M'Nong black pottery

The M’Nông people were among the first ethnic communities we encountered when we began An Nhan Exquisite back in 2015. Deep in the Dak Lak province, the M’nong people have long preserved ways of life that felt almost untouched by time. 

It was here that we met two remarkable women – H'Phiết Uông and H'Lưm Uông, who practiced a nearly forgotten art form: black pottery. This ancient technique, unique to the M’Nông community, is characterised by its open-air firing, and deep black finish, achieved by hand-dyeing the clay with rice husk smoke. At that time, we have never heard about this technique. In fact, to our knowledge, only these two women still knew how to make it. Without using a kiln, they fire the clay, and without using a turntable, they move around the clay to shape it. 

We were struck not just by the beauty of the pottery, but by the weight of its cultural significance. This was more than craft – it was heritage. It is not known when this craft began, or why its typically women who learn it. When we asked H'Phiết Uông (out of 60 years old), she told us simply, “I learned from my mother, who learned from hers”. A skill passed quietly from generation to generation like a secret kept safe through time. 

In the past, all the utensils used to cook rice and soup were made of ceramic, and objects would be exchanged from community to community.  It is only in recent years that aluminium or other materials have appeared, removing the need for ceramics and contributing to the disappearance of this craft.

Nowadays, due to the introduction of modern materials and mass production, this timely artform that requires time and effort, is no longer in use, which is what made this discovery so exciting for us.

Pure clay is dug from the rice field by hand. The clay is then hand-milled until the impurities are removed. 

The artisans move around the clay as they shape it. Their hands guided by memory and instinct. A small cloth is used to form the orifice (opening of the vessel), while a bamboo bracelet helps gently trim away the excess. 

Using a small bamboo stick, they decorate the surface with simple linear motifs, running with and against the grain of the clay. 

To polish the surface, they use a fine pebble which they run from the base to the orifice. They stop polishing when the surface is smooth and shiny. 

The pottery is then dried in the sun to prepare it for the next step: firing. 

Out in the open, the pottery is fired. Firewood collected locally is heated for 45 to 60 minutes, and the pottery is placed in the centre of the flames. 

After removing it from the fire, the pottery is buried in rice husks. The smoke from the husk’s seeps into the clay, dyeing the surface a dark black – the unique colour of the M’nong Pottery. 

The finished product stands resilient and raw, bearing the fingerprints of generations. Each vessel tells a story of earth, fire, smoke and skill.

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