Kasongan earthenware center survives crisis

Kasongan earthenware center survives crisis

Text and pictures by Tarko Sudiarno

YOGYAKARTA (JP): Farmers in Kasongan, a poor village in Bantul
regency, Yogyakarta, once spent their leisure time making
traditional earthenware products such as vases, stoves, piggy
banks and household vessels.

Times change, and now, although the village still produces
earthenware articles, the situation is considerably different.
Kasongan, which was considered a "backward" village some 20 years
ago, has turned into an international center of earthenware.

The villagers, who once were ashamed to tell people where they
live, are now proud of their hometown. The formally isolated
village south of Yogyakarta now sees great numbers of visitors
from overseas and other parts of Indonesia. It has become a
tourist attraction. Kasongan products are in great demand by
consumers across the world and production increases from year to
year.

If the Indonesian tourism industry has declined in the
protracted economic crisis, the opposite has taken place in
Kasongan. In 1997, Kasongan needed 151 shipping containers to
export its products. In 1998 the number of containers increased
to 276. The greater part of the exports went to Australia and
Europe.

The achievement of the Kasongan earthenware craftsmen did not
happen overnight. Their experience has gone a long way. Before
1975 the craftsmen had to hawk their products on bicycles, doing
the rounds in Yogyakarta and in Central Java. It took them
several days to tour the region. Leaving home to sell their wares
was the life of many Kasongan residents.

The hard work of several generations did not pay off until
1975. At that time it was still the poor farmers who made the
handicrafts. Their welfare was in a sad state and people did not
pay any attention to them.

Things started to come alive after Sapto Hoedojo and other
Yogyakarta artists came to help.

With the work and advice of the artists, the Kasongan
traditional earthenware craftsmen learned to be innovative with
their works. They abandoned the traditional earthenware motifs
and developed multi-functional art works. Formerly, the
traditional products were meant for household use only, now they
have become art works that many people like to collect.

We can now see various forms and styles of earthenware
products in Kasongan village, from small wedding presents to
life-size statues of animals and dancers. The creative process in
Kasongan continues with the passing of time. A number of motifs
have been adopted from the Asmat in Irian Jaya and Dayak,
Balinese and Chinese ceramics.

In the Kasongan handicraft industry area the majority of
inhabitants are involved in earthenware production. There are no
fewer than 338 traders with showrooms and 1,500 have become
earthenware craftsmen. Some residents, though, continue to
produce traditional earthenware and, riding a bicycle, they hawk
their own products from village to village.