Hundreds of years after
what is believed to be the earliest industry that thrived in this part of
Cagayan province, the town of Iguig is picking up where its ancestral settlers
left off. By continuously shaping a heritage through the delicate hands of its artisan
townsfolk; the soft natural rock material called clay – finds a home and
purpose here.
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| A local artist demonstrates his expertise in pottery making. Photo courtesy of Martin San Diego / North Philippines Visitors Bureau (NPVB) |
“I thought clay must feel
happy in the good potter’s hand” wrote Janet Fitch in her book White Oleander.
It certainly does, in the capable hands of the locals residing in the more than
sixty households of Iguig. Skillful hands that keep the molding going in order
to turn this Earth-material into solid and creative ceramic products.
One Town-One Product
It is said that in the
early 1970’s, a team of local and foreign archaeologists uncovered fragments of
fossilized ornaments and clay pots around various locations in the town of
Iguig. Some believe these artifacts prove the existence of an ancient pottery
industry that flourished hundreds or even a thousand years ago.
Today, Iguig has earned
the tourism slogan of “pottery center of Cagayan”, as it ushers pottery making
as the municipality’s representation of its One Town One Product (OTOP)
creation.
Barangay Atulu – Home of
the Itawis People
After alighting from our
Lakbay Norte bus, we walked through rows of small unpainted houses built from
hollow blocks and wood. As we edged inside the narrow passageways, we were
greeted by men and women seated in front of their homes with their hands busy
caressing slabs of clay.
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| A woman pottery maker shows Levy how to properly mold a slab of clay. Photo courtesy of Martin San Diego / North Philippines Visitors Bureau (NPVB) |
“More than 60 households
here are engaged in the pottery making” the town’s Barangay Captain told us.
“Baranggay Atulu is mostly populated by the indigenous Itawis people” he adds.
We stopped to watch a few
local artisans go on with their work. In a few rapid movements, one man was
able to mold a lump of clay and in a calculated hand motion, he was able to
smoothen it into a shape of a large chocolate bar. “This can be used for wall
furnishing – like a brick” one of the locals told us in Tagalog.
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| A child watches the probing visitors as her father concentrates on casting a small pottery item |
It appears that every
local artist working in their respective homes specialize on a certain type of
pottery product. At the adjacent house, we watched a father casting a chunk of
clay and turning it into small flower pots, as his little child stands just
outside their humble abode’s door and eyes us keenly in return.
The thriving pottery
industry of Iguig is evidently on display along the short stretch of highway,
where stores selling clay kitchenware, pots and even terra-cotta figures are
lined up.
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| Crafty hands in action |
Seeing all the clay
products stacked up neatly made me wonder why people are still crazy over
plastic and steel wares – especially those made from China, when these ceramic
produces fashioned from the skillful hands and ingenious minds of the local
craft workers of Iguig, appear more elegant and durable.
As we wrap-up our
morning’s exploration around Iguig, I have come to appreciate the enduring
heritage of the town – in the form of pottery making, that was handed down from
many centuries to the present generation.
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| Pottery stores lined up along the road side of the highway in Iguig, Cagayan. Photo courtesy of Martin San Diego / North Philippines Visitors Bureau (NPVB) |
Who would have thought
that in this small hidden town, a cultural industry believed to have first
existed hundreds of years ago, still exists and prospers under the radar of
most travelers and lovers of all things ceramic?
I am so glad to have
learned about the existence of Iguig’s pottery industry and how it also wove a
whole community together.
This
trip to the town of Iguig, Cagayan was made possible through Lakbay Norte 6, a media familiarization
trip held from January 30 to February 3, 2017, and organized by the North Philippines Visitors Bureau (NPVB),
a non-stock, non-profit organization spearheaded by the Manila North Tollways Corporation, builder and concessionaire of
the North Luzon Expressway.
