Longpi (Nungbi) Black Pottery
No wheel, no clay — pots built from ground rock and rubbed black while still glowing from the fire.
The wheel-less black stoneware of the Tangkhul Naga villages of Nungbi in Manipur's Ukhrul district. Vessels are built by hand from a paste of crushed weathered rock and serpentine stone, shaped against a wooden mould and paddle, fired in an open bonfire, and rubbed while hot with a local leaf to a soft charcoal-grey sheen.
Craft at a Glance
Origin
Longpi (Nungbi), Manipur
Craft Type
Hand-built stone-paste pottery
Materials
Crushed weathered serpentine rock and a soft ground stone (roughly 3:1) with water; wooden paddles and moulds; an open wood fire; 'chirata' leaves for the final rub; cane strips or brass wire for handles and inlay.
Known For
Wheel-less construction, ground-rock body, matte charcoal finish, cane-bound handles
Time to Create
Several days per piece including drying, plus a shared firing
Process Steps
Grinding the rock
Weathered serpentine and a softer grey stone are pounded and ground to fine powder and mixed with water in a fixed ratio.
Hand-building
The vessel is built up by hand and beaten thin with a wooden paddle worked against a stone or wooden former; no wheel is used.
Drying and firing
The shaped piece is dried thoroughly and then fired in an open bonfire of wood for a few hours.
Hot burnishing
Straight from the fire, the red-hot pot is rubbed with chirata leaves, which react with the surface to give the deep black sheen.
Technique Glossary
Stone-paste body
A pottery body made from ground weathered rock and serpentine rather than clay, giving heat-resistant stoneware.
Paddle and anvil
The technique of thinning and shaping the wall by beating it with a paddle against a supported form inside.
Chirata rub
Burnishing the freshly fired, still-hot pot with a local leaf to fix its characteristic matte-black colour.
A Craft Through Time
Traditional
A village monopoly
Only the Nungbi villages make this pottery, producing cooking pots and ceremonial vessels for the Tangkhul community.
20th century
Under pressure
Aluminium and steel vessels reduce everyday demand, and the number of makers falls.
2000s
A design market
The pottery's minimal look attracts urban and export buyers; cooperatives add tableware, bakeware and lamps.
Present
Manipur signature craft
Longpi pottery is promoted as a flagship Manipuri craft, sold nationally and used by restaurants and designers.
Did You Know?
Longpi pots contain no potter's clay at all — the body is made almost entirely from powdered weathered rock, which is why the ware is closer to stone than to ordinary earthenware and can go straight onto a flame.
Every craft has a story. Every story begins with tradition.