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.