MOTUAN POTTERY - Vessels of Meaning

Motuan pottery is more than clay shaped for everyday use. Every vessel carries a name, a purpose and a place within Motuan life.

In Motuan Pottery – Vessels of Meaning, Mea Podi Vai revisits memories of the women from Porebada, Boera and Rea Rea who once sold their handmade pottery at the Ela Beach craft market.

The book documents traditional vessels, including the Tohe, Rarahu, Uro, Ariara Nauna, Keikei, Hodu and Naunau - and explains how each served a particular household, culinary or cultural purpose. It also touches upon a remarkable piece of recorded Motuan history: the birth of triplets in Porebada in 1952.

But this is more than a record of traditional objects.

As these pots gradually disappear from marketplaces and everyday homes, the language, skills and stories surrounding them are also at risk of being lost. Through a thoughtful concluding reflection, the book asks what we can do to preserve Motuan pottery - and, on a larger scale, Motuan culture itself.

Readers are encouraged to record their elders, learn the traditional names of cultural objects, support remaining artisans, preserve family and clan histories, speak Motu to their children and create opportunities for cultural knowledge to pass between generations.

The pots may have almost vanished from the marketplace, but the knowledge does not have to vanish with them.

Part of the Journey of Discovery – Motu Sene collection, Motuan Pottery reminds us that an object whose story is preserved becomes history and that preserving culture begins with what we choose to remember, practise and teach.

Author: Mea Podi Vai
Format: Digital ebook (PDF)
Delivery: Available for download immediately after purchase