The culture and functional applications of pottery have been in West Papua for centuries ago. The skill and knowledge of making pottery were brought by Austronesians about 3.000 years ago.
A few archaeological sites in Papua are home to pottery findings. Those findings were found on the north coast of Papua, the offshore Papua, to the Kepala Burung area.
However, potteries were nowhere to be found on the south coast of West Papua and around the hills. The oldest pottery making in Papua was found in Jayapura, Sentani, Yapen, and Manokwari. Unfortunately, the only traditional pottery business that is still around is in Sentani.
Mansinam Island in the Past
Mansinam of Manokwari was holding a strategic spot in the past and even part of the trade lane between West Indonesia and Papua since the 16th century. The argument was supported by some findings, such as Vietnamese ceramics and some crocks along with the ruins of pottery along the beach lines in Mansinam.
Products of pottery in the Mansinam Site were made by Numfor, who then migrated way before European missionaries stepped their foot on this land in 1855.
Later, Mansinam’s pottery products spread widely on other coastal areas along with West Papua for the sake of barter.
Pottery Products Found in Mansinam Site
Products of pottery found in the Mansinam archaeological site were in the form of scattered items. According to archaeologists, the scattering pieces consisted of the edge, the plain body, and the decorative body.
All those scattering pieces were found along the coast of Mansinam Island. Based on the research, those pieces should form a pot in the past, used to cook and store food.
Techniques and Methods
Earthenware found in the Mansinam Site was made through several processes. All of those steps were done by the Mansinam’s females. The technique is still being used today.
The products found on the site also showed that they were made by using swivel wheel and tatap methods. The tatap method was shown on crooks of the inner wall. Meanwhile, the swivel wheel made those striations shown through the outer wall of the product.
The earthenware was also fragile by touch, which indicated an incomplete burning process.
Another interesting fact is that the pottery products came in two patterns, such as lines and karerin. Karerin pattern was a native decorative element from people around the Cenderawasih Bay, such as Numfor, Biak, and Yapen.
Karerin pattern was made by using the tera technique while they used stroking to produce line patterns.
The ladies were in charge of making pottery, from gathering the materials to the burning process. It would be no wonder if scattered pieces in Mansinam of West Papua were in the form of pots. Meanwhile, the male Mansinam people helped to make the patterns and other decorative elements if needed.
Pottery in Mansinam Today
Unfortunately, Mansinam is not part of places in West Papua that produce pottery products anymore.
According to an ethnoarchaeological study in 2004, lots of pottery makers gave up their business due to a significant decrease in demand. Also, they have to compete with the presence of aluminum and plastic tools circulating on the market.
The process of making pottery is also way longer and harder than manufacturing plasticware nowadays.
Bottom Line
The findings of scattered pottery products in the Mansinam Site are proof that civilization took place in Manokwari. Introduced by Numfor, who came to Mansinam, the material was coming from Manisnam’s clay.
Females were in charge of making the earthenware, which they will use for cooking and storing food. The last process of making the pottery was incorporating an open-fire burning method. However, some products were not perfectly burnt.Even though today, the presence of Mansinam’s pottery is nowhere to be found, West Papua still has some sources who made traditional potteries.
