunang,” signifying its original role as a container for engagement rings in Pahang. Notably, Terenang is one of the few types of Tembeling pottery, and the “tali air” refers to the border separating each section of this potteryware. | |
| Periuk Tanah Berkaki (Legged / Footed Claypot) | Clay cooking pot raised on three or four legs, designed for even heat distribution. |
Photo credit: Manjeet Dhillon
| Location | Pottery type | Description |
| Gallery A | Neolithic Pottery | The earliest forms of Malaysian pottery date back thousands of years. Includes utilitarian vessels, shards with plain, tri-colour, or patterned decorations, unearthed from archaeological sites like Gunung Cha in Kelantan. |
| Gallery C | Ceramic Latex Holder | Container crafted from glazed ceramic, specifically designed to hold latex collected from rubber trees. |
Photo credit: Manjeet Dhillon
Gallery A: Burial Vitrine
While these clay jars in Gallery A’s burial vitrine might seem like local creations, they were transported to Borneo through maritime trade routes, highlighting the interconnectedness of different cultures in the region.
These impressive clay jars, known as Martaban jars, were prized by the Iban people for both practical and symbolic reasons. They served not only as storage containers but also as markers of wealth and status. Interestingly, these jars, also called “tajau” by the Dayak people of Kalimantan, weren’t produced locally.
Some Martaban jars even feature moulded dragons on their sides, earning them the name “dragon jars.”
[Historical Connection]: Martaban is the name of a port on the east side of the Irrawaddy Delta in present-day Myanmar. This port became well known for its trade in huge storage jars. The association was so strong that “Martaban” eventually became synonymous with the name of the jars themselves.
[Cultural Insight]: Traditionally, potters evaluated the quality of Martaban jars by their sound. When struck with the hand or a wooden stick, a high-quality jar would produce a clear, ringing tone. This indicated the jar’s strength, density, and ability to properly store valuable goods. Hence, Martaban jars are often referred to as “talking jars.”
[Cultural Insight]: Among the indigenous communities in Sarawak, Martaban jars also serve as funerary equipment. Within a family home, an upside-down jar might stand out conspicuously. This signifies that an older woman has reserved it for her own burial, indicating her wish that it not be used for its more common purpose of fermenting wine. For further reading, you can explore Trade Objects by Lucas Chin.
With the museum’s collection as our guide, let’s explore some of the broader threads that define Malaysian pottery:
1- Sarawak Pottery: Here, we find two distinct pottery traditions.
- Chinese potters near Kuching and Sibu craft stoneware jars (tempayan) in hues of brown, green, and blue with embossed and incised patterns. The pottery industry in Kuching nowadays can be found clustered together on Penrissen Road, Kuching. You can watch a video of Sarawak pottery.
- In contrast, the Iban, Murut, and Kelabit communities produce a distinct type of pottery: simple and fired at a low temperature. This pottery is often used in their weaving ceremonies. Interestingly, the style of this pottery bears a striking resemblance to Neolithic pottery found in Sarawak, hinting at a long-standing tradition that may stretch back thousands of years.
Image source: Borneo Post Online
A potter’s toolkit, crafted from natural materials, is laid out here. From left to right:
i) Penempa: a carving tool carved from belian, a strong and durable ironwood.
ii) Batu segala or batu bulat: smooth stones used for shaping the clay.
iii) Simpai and bemban: these tools are made from rattan. The simpai is used for shaping or coiling the clay, while the bemban functions as a stand for the pots.
2- Malay Pottery: Characterised by four distinct forms:
- labu (gourd-shaped water bottle)
- buyong (large water container)
- geluk (a smaller, rounded pitcher)
- belanga (wide-rimmed cooking pot)
Source: Keindahan Tembikar Tradisional Terenang Warisan Negeri Pahang by Mohd Zamani Mohd Nor Pea and https://artisenivisual.blogspot.com/2011/10/kraf-tradisional-tajuk-tembikar-sejarah.html
3- Chinese Dragon Kiln Pottery: Over a century ago, Teochew immigrants brought a symbol of Chinese ingenuity – the long, roofed kilns. Fueled by the rubber boom’s demand for latex cups, families from Swatow (Guangdong, China) established clusters like those north of Ipoh near clay deposits. Today, these kilns have shifted their focus, primarily producing stoneware flower pots and water jars for a global audience. You can watch a video of these kilns in action here.
Image source: The Ceramic School via https://ceramic.school/singapores-last-dragon-kiln/
4- Indian Pottery: In Kampung Kedah (Parit Buntar) and Batu Dua (Kuala Selangor), potteries specialise in low-fired terracotta ware. These items are primarily used for religious and ceremonial purposes, such as oil burners and incense holders. One example of such pottery is the pannai pot, a traditional cooking vessel favoured for preparing Pongal, a dish of rice boiled in milk and raw sugar cane.
Image source: Pannai pottery from http://www.malaysiakini.com
Pots, typically shaped like belanga or periuk, are decorated with simple stamped designs that reflect their utilitarian purpose. You can watch a video to see the pot-making process in Kuala Selangor.
photo credit : Manjeet Dhillon
Figures on the museum’s mural:
A central figure in the museum’s mural is a potter, busily working amidst a display of finished and in-progress earthenware forms. In the background, a kiln suggests the process of firing these ceramic creations.
From the Neolithic era to the present day, earth has served as a crucial element in shaping Malaysian crafts. As we move through the museum’s collection, we’ll discover how other elements – fibres, wood, textiles, and metals – contribute to this remarkable story of human ingenuity and artistic expression. In our next series, we’ll learn more about crafts made from Malaysian fibres, where bamboo, rattan, and pandanus leaves take centre stage.
Translation of pantun:
Earth dug from the land’s bounty,
In skilled hands, becomes a clay pot,
A legacy that will never die,
Passed down through generations
Additional Reading
- Papers on Indigenous Southeast Asian Pottery Production from https://www.iseas.edu.sg/centres/nalanda-sriwijaya-centre/research-tools/sea-ark/pottery-papers/
- The Talking Jars from https://canadiansocietyforasianarts.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Catalogue-The-Talking-Jars-Oct-Nov-1971-optimized.pdf
Reference:
- A Malaysian Tapestry – Rich Heritage at the National Museum
- The Encyclopedia of Malaysia: Crafts and Visual Arts by Hood Salleh
- The Crafts of Malaysia by Sulaiman Othman and Others
- Sarawak Style by Luca Invernizzi Tettoni and Edric Ong
- Heritage Hands from https://h-paper.hplhotels.com/heritage-hands/
- Ipoh’s dragon kiln master from https://goingplaces.malaysiaairlines.com/ipohs-dragon-kiln-master/
- Into The Dragon’s Hearth – The Story Of Clay from https://wadd.asia/page/316/into-the-dragon-s-hearth—the-story-of-clay
- Legacy of ‘clay man’ from China — Lee Yew Meng from https://www.malaymail.com/news/what-you-think/2016/06/15/legacy-of-clay-man-from-china-lee-yew-meng/1141307
- Sarawak Crafts: The Dying Art of Iban Pottery – https://borneoadventure.com/blog/2022/03/sarawak-crafts-the-dying-art-of-iban-pottery/
- Iban Pottery: Nanga Sumpah, Sarawak from https://museum.um.edu.my/iban-pottery-nanga-sumpah-sarawak
- Keeper of a dying art from https://www.theborneopost.com/2013/07/07/keeper-of-a-dying-art/
- Ritual Water Vessel from https://www.roots.gov.sg/Collection-Landing/listing/1110825
- A Study Toward the Influences Affecting Design and Motifs of Terenang Pottery from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/340300713_A_Study_Toward_the_Influences_Affecting_Design_and_Motifs_of_Terenang_Pottery/fulltext/5e8354dda6fdcca789e55a3e/A-Study-Toward-the-Influences-Affecting-Design-and-Motifs-of-Terenang-Pottery.pdf
- Trade Objects: Their Impact on the Cultures of the Indigenous Peoples of Sarawak, Borneo by Lucas Chin, Expedition Magazine 30, no. 1 (March, 1988): from https://www.penn.museum/sites/expedition/trade-objects/
- Hidden Gems: Prehistoric Burials from https://museumvolunteersjmm.com/2018/07/16/hidden-gems-prehistoric-burials/
The Talking Jars from https://canadiansocietyforasianarts.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Catalogue-The-Talking-Jars-Oct-Nov-1971-optimized.pdf
Museum Volunteers, JMM 