With the Clay Brickmakers
In the western part of the city of Cagayan de Oro, the visitor driving out of town sees several stalls with pottery in Barangay Bulua on the right-hand side. For centuries, the clay found here has been shaped and fired into flower pots, household utensils and bricks. That’s where we were with the last photo report.
This time we are going to one of the family businesses that make these pottery items and we want to watch. We find one of these potteries. At the moment, however, only bricks are made here because there is a high demand for them.
We meet a woman and a child here. The woman has a large pile of fresh clay lying next to her, from which she forms the bricks with a wooden mould. The child then scrapes the excess, already dried clay from the raw bricks.
The other family members and workers are all further back at the kiln. We have arrived just in time for the emptying of the already cooled, fired pottery. These are now lifted out by hand and passed on and placed somewhere.
Most of what is taken out of the kiln are clay bricks, but there are a few other things as well.
Another good-selling item seems to be food and water bowls for roosters.
More about this visit can be seen in the accompanying video
THE TRADITIONAL POTTERS of BULUA Cagayan de Oro City
