Skip to main content

Blackware Longpi Pot of Manipur

                                                       Photographs: IGRMS, Bhopal


Longpi village lies at 40 kms north of Ukhrul town in Ukhrul District, Manipur. The village is inhabited by aroung 6000 Tangkhul tribe and their main occupation is agriculture and pottery. Longpi is the only village in the whole of Ukhrul District which produces  blackware earthen pots. These pots are unique in quality and style also.







Fine powder of local stone containing mineral
Local sandy clay
Mixture of crushed sandy clay and mineral stone in a ration of 2:1



Longpi pots, as it is popularly known in Manipur and elsewhere has been widely used in the region since time immemorial. Longpi pots are prepared in various styles, sizes and forms. The most popular variety is cooking pots (for curry) which is the prized possession of every Tangkhul household.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Traditional paintings on Khamba-Thoibi displays on Gallery No.11 of IGRMS

Under the guidance of four traditional painters of the Royal Guild (Karigar Loishang), eight young contemporary artists took part in a workshop jointly organized by IGRMS and Manipur State Museum in the year 2000 at Imphal. These paintings depict some of the interesting episode of the legendary epic of Moirang Kingdom - the Khamba and Thoibi. The myth of Moirang is unveiled from the tragic end of an adoring pair of he-pegion and she-pegion. An unknown hunter in his own delight had killed the birds. This unfaithful incident had alienated the union of the two souls in this living world. It was under the willful act of the Almighty that the two souls took rebirth successively up to their ninth humanly reincarnations. The seventh rebirth has stamped a spectacular event of prowess, treachery and conflict of human sentiment into this Kingdom. Khamba- the poor orphan born in a poor family and his only sister Khamnu gave all her utmost care to grow a faithful brother who always strives for t...
3 comments
Read more

OO-CHAKRI- a traditional wooden grinder

Heavy and massive in structure, this kind of traditional wooden grinders were used widely in the rural and tribal areas of Manipur. It was an important household item exclusively meant for grinding paddy for domestic consumption. Even after the introduction of electric mills highly equipped with sophesticated mechanical devices, still there are some villages in Manipur where Oo-Chakri of this kind are used for grinding paddy. Prepared from two separate logs of either Heinou (Mango) or Theibong (Jackfruit) tree, it looks similar in sizes. However, these logs are structured according to its mechanical functions. The upper part of the grinder is called Makhum and the lower one is named as Mahak . Meitei term for grinder is Chakri and it is synonymous to the word- obstructions. The term Chakri is given to denote the obstructions and frictions created between the two logs. Mahak possess a central shaft through which the upper body Makhum is mounted. The teeth of both the segments are pre...
Post a Comment
Read more