Clay Times Back Issues Vol. 3 Issue 10 • May/June 1997 | Page 21

what was called Mesopotamia,
which later was Persia and is now
Iran and Iraq. The technology
migrated over land to India shortly
thereafter, and is in use today. It is
literally a wagon wheel made by ox
cart makers which is slightly modified to be a potter’s wheel. The
spokes are interwoven with vines,
coconut husks, and clay for weight
and balance and a 12-inch teakwood wheel head is added to one
side. The other side is left as is with
the metal hub fitting down over a
stone spindle which is partially
buried in the ground for stability.
Once the wheel is in place
(approximately six inches off the
ground), the potter places a stick in
a hole in the outer ring of the
wheel and in a squatting position
spins the wheel like a top until it
goes fast enough to stay true. As
the potter works on the clay the
wheel slows down and begins to
wobble; at this point he finds the
hole once again with his stick and
vigorously turns the wheel back up
to speed.
After the pots are thrown and

MAY/JUNE 1997

allowed to dry
to the leather
hard stage, the
paddling process
begins. A concave "nest" is
made on the
ground of dry
clay lined with
burlap. This nest
supports the pot
as it is paddled
out round. The
potter holds a
half-round rock
on the inside of
the pot and
strikes the outside wall with a
teakwood paddle until the bottom is round.
This planishing
process is what
the archaeologists call the
paddle and anvil
technique. It has
been used in
many cultures for ages. These
beautiful earthenware pots are
used for the gathering, transport-

ing, storing and
cooling of water.
They sweat and
leak enough to
cool water in the
same manner as a
water bag
(although it
should probably
be the other way
around). They are
also used daily
over an open fire
for boiling water
for tea, making
rice, dal and various other Indian
dishes. When the
mutka eventually
become too
watertight due to
the chemicals in
the water sealing
the pores, they
are used for B