Pottery of Li people on Hainan island

The purpose of the ethnographic expedition held in 2018 to Hainan in Southern China was to reconstruct the main stages of pottery production through traditional methods of the aboriginal Li population of Hainan. The study was based on the historical and cultural approach proposed by A. A. Bobrinsky. Hereditary potters from Donghe Village, Dongfang County, Hainan Province took part in investigations. Сeramics is made without any additives, the hollow body is constructed by hand from coils of clay; firing is carried out in an open fire. Vessels have simple forms, mainly unornamented and unpainted. Many stages of pottery amnufacturing are accompanied by rituals of communicating with spirits and gods. The combination of archeological and ethnological approaches is important for studying the relict features of traditional technologies, which are rooted in deep antiquity.