The black pottery that is manufactured in the Chilean towns of Quinchamalí and Santa Cruz de Cuca, whose raw material is in danger of disappearing due to logging, was included on Tuesday in the Unesco Urgent Safeguarding list.
The announcement was made within the framework of the meeting of the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Committee, which takes place until December 4 in Rabat, Morocco.
intangible cultural heritage, or "living heritage", it is an inheritance "Of our ancestors" which includes oral traditions, rituals, social practices, etc., Unesco points out.
At least six generations of potters have dedicated themselves to making this ceramic in these two small rural towns -with no more than 2,000 inhabitants- in the Ñuble region, in central Chile.
These artisans -mostly women- requested the government in 2020 to enter this Unesco list, whose purpose is to attract international attention and support to protect the intangible cultural heritage whose viability is in danger.
"Entering the Urgent Safeguarding list means that we will be able to endure the tradition of Quinchamalí ceramics and Santa Cruz de Cuca but it also allows me to secure my future as a potter"Nayadet Núñez, 31, told AFP.
The potters ask that the clay or clay with which they make their works be protected and that they extract only in the summer season from deposits that have been affected by the arrival of forestry companies.
"Loggers have exploited the loam deposits by planting pine or eucalyptus trees. They have been contaminating our clay"Núñez asserted.
"We ask to enter the Unesco list so that the State takes charge and protects our natural resources that are being affected by forestry. Our resources are already scarce"he added.
stained ceramics
The ceramics are made with two types of clay: one gray and the other brown that are kneaded and mixed with yellow earth and then fired.
The most striking characteristic of these ceramics is the black color, which is obtained thanks to a process of dyeing with smoke.
Before going through the fire, bas-relief designs are made with a needle or a piece of tin that are then painted with white sand from the area.
The entry to the list allows access to financing from the Unesco Intangible Heritage Fund for the protection.
It also has the recognition of the international community as important cultural practices for the communities that carry them out and for humanity as a whole.
To enter the list, the Chilean government presented a strategic plan to Unesco in order to generate concrete and comprehensive actions that protect and promote the development of this traditional craft.
In four years he must submit a report on progress.