The researches carried out in the villages in the south of Giurgiu County have revealed an interesting situation related to the crafts of the Rudari Roma in the area. In the village of Pietrișu in the commune of Găujani and in the commune of Slobozia, I met many miners who specialized in making bricks for building stoves. They learned the craft of brickmaking from their parents, who were also good at making wooden objects ("spindles", spindles, spoons, chairs), especially in the winter period. Most of those interviewed told us that they were not allowed (or encouraged) by their parents to learn the trade of woodworking, considering it to be hard work and not well paid.
The project's research team spoke with Florea Ciolan, native of Pietrișu village, Găujani commune and former master bricklayer. "I worked for about 10 years at the brickyard. At 18, I finished vocational school, in the navy, and embarked. I worked many Saturdays and Sundays and then made up for it with days off. I used to stay at home for 4-5 months a year, take my wife and children and go to the brickyard", he told us. He remembers that the decline of the bricklaying craft began in the second half of the 70s. Many of the parents wanted the young people to go to school and at least do a vocational course, if not high school, after eight years of primary school. After finishing vocational school and high school, many did not return to the village or did so occasionally. "We, the youth, started going to schools, to work. It was almost finished with the bricks. Around the 80s-85s it started to become rare. Only those who didn't have school were left to make bricks, and they continued until the beginning of the 1990s," remembers nea Florea.
The secret to obtaining good bricks was the quality of the soil from which they were to be made. "It was a time of earth that if it was not kneaded well, the brick would crack. The earth was softening, it was dug two or three times", Florea Ciolan tells. The "dough" thus prepared was put into the molds for the bricks and then they were left to dry. They worked on large surfaces, primarily to be able to make a large number of bricks, but mainly because they needed one or two days to dry.
Next to Ciolan Florea, Pietrișu, Găujani commune, Giurgiu county
Currently, the trade of bricklayer is practiced in the commune Aurica and Florin Dinu (60 years and 65 years respectively) and Didina Iordan (66 years old). And they also make bricks for stoves, somewhat longer and thinner than those used for building houses.
Aurica and Florin Dinu, master bricklayers, together with the representatives of the National Museum of the "Dimitrie Gusti" Village.
Aurica Dinu shows us the kiln, located behind the yard, where the bricks were fired
Didina Iordan, bricklayer, shows us the bricks for stoves made by herself.
Aurica Dinu shows us the shapes they use to make bricks for stoves
La marginea comunei Slobozia, aproape de malul Dunării, am întâlnit la lucru alte două familii de rudari Stanciu Ion (63 years old) and Stanciu Petra (64 years old), Rudaru Vasile (64 ani) și Rudaru Gica (66 years old), who provided us with detailed information about the bricklayer's craft.
The bricks made by them are specially made for building stoves and come in two sizes: small (thin) and medium ("medium"). Around 160 – 200 pieces are used in a stove, usually of both sizes in a proportion of 50-50%.
Of the entire technological process, the most difficult part is the clay processing. In the evening, the amount of clay that will be used the next day is prepared. It mixes very well with water and is covered with plastic wrap to retain moisture and elasticity. In the past, the clay was removed with a spade, and water was brought from the tap with buckets. Now the clay is extracted with the excavator and the water is brought with the pump. The quality of the clay is also extremely important, it must not be sandy or it will crack during the firing process.
After modeling the clay in the double wooden pattern, the raw brick is placed on the ground, in a specially arranged area, cleared of vegetation and leveled, over which sieved sand is sprinkled so that it does not stick. It is kept dry for a day or two, depending on the weather. It also turns over to the other side for even drying. Usually around 1000 bricks are made per day. The dry bricks are stored on top of each other being placed on the long edge to prevent them from breaking. Although in their youth they made more than 30,000 bricks in one shift, nowadays the kiln is set up for 10,000 – 12,000 pieces.
It is managed on the spot having a cubic shape. The brick is arranged one on top of the other, according to a certain well-established pattern learned from the parents, making the three large draft channels as well as a series of smaller channels for the uniform distribution of heat. After arranging the bricks, the oven walls are built made of adobe plastered with clay to keep the heat inside as much as possible.
Brickmakers Ion and Petra Stanciu, Slobozia
The burning starts in the morning and is maintained for a whole day, using hardwood (beech) and coal (lignite brought from Șigănești) as fuel. The coals are placed in the center of the three draft channels, at the "grit" (area where the bricks are specially arranged to distribute the heat over the entire inner surface of the furnace), and the wood is placed in the mouths of the furnace. The oven opens 4-5 days after the fire is turned off. Until more than 20 years ago, they also made large bricks for construction, as well as adobe ("brick").
Before, there were around 15 people in the area dealing with the brick product, currently only 5 remain.
Rudaru Vasile and Rudaru Gica also learned the craft of woodworking from their parents. They currently only make spoons from poplar or willow wood, which they sell in the Giurgiu market.
Brickmakers Vasile and Gica Rudaru, Slobozia
