Living crafts of Sibalom sustain Antique traditions

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Story and photos by Mariela Angella Oladive.

Hand-shaped clay and fire-forged metal continue to define daily life in Sibalom, Antique, where pottery-making in Barangay Bari and bolo production in nearby villages remain active sources of livelihood sustained through generations.

For 48-year-old Niño Grantos, a manogdihon, or potter, for more than a decade, pottery is both livelihood and responsibility.

“Culture is the soul and backbone of the community,” Grantos told Daily Guardian.

He said continuing the craft ensures what came before does not disappear with time and that younger generations recognize it not as a distant memory, but as something tangible and alive.

Grantos is among the artisans behind ALIMA Studio, a pottery space established in 2023 in Barangay Bari.

He said the name ALIMA, Karay-a for “hand,” reflects calmness and focus and also carries a deeper meaning, “Akon lima imaw mo sa pag-amoma”—my hands are an extension of care.

“Once you buy what I made, I touch you,” he said, adding that every piece carries the presence of its maker, even without direct interaction.

Barangay Bari is considered one of Antique’s oldest pottery-making communities, alongside Tibiao.

Grantos traces the craft to his aunt, born in 1927, and to earlier generations before her.

He said historical accounts show pottery in Bari dates to the Spanish period, when ancestors sourced clay and sand from nearby riverbanks.

He said unsold pots were often bartered for goods rather than exchanged for cash.

While the tradition remains, the craft has evolved.

He said some younger potters have learned stoneware techniques but cannot continue due to limited equipment.

“Others have ventured into sculptural works that lean toward contemporary art. At ALIMA Studio, pottery is no longer only functional. It has also become artistic—objects meant to represent Antique’s culture and identity,” Grantos said.

In demonstrations, he said artisans now use both traditional wooden manual wheels and electric wheels.

In the manual process, the manogdihon works in the dirhunan, beginning with wheel throwing using a hand-operated wheel.

The clay is shaped from the bottom up, carefully pinched and guided by hand.

Traditional tools such as the lapat, a cloth, are used to smooth the surface, with most pieces starting from basic cylindrical forms.

A slipping solution known as haraplas is applied to complete the final look.

The process uses different types of clay, including fine red soil commonly sourced from Lacaron in Sibalom, which gives Bari pottery its distinctive dark red hue and glossy finish after firing.

ALIMA Studio also serves as a living archive.

Displayed in the space are broken pottery fragments and traditional tools once used by elder potters, including apogan, tulya and smooth stones found on the same land where the studio stands.

The studio honors elders of the Orbegoso clan, who practiced pottery from the Spanish period through the American era.

Today, the space continues their legacy through preservation and innovation.

Beyond pottery, Antique’s living traditions are also reflected in blacksmithing.

In Barangay Odiong, 47-year-old Marlon Salvia continues the craft of binangon, or bolo making.

For Salvia, blacksmithing is not only a source of income but also a way of life.

“This is a huge help to our daily lives, as this is our source of income,” Salvia said.

Salvia began assisting at the forge at age 7.

From raw metal, he said he can produce up to five bolos a day, supplying local communities and other areas.

Retail prices range from PHP 400 to PHP 500 per piece, while wholesale prices average about PHP 350.

He said traditional binangon making involves heating metal over charcoal, with air supplied through a blower once manually operated and known as hunos-hunos, but now often electric.

The heated metal is shaped through repeated hammering on an anvil.

The blade is then finished and sharpened before the handle is attached.

Different blade types are produced, including talibong, ginunting, ginamay and even samurai-style blades.

While tools have modernized, the core knowledge remains rooted in generations of practice.

Salvia said fewer young people are taking up the craft, with many choosing formal education or professional careers.

As a result, traditional skills are increasingly carried by only a handful of practitioners.

Despite these challenges, pottery wheels continue to turn and blades are still shaped in fire.

In Sibalom, artisans sustain traditions that are both functional and cultural—crafts that are not relics frozen in time, but living practices shaped by care, memory and labor.

Whether they endure will depend on how they are valued, not only as cultural heritage, but also as livelihoods worthy of support and continuation by the next generation.