“We used to play “lutu-lutuan” using the “coron-coron” when we were young”
My mother tells me that when they were young they used to play “lutu-lutuan” using the ‘coron-coron” made of clay. It was actually a kitchen set that kids used to play where they cook rice or even fry a small fish that they catch in the river; it was like a small version of the “coron” or a pot that was used long time ago. Today, you do not see kids play it anymore because nowadays kids used to have plastic kitchen set toys.
“Coron coron” is a perfect souvenir item when you visit Tiwi and the good thing about it is that it was still made out of the clay and the classic look was still maintained. I have actually bought one that cost only about 25.00 pesos. When I showed it to my mother it was as if her childhood days were back, she tells me the simplicity of her childhood before, it was like a time travel when she saws the “coron-coron”.
There are also varieties of items and design made of clay, from different figurines, flower base, coron, candle holder and tapayan the town and its people has preserved the art of making these potteries from their ancestors because almost all these items and products were hand-made. It took passion to make at least one pottery because you need a lot of patience just to have one not knowing the process that it will go through.
Tiwi is the only town in Albay that has the right to claim as the pottery capital. Just a few minutes away from the town proper Barangay Putsan produces world class potteries that is been exported here in the country and abroad. It is said that the barangay is rich in red clay and feldspar which are essentials in pottery making.
The art of pottery making in town is now a fusion of traditional and modern technology and facilities. The Philippine Ceramics Arts and Crafts Center (PhilCeramics) is a state-of-the-art terra-cotta production center in the region. It was also identified as a tourist destination by the Department of Tourism (DOT) and with the help of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) it started operating in January 2001.
The art of pottery making in town is now a fusion of traditional and modern technology and facilities. The Philippine Ceramics Arts and Crafts Center (PhilCeramics) is a state-of-the-art terra-cotta production center in the region. It was also identified as a tourist destination by the Department of Tourism (DOT) and with the help of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) it started operating in January 2001.
The PhilCeramics has introduced the modern technology of pottery making in Putsan then the villagers formed a cooperative, the Putsan Ceramics Manufacturers Associations (PCMA), by using PhilCeramics facilities they are able to process clay and some were able to put up their own display center of their products that sustain the livelihood of the locals.
There are actually two kinds of potters in the town, the first are those who are not yet ready to adapt to the modern processes and are into the traditional and conventional way of pottery making. Traditional potters are those who use the conventional way of of baking and drying their clays and molded pots under the sun just along the road or in front of their houses.
There are actually two kinds of potters in the town, the first are those who are not yet ready to adapt to the modern processes and are into the traditional and conventional way of pottery making. Traditional potters are those who use the conventional way of of baking and drying their clays and molded pots under the sun just along the road or in front of their houses.
Every pottery is meticulously crafted with love and passion by a potter each designs and shapes are carefully shaped by hands. This form of art has been passed on through generations and with the help of modern technology the process of making clay pottery has been preserved and has been enriched for the future generation.