Finding and Preparing Clay

1What is clay?

Clay (in Kinyarwanda, ibumba) is a very fine, sticky soil. When it is wet, you can shape it, and it keeps its shape. This is called modelling. When it dries, it becomes hard. When it is fired in a very hot fire, it becomes as hard as stone and water cannot soften it again.

In Rwanda, clay is found in valleys, near marshes and along river banks. Potters have used it for hundreds of years to make inkono (cooking pots) and ibibindi (large water pots).

2Is it good clay? Try the snake test

Roll a small piece into a thin snake, as thick as a pencil. Bend it into a ring.

• If it bends into a ring with only tiny cracks, it is good clay.
• If it breaks into pieces, it has too much sand. Look for clay somewhere else.

3How to prepare clay

1. Soak: break dry clay into small lumps and soak them in a bucket of water for a day.
2. Sieve: stir it into a thick mud and pour it through a sieve or an old cloth to take out stones, roots and grass.
3. Dry to dough: leave the clean mud in the shade until it feels like bread dough: soft, but not sticky.
4. Wedge: press the clay down, fold it over, and press again, many times. This pushes out air bubbles. Air left inside can make your work crack, or even burst in the fire.
5. Store: wrap the clay in banana leaves or a plastic bag, so it stays soft.

4Your clay tool kit

You do not need to buy anything. Collect: a flat board to work on, a bowl of water, a small cloth or sponge, a sharp stick, a blunt stick, bottle tops, an old comb, and a piece of string for cutting clay.

5Stay safe

• Never dig clay alone near deep water or a steep river bank. Go with an adult.
• Wash your hands well after working with clay.

6Look closely

• Look at the potter's hands. Where is the clay on her fingers?
• She is smoothing the rim, the top edge of the bowl. Is the rim thick or thin?
• Is the bowl finished, or still being made? How can you tell?

Try it yourself

Try each one first, then tap Show answer to check.