Questions on Gender and Pottery
Elina Sorainen is a researcher on pottery-making in Kalpourkan (in Iran’s Sistan Baluchestan province) and how this tradition has been maintained over centuries. She has also observed this tradition of tanur-makers in Gilan in the village of Assalem Baladeh. She has observed this pottery-making tradition both before and after the Revolution and believes that this craft has been carried out by the support of the Miras-e Farhangi (Cultural Heritage) Organization and the role of women in passing it down from one generation to the next. Mrs Sorainen is the art director at the centre in the town of Loviisa on the southern coast of Finland. The Kalpourkan pottery has been exhibited in major museums and galleries in Finland and Estonia. Mrs Sorainen has also given numerous lectures in universities and schools on other Iranian traditional ceramics from Gilan, Mazandaran, Shahre Suchteh, Esfahan, Kashan, Ray etc. While the media reports the political tension between Iran and the "West", focusing on cultural exchange such as the Kalpourkan pottery-making will offer a more fair image of the traditions, art, music, literature etc, of the people and country by which it would reduce the negative hype.
How long have you been involved in this study? How has women’s pottery-making process changed over the years?
I have been a ceramist over 50 years. My active research on ethnic ceramics began in 1979 when working on my master's theses on Japanese traditional ceramics with a history of ca. 1000 years. - Living in Teheran years 1973-1979 and teaching ceramics in the College of Decorative Arts, I took my students, mostly girls, on field trips through e.g. the Caspian coast ceramics villages. - It is a common practice that men are the master potters and women act as their assistants. But a fantastic exception was the tanur-maker ladies of Gilan in the village of Assalem Baladeh! Elsewhere in Iran also men construct tanurs, but here in Gilan it seemed to be exclusively women. Proud handsome ladies who built tanurs for sale, and in every size, suitable for home and bakery use. - My great love, the Kalpourkan potter women, make an exquisitely fine line of pottery with ornaments that probably have their origin in the early history of Iranian ceramics. - In the traditional context the ways of women's or men's pottery making has kept to its old ways. The modern pottery does not differentiate between genders. - In the traditional pottery communes the women's ways of work have not changed a lot. - It is ten years since I was in Iran, so this information might be outdated.
How does the fact that women/young girls are involved in pottery-making impact their social status (empowering them)?
When young girls of Kalpourkan get a basic training already in the primary school, and when many times their teachers are the girl's grandmothers, the girls' attitude was easily made positive. I have seen several times the school- girls surrounding the grandmother, sometimes sitting in her lap, being an actual part of the handicraft action. - My sincere hope is that the age of marriage of the apprentice girls will be higher. No marriages at the age of 13-15! - The three old masters (Gol-Bibi, Bakht-Bibi and Pari-Khatun) whom I befriended in the eight visits in the 1998 – 2003 enjoyed the respect of the villagers. They also earned money for the family. - The young generation can make the profession of this village's valued pottery, assuming that the Miras-e-Farhangi maintains a long lasting responsibility in Kalpourkan.
Does the Cultural Heritage Organization support the young girls in ways as a protection shield for women?
The Sazeman-e-Miras-e-Farhangi supports the Kalpourkan tradition by paying salary for the teachers and by committing itself to you only high quality ceramics from the potter community. - I truly hope that they do not accept anything badly made! - My experience of the potter women is positive, they are proud and skillful professionals, and self assured. Nobody orders them around! Thus the protective shield for women (as well as men) is a professional skill and means to become independent. - This goal can be reached with the sincere financial, organizational, and practical help from the side of the Cultural Heritage Org. and the school system. - No insurmountable amounts of money is needed from the government to support this cause.
Has this craft been passed only through women from one generation to another?
From reports by word of mouth and based on the memory of the old masters and their mothers, it has “always” been the women who make the pots, the artistic part of the craft. Men are instrumental in fetching the clay, firing the kiln, and selling the finished product. - One theory in the literature of prehistoric archaeology claims that women were the first potters on this earth!
Is the pottery-making a craft with characteristics that naturally suit women’s capabilities and abilities?
Pottery as a craft is suitable for everybody. When assessing the division gender wise and tradition wise it can be stated roughly that it is the women who work by bare hands to build the household pots and plates. Men like the mechanical things and have developed the potter's wheel. But in the modern world of ceramics there is no limit to anyone. Capabilities grow by practicing.
How would you compare the women involved in pottery-making before and after the Revolution?
For having visited Kalpourkan both in 1978 and 1998-2003, i.e. before and after the revolution, my opinion is that the women here were noticeably fewer after the revolution. The active research that my colleague from the Miras-e-Farhang, Ms. Shahin Borhanzehi and I conducted in that village after the revolution, activated the pottery trade noticeably, at least for a few years. - But a general view over the ceramics in Iran, is that it is diminishing fast. People do not use water pots or butter- and yoghurt bowls any more. Plastics have replaced all that. - Tanurs in Gilan make an exception.
From a historical point of view how does pottery-making influence the women’s position who are involved in this business?
From the historical point the women's involvement is interesting. Also from the socio-economical point; potters are not a very highly regarded group of craftsmen in Iran, I am sorry to say. But if the Iranians will be educated by being pointed out the value of their country's ancient craft, the modern urban Iranians will gradually start respecting, buying and using ceramics again. I have, during my stays in Iran, brain-washed numerous sworn urban to purchase Kalpourkan and other pottery items to enhance their homes.
Pottery Research and Iran/ Finland/ Scandinavian Relations
Has the Finnish government supported such a project? Why? How does this study and research on Iranian pottery influence the public view on Iran in Finland?
When starting my Kalpourkan research in 1998, I was granted several stipends for traveling to the field. Both state and private funds supported my project quite generously. - The Kalpourkan pottery has been exhibited in the major museums and galleries in Finland and Estonia. I have also given numerous lectures in universities and schools of other Iranian traditional ceramics from Gilan, Mazandaran, Shahre Suchteh, Esfahan, Kashan, Ray etc. - People are very interested. Unfortunately the media is concentrated mainly in politics of Iran, so handicrafts made by village people, and modern art are of utmost interest to the Finnish people. Also other aspects of daily lives in Iran are questions that I am frequently asked about. - I convince the people that there are fantastic people, food, art, architecture, archaeology, nature endlessly! I love Iran, my second home-land.
How do the Scandinavian countries view Iranian culture and history and how does the pottery-making exhibition lead to a better understanding of Iran? Also how could the exhibition in some ways compensate to ease the current political issues/tensions revolving Iran in the western media?
Iranian ancient history is a part of basic studies in all the Finnish schools. Because of recent political turmoil in Iran the media concentrates on “more important” news than today's arts and culture in Iran. - As stated above, anything that tells of the Iranian people, the human aspect of the society, is received with enthusiasm. To ease political tensions between Iran and the “west” is to report about more important things than politics. - I do not know of any real tensions between the Iranian and Finnish media.
The exhibition on the ceramics in the Helsinki Museum and museums in Sweden reflects the importance of Iranian cultural heritage to these countries. How could this impact Iran-Finland or Iran-Sweden relations on a broader term?
Simply by increasing cultural exchange! - A regular program and budget by Iran and Finland should be established and planned. Music, literature, design, architecture, fine arts, handicrafts, and so on should on regular basis presented in the countries in question as bilateral cultural export/import. - Now I am not talking about Persian carpets; they are already well represented here.
As a researcher who works on cultural affairs, how has the tense political relation between Iran and the West impacted your work in Iran and how is your work received back at home?
One person's expedition has not raised havoc during my after-the-revolution-trips to Iran or to the villages. In the far-away Kalpourkan I was finally considered to be one of the potters and was free to move about. The police was sometimes a little nervous and provided a police car and a driver when there was unrest reported in the neighboring villages or towns. I was personally never afraid, on the contrary, the villagers took us under their wings and showed endless hospitality, as only the Iranians/Balouchis know how. - The most negative things were sometimes the comments by some urban Iranians. They could not see the point in doing research on such lowly matter as village pottery. I put them straight right away! - As stated above, the reception of the Kalpourkan pottery was very well received in Finland, sold well, too.