ດິນຂະມຸ (Din Khmu)
Khmu hand-built pottery (ດິນຂະມຸ din khmu) is the oldest ceramic tradition in Laos — predating Lao Loum settlement of the Mekong Valley — and one of the most technically minimal: pots are formed entirely by coiling and hand-smoothing, with no wheel, no kiln, and no glaze. The firing method — a surface bonfire similar to Ban Chan (CRAFT-0404) but conducted in the forest using specific wood species that produce a lower, more controlled heat — produces the characteristic dark gray surface with occasional fire-cloud patterns from uneven heat exposure. The critical procedural knowledge that distinguishes Khmu pottery from Ban Chan is the clay body preparation: Khmu potters add crushed fired pottery fragments (grog — called dum) to the raw clay to reduce shrinkage and improve thermal shock resistance — allowing the pots to be placed directly on cooking fires without cracking. The grog-to-clay ratio is the critical oral knowledge.
Risk level: Critically Endangered · Not separately inscribed
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