Paper short abstract:

In Myanmar, open-fired pottery is produced and used daily. Previous research revealed a close relationship between wet-rice agriculture and the style of open-firing in which the pottery is covered in kindling. Additionally, it has also been suggested that the method of firing has no relation to ethnicity in Myanmar. In this presentation, I will introduce the pottery making technology of two villages and further analyze the relationship between firing, agriculture, and ethnicity.

Paper long abstract:

In Southeast Asia, including Myanmar, open-fired pottery is used daily as water jars and cooking pots. Previous ethnoarchaeological research on the open-fired pottery of Southeast Asia has suggested a connection between wet-rice cultivation and the method of firing with a covering of kindling. Additional research has suggested that the method of pottery firing in Myanmar is not related to ethnicity. The question still remains, however, whether pottery-making techniques or methods of firing are truly related to agriculture or ethnicity. In this presentation, I shall introduce the pottery-making technology of two villages I analyzed; one of them is a farming village that cultivates rice and the other is a farming village that does not. Furthermore, I will analyze the relationship between firing methods, cultivation, and ethnicity by comparing these villages, in addition to villages researched previously.