Ceramic History

The word "Ceramic" has originated from the Greek word, "Keramos", which
means pottery. It also relates to an ancient Sanskrit word whose root meaning is
to burn, but it is predominantly used to indicate "burnt stuff". Almost 10,000
years later, with the establishment of settled communities, tiles were
manufactured in Mesopotamia and India. The first instance of functional pottery
vessels being used for storing water and food is thought to be around 9,000 or
10,000 BC. Clay bricks were also made around the same time.
The ceramics industry in India came into existence about a century ago and has
matured over time to form a industrial base. From traditional pottery making, the
industry has evolved to find its place in the market for sophisticated insulators,
electronic and electrical items. Over the years, the industry has been
modernising through new innovations in product profile, quality and design to
emerge as a modern, world-class industry, ready to take on global competition.
Though there are a number of large companies in the ceramics sector, small and
medium enterprises (SMEs) account for more than 50 per cent of the total
market in India, offering a wide range of articles including crockery, art ware,
sanitary ware, ceramic tiles, refractory and stoneware pipes among others. Most
of the players are grouped together in clusters.
Over the last two decades, the technical ceramics segment has recorded an
impressive growth propelled by the demand for high-alumina ceramics, cuttings
tools and structural ceramics from the industry. Overall, the Indian ceramics
industry has emerged as a major manufacturer and supplier in the global market.
Ceramic tile comes under Building Material Industry. Over the years, Indian
Building Material Industry poised to grow at a fast pace of almost 16%/annum
due to boom in real estate and construction industry. Increase in income levels
and availability of a range of financing options for housing is enabling rapid
growth in housing construction.
In India, particularly in NCR region, growth rate of building material industry is at
very high and constantly growing. By this project finding, we have been trying to
catch the opportunities and demand of various tile making organisations for their
commercial and residential needs in Ghaziabad and Meerut region.
Also as marble prices begin to pinch purses in these times of meltdown, tiles are
making deeper inroads into urban homes. And they are getting more designer
makeovers to suit market demands.

Market Plan for Indian Ceramic Industries

Having a Ceramic Tile marketing strategy is different to having a marketing plan.
A marketing strategy involves choosing a realistic, measurable and ambitious
goal that you think your Ceramic Tile business can achieve on a sustainable
basis. Each marketing tactic you use should be 100% focused on reaching and
surpassing that overall goal. A marketing plan includes all of the tactics and
actions that are designed to achieve the overall strategic goal, and a timetable
for their implementation. In other words, the plan will detail what you will do to
make the strategy happen.
The vast majority of businesses in all sectors market themselves the same way
as their competitors, with supply-driven marketing messages based on product
features, unappealing websites and bland straplines and statements about what
their Ceramic Tile business does.
They do this because it is easy. Ceramic Tile business owners know their
products and services better than anyone else. As a result, they promote
themselves in terms that they understand but their customers don't. They also
do it because they look at what their competitors are doing and fall into the trap
of doing the same things, instead of differentiating themselves and creating a
unique selling proposition (USP) that give them a real competitive edge.
Need to achieve the overall strategic goal, and a timetable for their
implementation. In other words, the plan will detail what you will do to make the
strategy happen.
The vast majority of businesses in all sectors market themselves the same way
as their competitors, with supply-driven marketing messages based on product
features, unappealing websites and bland straplines and statements about what
their Ceramic Tile business does.
They do this because it is easy. Ceramic Tile business owners know their
products and services better than anyone else. As a result, they promote
themselves in terms that they understand but their customers don't. They also
do it because they look at what their competitors are doing and fall into the trap
of doing the same things, instead of differentiating themselves and creating a
unique selling proposition (USP) that gives them a real competitive edge.

Choosing the Right Ceramic Tile Marketing Strategy

Competitive advantage can be achieved by choosing a marketing strategy that
will provide the edge that sets your Ceramic Tile business apart from everyone
else. There is no magic formula for doing this. You cannot just import or implant
an off-the-shelf strategy into a business. It is down to you to choose and define
your Ceramic Tile marketing strategy in your own business situation.
There are a number of key principles you can follow to help you choose the right
strategy:

Knowing exactly who your customers or target prospects are and where
they are located.
Understanding exactly what your target customers want and need, why
they need it, how they need it and when they need it.
Being confident enough to develop or create a USP that you can offer
to fulfil your customers' needs completely.
Refining your strategy based on what you learn while testing your
proposition in your chosen market.
Implementing your USP and ensuring that it is articulated in all of your
marketing messages, campaigns and sales channels.
Recognizing when your proposition is working and marketing it fast,
first and aggressively in your sector to achieve an unassailable lead
over your competitors.

Deciding On Your Strategic Goals

Every Ceramic Tile business will have different strategic objectives for its own
specific situation. No matter how high you set your sights, your Ceramic Tile
marketing strategy will drive everything that your Ceramic Tile business does to
achieve that objective.
Whether you are aiming to double turnover in 12 months, maximize the value of
your business in 3 years in order to sell it, or to double your market share in 6
months, you will improve your chances of achieving these goals by implementing
a well thought-out marketing strategy.
With your business' marketing efforts accurately aimed and completely focused
on the needs of the target market, you are far more likely to succeed.

Getting Your Market Strategy Right

In the early 2000s, everyone spoke about the importance of being market-led.
But today market conditions change much faster due to technology, fashions and
media influences, as well as customers' tastes. The 21st-century marketer who
wants to succeed will do so only by making the right choice of target market, and
then focusing everything the Ceramic Tile business does on providing unique
value and benefits to meet the needs of that chosen market better than the
competition.

How Long Should You Retain Your Strategy?

Your Ceramic Tile business and your Ceramic Tile marketing strategy cannot
stand still. What is unique today is widespread tomorrow and unwanted the day
after that. So the vital ingredient in a truly dynamic marketing strategy is to
strive continually to discover new and better ways to add value to your
customers, and keep your proposition unique in your chosen market.
Every single time you put your strategy into action you will learn something new
about your customers' needs and whether your proposition is right for them. The
implementation of your Ceramic Tile marketing strategy should be a continuous

process of creating a proposition to satisfy your customers. This involves testing

it and learning from it by recognizing what is right and doing more of it, or
changing what is wrong as soon as you realize it isn't working.

Ceramic Tile Business Plan

Ceramic Tile Marketing Strategy
It is important to determine how the business is going to achieve its objectives
e.g. by improving the product, increasing promotion, implementing a new pricing
strategy.
This should be clear and realistic, reflecting the practical implications behind the
business' marketing objectives.

Marketing Budget - This should contain detail of resources that will be

delegated to the marketing activity. Areas of major cost should be
detailed.
Marketing Action Plan - An action plan should be compiled for each
strategy, e.g. the selection of media for a promotional campaign,
delegation of resources for product development and market research.

If clear objectives and activities are set, results can be easily monitored.

Creating Your Ceramic Tile Marketing Strategy

Any Ceramic Tile business that wants to succeed and develop MUST have a
strategy that can give a perspective of where the business will be at any given
point in time. In other words a strategy is aimed at driving the business forward.
But what does a strategy involve?

The strategy should involve the people who work in the Ceramic Tile
business, because without them there is no business.
Many managers fall down because they are not capable of
understanding how best to use the people within the Ceramic Tile
business. The staff should be the first to be consulted because they
know what is going on in their section of the business and how it can
be improved so that even those at the bottom of the ladder e.g.
cleaner, know what the business is about, where it is going and how
she can have an input. After all, the cleaner usually hears what is going
on in the various departments.
Think through the consequences of your marketing strategy to make
sure it's realistic. For example, there is no point in a strategy based on
rapid growth if you won't be able to produce enough goods. The best
strategy will reflect your own strengths and weaknesses.

Key elements of a successful Ceramic Tile marketing strategy could see you start
by looking for new customers similar to the ones you already have.
When reviewing your existing customers you need to consider:

How will you target the right people?

How can you promote your products? Options might include
advertising, direct marketing, exhibiting at trade fairs, PR or marketing
on the web.
What is the best way of distributing and selling your products?
For example, you might aim to sell directly to a few key business
customers, or to sell to the general public through retailers.

Could You Improve Customer Service?

Better customer service can be a low-cost way of keeping customers, boosting
sales and building a good reputation.

How Will You Tell If Your Marketing Is Effective?

A small-scale trial can be a good way of testing a marketing strategy without
committing yourself to excessive costs.
And don't forget that your marketing strategy document needs to be constantly
reviewed and updated or replaced when necessary - Just like your own products
or services.
Your strategy must take account of how your Ceramic Tile business' strengths
and weaknesses will affect your marketing. Understanding your own strengths
and weaknesses are key elements of a successful marketing strategy.
Begin your Ceramic Tile marketing strategy document with an honest and
rigorous SWOT analysis - Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats.
First make a list of specialist skills in what you do.

Strengths e.g. personal and flexible customer service

Weaknesses - e.g. inefficient accounting systems limited financial
resources lack of an established reputation.
Opportunities - e.g. increased demand from a successful customer
using the Internet to reach new markets new technologies that allow
you to improve product quality.
Threats - e.g. the emergence of a new competitor, more sophisticated,
attractive or cheaper versions of your product or service, new
legislation increasing your costs or a downturn in the economy reducing overall demand

An example could be:

If new regulations will increase the cost of competing in a market where you're
already weak, you might want to look for other opportunities. On the other hand,
if you have a good reputation and your key competitor is struggling, the
regulations might present the opportunity to push aggressively for new
customers.

Price Your Product or Service to Reflect the Market Place.

As Ceramic Tile businesses pass from small to medium sized, there is quite often
a tendency for some of the strengths and weaknesses to diminish. Whatever size
your business is you must still be honest with yourself and whether any of the
weaknesses still apply to your Ceramic Tile business?
It would help if you made a list your own business' strengths and weaknesses,
getting input from all staff including management as many of your employees as
possible. Compare your strengths and weaknesses with those of your main
competitors. Check whether you need to take corrective action to minimise
weaknesses and identify where you can exploit strengths that your competitors
don't have.
There is a tendency for the marketing activity of smaller businesses to be short
term, ad-hoc, and reactive leading to a fire-fighting culture. This can cost time
and more importantly money, because resources are not optimally deployed as a
result of not considering the fuller, longer-term picture.
However, a balance is needed.
The ability of the smaller business to be flexible and respond rapidly to market
changes is a major strength in the right direction. This is particularly the case in
fast moving markets and when in competition with larger businesses who are far
less likely to be able to respond as quickly. In order to avoid short-term knee-jerk
reactions whilst maintaining flexibility, you need an overall strategy for your
activities to fit into. If you check whether your response to market situations is
consistent with your overall strategy you can decide whether a particular course
of action is appropriate.
Before you can develop a strategy, you need to identify your objectives.
An example could be what you want to achieve in a particular market.
Once you have your objectives and a strategy, you are well on the way to having
a marketing plan. You may well have this in your head, but it's much better to
write it down so that you have something to keep you on track and to show to
others in your Ceramic Tile business.

Adopting a focused strategy allows you to avoid the shotgun effect.

Avoid trying to aim too widely with your marketing because your
resources will be spread far too thinly to be effective.
The word focus should be the key word for small businesses.

Segment Your Market

Not all of your customers within your market have the same needs. Think of an
orange as your market and within that each orange segment represents
individual customer groups with distinct and different needs.

Carry out a survey to identify your customers needs.

Group your customers according to their needs. These groups are your
main market segments.

Don't treat all of your market segments the same. You need to
customise your product / service offering and your communication to
be appropriate to each segments needs. The results will be worth the
effort because there is substantial evidence to show that Ceramic Tile
businesses that take account of their market segments in this way are
more likely to be successful.
Focus on a manageable number of segments to avoid overstretching
your resources.
You can use a 'rolling' promotional cycle, where, for example, you
concentrate your promotional activity on a different segment every
three or six months. Choose a time period for the 'cycle' appropriate to
your business. In this way you can still cover several market segments
but you will achieve a greater return on effort by focusing on one
segment at a time.
Focus your marketing attention on those customer segments where
your main strengths have the best fit.

Focus On a Niche
Focusing on a market niche is a particularly appropriate competitive Ceramic Tile
marketing strategy for small Ceramic Tile businesses.

If you face heavy competition in a mass market, particularly from larger

Ceramic Tile businesses, it takes a lot of resources to compete, and for
smaller Ceramic Tile businesses, your size can also make you less
credible.
Take a look at your market and identify whether there are any market
segments that are not being adequately served. Look at ways in which
you can make an offering to fit their particular needs.
Of course it has to make good business sense before go along this
path, and it is not without risks in itself. There is no guarantee that
larger Ceramic Tile business won't see what you are doing and
achieving and start to concentrate their own assets on your niche,
especially if it looks profitable.
You always need to monitor the market and be prepared to move to
another strategy if necessary.

Focus On A Particular Segment:

If you are a smaller Ceramic Tile business, you may find it beneficial to
consider focusing even further within a niche or market segment to
become a specialist. Small Ceramic Tile businesses have greater
credibility as specialists and there is the advantage that you will
develop a very deep knowledge and expertise within your market as
you pursue this route.
The disadvantage to this strategy is the risk associated with total
reliance on a small market sub-segment. You will need to monitor the
market regularly so that you can be ready to target an alternative
market if necessary.

Adopting Lower Risk Strategies:

When you are operating with limited resources, it makes sense to look at lower
risk strategies first.

Avoid moving into new markets too rapidly:

Far too many small Ceramic Tile businesses get carried away with the
excitement of new horizons and forget to fully exploit their existing
markets before moving on.
You may have a very good reason for looking at new markets if your
existing market has dried up or has undergone a down-turn, but
remember that the further you move away from your existing market,
the risk and cost of marketing increases.
This is because you know far more about your existing market and
have far more information upon which to base your decisions.
Your production, systems and procedures are also geared up to your
existing market. This is illustrated by these simple growth strategies
that increase in risk as you go down the list:
Selling more of your existing products to existing markets
Selling modifications of your existing products/services to existing
markets
Selling new products to existing markets (totally new products or
associated with existing products)
Selling your existing products/services to new markets
Moving into completely different markets with different products

Check Your Need To Increase Your Customer Base:

In many cases micro and some small Ceramic Tile businesses are
operating with a customer base that is far too small. This imposes
undue risk, because the sales from one customer can account for a
substantial proportion of total revenue. Consequently, the loss of a
customer could have a major impact on your business, and in some
cases result in its demise.
Ask yourself whether you are in a high-risk situation. This can be done
by taking a common sense view by calculating the percentage of your
total revenue accounted for by each customer, and for each, ask
yourself what the impact on your business would be if you lost that
customer and whether you would survive.

If the answer is no to any of them, then you need to take steps to increase your
customer base.

Make an estimate of how many customers you need in order to reduce

to an acceptable level the percentage of your total revenue accounted
for by each customer.
Set this number of customers as your target. Then identify how you are
going to obtain these extra customers and over what time period.
Draw up a mini plan for this as you are unlikely to be able to develop
new customers overnight, and so the sooner you start planning to do

this the better, but remember not to neglect your existing customers
while you do this.

Stimulate Referrals:

Recommendations and referrals from existing customers form a

substantial source of new customers for many small Ceramic Tile
businesses. This has the advantage of being cost-free, but the
downside is that over-reliance on a passive phenomenon that is
uncontrollable is risky.
You can reduce this risk and take control by actively stimulating
referrals.
As not all of your customers will know everything about your products
or services. This can be done by:
Regularly providing them with information sheets summarising your
offerings. This is a good thing to do anyway, because it is likely to
generate more sales from the customers themselves.
Ask them if they can identify anyone who could use your
products/services and encourage them to pass on the information to
others.
Make a judgement as to whether you need to provide an incentive for
them to do this but in some cases it will not be appropriate.
Personally thank your customers for their custom, and make a point of
asking them to pass on your name to others. At the same time find out
how satisfied they are with your offering and take corrective action
where
necessary.
Dissatisfied
customers
will
not
make
recommendations.
The adage seen across many countries "If you like what we do tell
others but if you don' t like it then tell us" is very appropriate in
successful business circles.
Take the opportunity to enclose a referral slip with any communications
or delivery documents.

Retaining and Developing Existing Customers:

Once you have achieved a reasonable number of customers, beware of

focusing only on developing new customers as a means of growing
sales. This runs the risk of neglecting your existing customers. Clearly
you need to look for opportunities to develop new customers, but a
balanced approach is needed.
Retaining and developing more sales from existing customers should
be the first priority, because this strategy has distinct advantages:
It is the least risky growth strategy.
Developing more sales from existing customers is less costly than
obtaining new customers.

Existing customers:
When considering existing customers always remember that they are the
bedrock foundations of your Ceramic Tile business and are:

Generally less price sensitive.

Likely to offer more opportunity for repeat business.
Offer the potential for recommendations and referrals.
Are generally more loyal.
In order to develop a strategy for retaining customers and developing
more sales from them you need to carry out some analyses:

Analyse your customer base:

The 80:20-customer ratio:

It is likely that 80% of your revenue is accounted for by only 20% of

your customers.
The 80% of your customers with small sales probably fall into two
categories.

Either they will never have the potential for increased sales, or, given some
work, they could be developed. Identify which are which and take steps to sell
more to those with sales potential.

Customer Profitability:

Analyse the profitability of each of your main customers who are

probably in the top 20%. You may be surprised to find how unprofitable
some of them are so look at ways of increasing the profitability of these
or consider 'losing' them.
Focus on the more profitable ones; check their needs and identify ways
to sell more to each of them.
Make your database work for you:
Many small Ceramic Tile businesses operate with inadequate inefficient
customer databases because it is not considered to be a priority to
invest in them but if you don't have the means of storing and
manipulating data on your customers you can't hope to fully exploit
this gold mine of an asset.
Many of the strategies discussed require the ability to analyse your
customer/contacts database in order to obtain the information
required.

Questions You Should Now Be Asking Yourself Are:

1.
2.

3.
4.
5.

Is your database just a list of customers and contacts?

Can your database be manipulated with ease to group customers
according to: Sales Profitability Needs - Main product/services
purchased Location - Frequency of purchase - Average size of
purchase, etc.
Is your database fully integrated with your other software programmes
e.g. financial?
Was your database design based on an audit of your business needs?
Does your database allow you to keep additional information on your
customers other than contact details etc?

If the answer to the above questions is yes to the first question and no to
questions two to five then you need to take an urgent look at upgrading your
database, but take expert advice on this.

Satisfaction through Innovation:

In order to retain and develop existing customers you will clearly need
to ensure their total satisfaction. This process can stimulate innovation
because you may need to modify existing products and services or
develop new ones in order to continue to satisfy their needs.
Find out from your customers what their needs are now and in the
future in order to achieve this. This will indicate if you will you need to
modify products/services or develop new ones to fulfil these needs?

Retaining Employees:
There is a distinct cost advantage to retaining employees because it costs a lot
to recruit and train a new employee, and in the early days they are less
productive. As with customers, you need to make sure that your employees are
satisfied in order to retain them. You are also unlikely to have satisfied customers
if your employees aren't satisfied.
These are two good reasons for making sure that you keep your employees but
how good are you at this?
Consider if you have:

An employee satisfaction programme?

Knowledge what your employees' needs are in order to ensure that
they are satisfied?
Taken steps to find out what motivates each of them?
A selection process and training programme adequate for each
employee role?

Now look at your Ceramic Tile marketing strategy and identify how it actually
applies to your business or business idea.

Choose the right market for your product. The most important aspect of
any Ceramic Tile marketing strategy is ensuring you have chosen the
right market at which to aim your products and services. No matter
how convincing your sales messages and advertising copy, or how
good you are at selling and articulating the benefits of your service,
you will almost certainly fail if you haven't selected the right target
audience in the first place, or haven't understood what that audience
needs. By selecting the market with the right profile of consumers who
have a propensity to buy your products or service, you will be able to
aim your proposition and the benefits it brings directly at them.
Keep up to date with changes in customer preferences and buying
patterns, and the seemingly relentless changes in technology and
other external forces. If you do not make the effort to move forward

constantly, your competitors will steal your market share, your biggest
customers, or your intended new market before you have a chance to
do anything about it.
Keep your eye on the marketing ball. The market focus of your business
ensures you are continuing to provide the unique value and benefit
your customers need and expect from your service.

4Ps of Indian Ceramic Tile Industry

Product
Types of Tiles:

Ceramic Wall Tiles

Ceramic Floor Tiles
Vitrified Tiles
Porcelain Tiles
Glazed Tiles

As worlds 3rd largest producer of tiles, the varieties of the tile product are
available in the market. For kitchen, wall dcor, small size tiles, with attractive
patterns can be seen in wide range of colours, sizes, are there in the market.
From the blue pottery tiles to tiny types with custom dcor, crafted hand cut
stones, glass tiles, and large format tiles by organized sectors are available.

Place
Gujarat has a highly developed ceramics industry concentrated in the Morbi,
Wankaner, Thangadh, Bamanbor, Shapar-Veraval areas in Rajkot district. The
industry has a turnover is around Rs.10000 Core per annum in the state. These
areas in the Sauarashtra region are rich in red soil (fire clay), which is the raw
material for the ceramic industry. In addition, raw materials such as volestonite
and feldspar are acquired from mines in Bikaner and Jaipur. Powder used in the
industry comes from the Pune and Udaipur. Fuel Gas is supplied from the
Porbandar

Promotion
Many ceramic companies in Gujarat have launched online portals to directly
come in contact with customers. Visitors of the site can customize the designs at
their will and order a sample of the tile before buying it.
Big players like Asian Granito, Kajaria, have already established their brand
showrooms at the big cities of the selected states to display their products and
directly reach to their customers. Recently, Orient Ceramic has opened their
show rooms in Andhra Pradesh in Feb-2011. After successful launches in
Uttarakhand, Assam,Kerala, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Hariyana, Rajasthan, Punjab and
UTs and Chandigarh. Somany Ceramics had decided to revise its plan of opening
retail stores in the country. It was earlier planning to open 60-65 retails store but
now it will go ahead with 50 stores.

Price
Though Indian ceramic industry is the facing pricing war from China, our price is
reasonably low in premium market like Europe, Canada and US. Only things we
need is proper sales networks in this market. The prices of the Morbi based
ceramic products have hiked prices by 12%with gas and other raw material

prices rising continuously at the time rising coupled with lower demand plaguing
the industry and the rise in RM prices had added further woes.

4Ps of Ecuadorian Ceramic Tile Industry

The 4Ps of ceramic marketing are like different levers that can be used in
different degrees to achieve the same objective.

Product
There is a wide range of designs and sizes to choose from. Introduction of two
new categories-i.e., Vitrified and Concept tiles.

Price
The price range is very vast. Due to capacity expansion supply is increased so
price is lowered down by 35%. Moreover price war from china has also lowered
down prices.

Promotion
Advertising is done in leading Construction magazines and interior design
journals. Taking part in international exhibitions is routine.

Place
Wide distribution network in and outside state. Products delivered within feasible
timeline of order

Market Analysis for Ecuadorian Ceramic

Industries
Since Ecuador became a member of OPEC in 1973, modernization has begun to
take hold throughout the nation. Yet despite rapid change, Ecuador's previously
isolated Oriente, or Upper Amazonian region, native women's ceramic creations
have maintained their ancient cultural traditions and, quite recently, have
brought ethnic recognition to their people.
Some 10,000 to 12,000 Canelos Quichua people, many of them intermarried with
neighboring Achuar, live in the rugged forest between the eastern slopes of the
Andes and the low-lying jungles whose rivers flow into the Amazon.
Exposed to religious and secular intrusions for about 400 years, Canelos Quichua
continue to maintain their basic cosmological beliefs and a number of traditions,
while adopting some new introductions - contemporary clothing, machetes, and
knapsacks.
As cattle raising becomes more widespread, men increasingly use chain saws to
convert forest to pastures. Even faster destruction of the forest is wrought by
government-owned equipment, which makes room for vast sugar or tea
plantations in a matter of weeks.
Many Quichua-speaking indigenous people who live in the area surrounding the
town of Puyo, capital of the province, identify themselves as Puyo Runa (Runa
means person, human being in Quichua). Quichua speakers were the original
inhabitants of this town. In ten years, Puyo has grown from a sleepy frontier
village to a bustling regional center. Descendants of these earlier dwellers now
come into Puyo from their jungle homes to shop, enroll their children in schools,
or participate in the annual "Founding Day" parade where they dress in "savage
Indian" garb, to comply with the parade organizer's instructions. At the same
time, women often carry their ceramic creations in hand as they march, and then
perform their own dance before the reviewing stand.
These Canelos Quichua women continue to produce fine pottery for everyday use
and for communal ritual activities by traditional techniques of hand coiling,
decorating and firing. Every woman produces basic household items - storage
jars and drinking bowls - needed for making and serving aswa, fermented manioc
gruel, the dietary staple. Many women also make figurines and special drinking
bowls for ceremonial use.
After aswa has fermented 2 to 3 days, it is served by placing a handful of the
pulp in a mucahua and mixing it with cooked water.
In addition to their presence in traditional cultural rituals, ceramics are used in
"modern" ceremonies. At the dedication on May 23, 1982, of a new bridge linking
a small community to the outer world, a young indigenous woman carried an
exquisite mucahua as she accompanied the chosen "queen" of the village. The
bridge connects two completed segments of a long road, made with heavy

construction equipment. The once peaceful plaza has been transformed into a
terminal, the road's end (to date). A traditional-style building once housed a
native museum with a large collection of these ceramics; it has been replaced by
a curve in the road, near a stand for beer and soft drinks. But tradition carries on,
and during the ceremonies that day women served aswa from their bowls to the
gathered crowd.
There is no specialized role of "potter," although there are variations in women's
pottery-making abilities. Ability is based on a woman's integration of ecosystem
knowledge, personal experiences, familial integrity and cosmology. Briefly stated,
cosmology is a learning process which synthesizes ancient knowledge with
vision, obtained through on-going observations and dreams.
Quichua has no words for "art" or "artist". Words most often heard in praise of
ceramics are sumaj, beautiful, and sinchi, strong - the same words used to
describe powerful shamans' behavior. Superb potters' creations are said to have
muskuymanda, "imagery" from dreams, and inevitably are affiliated with a
powerful shaman. Just as a shaman is able to communicate his synthesis of
knowledge and vision through chants, a skilled potter communicates her
synthesis and integration through the graphic symbolism imbedded in her
creations. Materials, techniques, colors and decorations remain traditional, but a
woman's choice and presentation of certain motifs from her repertoire of
numerous culturally based designs expresses her thought, knowledge and
integration.
Over the last decade, Canelos Quichua ceramics have gained popularity in
national and international ethnic and tourist art markets. In spite of such
concessions as making smaller sizes for tourists and omitting serving spouts on
figurines, potters have not redirected their efforts to producing "arts of
acculturation." In fact, acclaim of the ceramics, within and beyond Ecuador, has
been accompanied by a growing awareness of the creators as Canelos Quichua.
This recognition of the existence of Canelos Quichua as a unique people is
extremely important in a world where scarcely six years ago, they were
overlooked, ignored, or thought to have disappeared into national "society." To
date, their wares have been included in such exhibits as Ecuadorian
folkcraft/handicraft exhibits in Quito and at the Inter-American Development
Bank in Washington, D.C. They have been the topic of articles in Ecuadorian
magazines and newspapers. High quality pottery is sold in the better gift shops
in Quito for appropriately good prices, and some native people now are selling
their ceramics directly to shop owners rather than through middlemen.
The road from mythology to money is illustrated by a brief saga, Sicuanga Goes
to Market. A traditional small jar is known as a sicuanga manga, used by women
to store precious things such as smooth stones for burnishing pottery, and to
save feathers from the sicuanga - toucan - bird, from which come their four basic
colors (black, white, red, yellow) - until enough were accumulated to make a
headdress.

Long ago, in mythic time-space, "outsiders," as monkeys, tied up two beautiful

women with palm fiber that turned into spiny vines. The toucan person, sicuanga
runa, was the only warrior able to cut these bonds, which he did with his strong,
sharp beak, allowing the women to continue their mission of providing food and
beauty. They in return created him in his present-day form and colors. The
imagery of sicuanga combines the qualities of strength and beauty. As a
continuing symbol of protest, it still evokes the capability and power of Canelos
Quichua people to break the bonds of political-economic ensnarement.
A new sicuanga representation has significantly penetrated the tourist market
during the last four years. These carvings, first created in 1975, are carved only
by Canelos Quichua men, traditional carvers of functional wood items, although
subsequently, they were painted and marketed by outsiders. Today, several
carve, paint and market these items. Some women are helping their husbands,
to the detriment of their pottery production. This new, mass-produced, folk art
has become so popular that it appeared on the cover of an ad from the foremost
gift shop in Quito.
As Runa now sell their wares directly, taking a bus to Quito by traveling quickly
along the improved Pan American Highway, they enter the urban side of the
same modernization process unleashed in their territory on the outskirts of Quito.
Women, exposed to colonization and oil exploration, respond by recording their
experience in ceramic form, frequently merging them with traditional symbolic
motifs. They produce a variety of expressions mocking and protesting modern
intrusions, including a juke box, a malaria worker's hat, church steeples, cattle
horns, an oil company boss shouting orders, letters and numbers copied from a
school blackboard, or Godzilla.
The women's ability to incorporate such change into their traditional ceramic
expressions reflects the enduring continuity and adaptability of Canelos Quichua
people and their culture.
Since the mid-1970s Canelos Quichua potters, in collaboration with the Sacha
Runa Research Foundation, have been making a unique and imaginative
contribution to the general health of the Puyo Runa, as well as maintaining the
high quality of their ceramics, in some cases even improving it. Many of the
highest quality pieces are given to the Sacha Runa Research Foundation which
sells these unique creations as works of art, not mass-produced handicrafts, to
small international audiences. The comparatively high returns generated by
these superior artifacts are channeled into a special medical program for the
Puyo Runa. For this population, the intensity and frequency of illness has become
directly proportional to increased cultural contact. Many suffer from or succumb
to serious illness because they are unable to pay for medical treatment. The
maintenance and careful marketing of a high quality ceramic tradition, therefore
has promoted not only cultural vitality and ethnogenesis, but improved the
overall health of the Puyo Runa. An Occasional Paper detailing the evolution of
this project will be published by Cultural Survival early in 1983.