Bilbil Village

Bilbil is a coastal village south of Madang whose people were the potters of this stretch of coast, making cooking pots and water jars from local clay and trading them along the shore and to the islands in exchange for food and shell valuables, a trade that ran for centuries. The pots are built by hand without a wheel, using a paddle and anvil technique, dried and fired in an open bonfire on the beach rather than in a kiln, and the work is done by women. The village receives visitors for demonstrations of the whole sequence, arranged through Madang, and pots are sold. Clay sources and the trade have both declined and fewer households make them now.

What you actually see

• Hand-building - the paddle and anvil technique used without a wheel.
• Open firing - the bonfire firing on the beach.
• Finished pots - the cooking vessels and jars sold at the village.
• The coastal village - the settlement on the shore south of Madang.

When to go

May to October in the drier season, since firing is done outdoors and needs dry weather. Demonstrations are arranged in advance through Madang. Mornings are usual.

Honest expectations

Demonstrations are arranged and paid for rather than happening on any given day. Fewer households still make pots and the tradition is contracting. Fees are negotiated. Facilities are none.

Nearby

Madang lies north; the coast road runs south toward Lae.