Pottery as one of the popular crafts in the ancient times seems to be going into oblivion in many, if not most parts of the country.
Correspondent, Chibuzor Obidike conducted opinion poll on the issue and reports that gone are the days when mothers cook with clay pots and serve dishes inclay plates, while adults eat with wooden spoons and children feed with their bare hands.
In recent times most people prefer ceramics, breakable, stainless, and other western types of utensils in their homes.
Speaking on the issue, Mr. Cyril Umeakaife regretted that household utensils used among the people including large and heavy domestic utensils such as mortar and pestle, big and deep clay pot for fermenting cassava to make foo foo or store water for drinking, bathing and washing have been changed .
Mr. Umeakaife who described pottery as sacred and healthy said that drinking water from a clay pot does not cause pneumonia or other disease caused by cold water,and opined that modern days utensils may contain chemical that is detrimental to human health.
While appreciating the unique nature of pottery to the society, Mrs Nonye Eselu said that Pottery in its traditional setting is unique in the sense that it is manually made, noting that the raw materials used in making pottery are clay and water which are commonly found throughout the length and breadth of the country.
She said that machines are not used in its production, thereby making cheap production and cheap sales possible.
For Mr. Ndubisi Okoli and Mr. Chijoke Ebe, Pottery is the act of making earthenware containers as they said that some individuals have resorted to modernizing the usefulness of pottery by making it serve dual purpose of serving as objects for decoration and cooking utensils.
They all solicited the support of all, especially the state government in reviving the Igbo identity of artifacts as it is part of the things that identifies a people at a glance.
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