I got the chance to see one of the more unique industries in Ilocos Sur. This jar making. It is called a burnay here and it made by hand with a real potter’s wheel. It turns out the knowledge of making the burnay comes from beyond the shores of the Philippines.
It is said that the knowledge of making burnay came from the Chinese, possibly even before the time of the Spanish. Right now, we are at Ruby Pottery. And in front of us is Fidel Go, one of the descendants of the Chinese settlers who came here to ply their trade. Fidel set out to show all the visitors present how the jars a made. I’ve never seen on made in front of my eyes and I could say it is really fascinating. Apparently it takes great skill and care in building the jar if not it will be misshapen. The potters wheel is huge and it driven by foot, the potter first turns the wheel around a few times and once there is enough momentum he can start working on the burnay jar. The wheel is huge so it doesn’t loose energy that fast.
Visitors can try their hand at pottery making too if they want. I got a chance to have a small chat with Fidel Go, and he is a very typical Filipino who dresses normally and very comfortably. His ancestors came from Fujian, China, just like most Chinese Filipinos. Surprisingly, he still speaks good Hokkien dialect, though I would admit that he really doesn’t look Chinese to me. Unknown to me, Fidel Go was conferred the National Folk Artist Award, and this is something he is very proud of. That is why he still makes the burnay jars himself.
There aren’t a lot of burnay jar factories in the Philippines anymore. It is a shame because their products are really quite impressive. Too bad, I don’t really know what to do with them, nor do I have the space to keep them. The jars are great for people who have gardens. Further exploration of the premises will show where the burnay jars are heated. There is a very long kiln. It is hot and it would be best to keep your distance from the kiln.
The title of this post is the name the people call this area – the place where the burnay jars are made. Elsewhere in the shop, is a souvenir stand where visitors can buy their own burnay jars to bring back. I’m not really into this kind of thing, so I just took a few snaps, said goodbye to Fidel Go and left.
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