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The Depository documents 16 techniques in Bhutan; by risk level: 8 critically endangered, 6 endangered, 2 vulnerable. Each record opens with a public summary; the full research record is free to view once registered.
Shingzo (ཤིང་བཟོ — 'wood craft') encompasses all Bhutanese woodworking traditions — from the architectural carving of dzong (fortress-monastery) window frames, brackets, and columns to the production of domestic and ritual wooden objects.
The turning of wooden bowls, cups, and containers — traditionally called dapa and phob — from rare, wild-harvested wood burls (dza), one of the thirteen classical Zorig Chusum arts of Bhutan and, according to Bhutanese craft-heritage…
The carving of Buddhist scripture, prayer-flag designs, and mandala images in mirror-reversed relief onto wooden printing blocks, for mass xylographic printing and publication of sacred texts.
Garzo (གར་བཟོ — 'iron craft') is Bhutanese blacksmithing — historically producing the full range of iron tools, weapons, and agricultural implements for Bhutanese communities, and still producing the ritual iron objects of Vajrayana…
Lugzo (ལུག་བཟོ — 'casting craft') is Bhutanese lost-wax and sand casting tradition — producing the ritual bells (drilbu), dorje (thunderbolt scepter), butter lamp stands, and Buddhist deity figures that furnish every Bhutanese monastery…
Serzo (གསེར་བཟོ — 'gold craft') encompasses Bhutanese gold and silver smithing — producing ritual Buddhist vessels (offering bowls, butter lamp stands, water offering bowls), personal ornaments (rings, earrings, amulet boxes), and royal…
Kishuthara (ཀི་ཤུ་ཐར་ར) is Bhutan's most prestigious silk weaving tradition — produced almost exclusively in Khoma village, Lhuentse District, eastern Bhutan, and constituting one of the finest supplementary weft silk textiles in Asia.
Men (མེན) is Bhutan's national cotton textile — a warp-faced striped cloth produced on the back-strap loom throughout western and central Bhutan, worn as the kira (women's dress) for everyday formal occasions and as the gho lining for men.
Yathra (ཡར་ཐྲ) is Bumthang District's defining textile tradition — a weft-faced weave producing bold multicolor geometric patterns in hand-spun and hand-dyed wool.
The making of the traditional bamboo bow (zhu) and arrow (da) used to play archery, Bhutan's national sport since 1971.
Tsharzo (ཚར་བཟོ — 'bamboo craft') encompasses all Bhutanese bamboo weaving traditions — concentrated in eastern Bhutan (Trashigang, Trashiyangtse, Mongar) where specific bamboo species unique to the eastern valleys support the most…
Parzo (སྤར་བཟོ — 'slate craft') is the Bhutanese tradition of carving Buddhist mantras, images, and decorative motifs into slate and black stone — producing the mani stones placed at mountain passes, monastery walls, and river confluences…
Lhazo (ལྷ་བཟོ — 'deity craft') is the Bhutanese tradition of Buddhist thangka scroll painting — closely related to Tibetan thangka but with a distinct Bhutanese iconographic style: the Karma Gadri tradition.
Dzo-sho (རྫོང་ཤོག — 'dzong paper') is Bhutan's traditional handmade paper — produced from the bark of Daphne species shrubs (Daphne bholua and Edgeworthia gardneri — locally called re in Dzongkha) using a technique structurally similar to…
The making of religious clay statues, ritual objects, masks, and votive plaques (tsatsa) — one of the thirteen classical Zorig Chusum arts of Bhutan, distinguished among Himalayan Buddhist sculptural traditions and closing a gap distinct…
Tshem-zo (ཚེམ་བཟོ — 'needle craft') encompasses all Bhutanese embroidery and appliqué traditions — with the thondrol (liberation banner) being the supreme technical achievement.