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Machihan Sasa
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Culture & heritage · Manipur

Black pottery, shaped without a wheel

Longpi pots are not thrown on a wheel. They are built by hand from crushed stone and clay, as they have been for generations in Ukhrul. Machihan Sasa made sure the craft found new uses, and new hands.

Machihan Sasaमचिहान सासा
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Machihan Sasa. Photo: via E-Pao

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Born
1 April 1950
Village
Longpi Kajui, Ukhrul, Manipur
Craft
Longpi black pottery, made without a wheel
Honours
Shilp Guru 2008; Padma Shri 2024
1950born in Longpi Kajui
2008Shilp Guru
2024Padma Shri

A craft without a wheel

Machihan Sasa is a master craftsman of the Longpi black pottery tradition of Manipur’s Ukhrul district. In this craft no potter’s wheel is used: local black serpentine stone is mixed with a special brown clay and the pots are shaped by hand.

He was born on 1 April 1950 in Longpi Kajui. With little formal education, he learned the craft as a child from his father and the village artisans.

Old technique, new forms

He extended the traditional technique to contemporary products such as tea sets, kettles, vases, mugs, plates and cookware, which strengthened the craft’s place in today’s market. Preserving heritage does not have to mean stopping innovation.

A legacy of students

The official citation stresses his role as a trainer, noting that many of his trainees went on to win National and State awards. His journey of recognition, from 1979 to the Padma Shri in 2024, spans almost half a century of craftsmanship.

A master craftsperson’s real legacy is the people he has trained, and local materials can be the foundation of sustainable design.

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