Salt Making and Pottery Production: Community Craft Specialization in Alburquerque, Bohol, Philippines

ABSTRACT

This ethnoarchaeological study examines contemporary salt and earthenware pottery production in Alburquerque, Bohol, Central Philippines. It highlights the intersection of these two craft industries through the use of locally made earthenware pots for salt making, serving both as brine boiling containers, as well as standard units of measurement for trade. It examines the spatial distribution of production activities and related material culture, from the procurement of resources through the stages of production, to distribution, and the resulting archaeological correlates to serve as a framework for interpreting prehistoric salt sites with pottery remains. Moreover, this research contributes to research on household-based production activities, demonstrating that households can be active and integral participants in inter-community and regional markets and long-distance exchange.

KEYWORDS:

• Ethnoarchaeology
• pottery production
• salt production
• organization of production
• craft specialization
• household production
• Philippines
• salt archaeology

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank many individuals and institutions that have directly or indirectly supported and contributed to this research. This includes first and foremost The National Museum of the Philippines who sponsored me as a Fulbright student in 1999–2000 and has continued to be supportive of my research in Bohol over the years. A few individuals who have made important contributions to this research include: Mr. Joselito Alipala, artist from Alburquerque; Mr. Florencio Bitoy and family, veteran salt-makers, Santa Filomena, Alburquerque; Mr. and Mrs. Mario Baluerte, salt-makers, Santa Filomena, Alburquerque; Josephine Sumingit and Fermina Macambac, potters, Santa Filomena, Alburquerque; Mr. Renante Manungas, former Councilor, Alburquerque; and, numerous other salt-makers and potters who generously contributed their time and expertise to this research. I would also like to acknowledge the U.S. Fulbright program as one of the original sponsors of this research. Without their support, the initial field research for this study would not have been possible. Additionally, I would like to dedicate this paper to the late Dr. Pochan Chen, who inspired my salt research. His personal and professional contributions to the field of salt archaeology have been immense and his work will undoubtedly continue to inspire many more archaeologists.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes on contributor

Andrea Yankowski, MA Anthropology from San Francisco State University 2005, is an independent researcher based in Berkeley, CA. She has been involved in archaeological and anthropological research in Southeast Asia since 1999–2000 when she had a Fulbright Scholarship in the Philippines as an M.A. student. Current research interests include Southeast Asian prehistory, the early political-economy of Southeast Asia, ethnoarchaeology, traditional salt production and trade, ceramic analysis, petrography, craft specialization, material culture studies and Californian archaeology.