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Craft Techniques of Cambodia

The Depository documents 25 techniques in Cambodia; by risk level: 15 critically endangered, 8 endangered, 2 vulnerable. Each record opens with a public summary; the full research record is free to view once registered.

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Weaving & Textiles

  • Cham Silk Weaving (Kain Cham)Weaving & Textiles · Critically Endangered

    The Cham people of Cambodia — Muslim descendants of the ancient Champa Kingdom — maintain a distinct textile tradition separate from both lowland Khmer hol (CRAFT-0506) and highland minority textiles.

  • Khmer Hol Ikat Silk WeavingWeaving & Textiles · Critically Endangered

    Hol is Cambodia's royal court weft-ikat silk weaving tradition, producing multi-color geometric and figurative patterns including the angorvat (Angkor Wat column) pattern and pka sla (wedding flower) pattern.

  • Khmer Krama Textile WeavingWeaving & Textiles · Endangered

    Krama is Cambodia's defining national textile — a checked or striped cotton cloth worn universally as scarf, head covering, baby carrier and Buddhist offering.

  • Khmer Pidan Temple Hanging Silk WeavingWeaving & Textiles · Critically Endangered

    Pidan is Cambodia's large-format Buddhist temple hanging silk (1.5m x 3m), woven with figurative Buddhist narrative scenes using supplementary weft tapestry technique — small color bobbins passed through specific warp areas to build each…

  • Tampuan Backstrap Loom WeavingWeaving & Textiles · Critically Endangered

    Tampuan weaving is the back-strap loom textile tradition of the Tampuan people of Ratanakiri Province — one of Cambodia's largest highland minority groups.

All weaving & textiles techniques worldwide →

Metalwork & Jewelry

  • Khmer Buddhist Bronze CastingMetalwork & Jewelry · Critically Endangered

    Khmer Buddhist bronze casting uses lost-wax technique with the Bayon-period iconometric canon (12th-13th century Jayavarman VII).

  • Khmer Silver Repoussé (Snay Prak)Metalwork & Jewelry · Critically Endangered

    Snay Prak is Khmer repoussé silversmithing producing ceremonial vessels, betel containers and royal regalia with naga, garuda, kinnari and Apsara motifs.

  • Koh Chen Copper and Silver Engraving — Chhlak Sbek Ka'ekMetalwork & Jewelry · Vulnerable

    The engraving of flattened copper sheet — often subsequently silver-plated — into decorative and ceremonial objects at Koh Chen and neighboring Prek Kdam villages in Kandal province, a craft distinct from the archive's existing Khmer…

  • Phnom Penh Contemporary Silversmithing RevivalMetalwork & Jewelry · Endangered

    The Phnom Penh silversmithing revival represents Cambodia's most commercially successful post-Khmer Rouge craft recovery — centered on the silver district around the Central Market and producing contemporary silver jewelry that combines…

All metalwork & jewelry techniques worldwide →

Mask, Puppet & Costume

  • Khmer Court Dance Prop Making (Fan and Flower)Mask, Puppet & Costume · Critically Endangered

    The props used in Khmer Royal Court Dance (Robam Preah Reach Trop) include ceremonial fans (sloeuk rompheap), floral garlands (phka), and ritual objects held by specific character types — all made by specialist prop makers who serve the…

  • Khmer Royal Court Dance Costume Making (Robam Preah Reach Trop)Mask, Puppet & Costume · Critically Endangered

    Robam Preah Reach Trop (the Khmer Royal Court Dance — UNESCO inscribed as Khmer Classical Dance in 2008 and 2016) requires the most elaborate costume-making tradition in mainland Southeast Asia: a single full Apsara dancer's costume…

  • Sbek Thom Large Shadow Puppet MakingMask, Puppet & Costume · Critically Endangered

    Sbek Thom (UNESCO 2008) are whole-figure buffalo hide puppets up to 1.5m height for backlit Reamker (Khmer Ramayana) performance.

  • Sbek Touch Small Shadow Puppet MakingMask, Puppet & Costume · Critically Endangered

    Sbek Touch (សបែកតូច — 'small hide') is Cambodia's second shadow puppet tradition — distinct from the large UNESCO-inscribed Sbek Thom (CRAFT-0511) in both scale and technique.

All mask, puppet & costume techniques worldwide →

Basketry & Woven Fiber

  • Bunong Rattan and Bamboo Basket WeavingBasketry & Woven Fiber · Critically Endangered

    The Bunong (also known as Phnong) people of Mondulkiri Province maintain one of Cambodia's most technically complex basket weaving traditions — using rattan and bamboo to produce carrying baskets (khnang), rice wine jar covers, and ritual…

  • Kampot Rattan Furniture MakingBasketry & Woven Fiber · Endangered

    Kampot Province maintains Cambodia's most active rattan furniture making tradition — producing chairs, tables, baskets, and decorative objects from locally harvested Kampot rattan.

  • Khmer Bamboo Basket Weaving (Poas Roteah)Basketry & Woven Fiber · Endangered

    Khmer bamboo basketry produces agricultural, household and fishing containers including the yeun trei fish trap.

All basketry & woven fiber techniques worldwide →

Stone & Gemstone Carving

  • Angkor Replica Stone Carving (Contemporary Workshop)Stone & Gemstone Carving · Endangered

    The contemporary Angkor replica stone carving workshops of Siem Reap represent a distinct tradition from the APSARA-controlled restoration carving (CRAFT-0509) — a commercial workshop tradition producing Angkor-style relief carvings in…

  • Khmer Architectural Stone Carving (Chhlak Thmar)Stone & Gemstone Carving · Critically Endangered

    Chhlak Thmar is the Khmer architectural stone carving tradition that produced 200+ square kilometers of bas-relief at Angkor.

All stone & gemstone carving techniques worldwide →

Musical Instruments

  • Jarai Bronze Gong Making and TuningMusical Instruments · Critically Endangered

    The Jarai people of Ratanakiri Province maintain a bronze gong casting and tuning tradition closely related to the Vietnamese Central Highlands gong traditions (shared cultural heritage across the Cambodia-Vietnam border).

  • Khmer Musical Instrument Making (Chapei Dong Veng and Roneat)Musical Instruments · Critically Endangered

    Two defining Cambodian instruments: the chapei dong veng (two-stringed long-neck lute for philosophical poetry performance) and roneat ek (21-key bamboo xylophone).

All musical instruments techniques worldwide →

Ceramics & Pottery

  • Khmer Palm Sugar Processing Pottery (Khnang Skor)Ceramics & Pottery · Endangered

    The khnang skor (ខ្នងស្ករ — 'sugar back-basket') is the specialized clay vessel used for boiling and setting palm sugar — Cambodia's most important sugar tradition.

  • Khmer Rotating-Platform Pottery (Dey Khmer)Ceramics & Pottery · Endangered

    Dey Khmer is Cambodia's earthenware tradition using the unique walking-around-clay technique: the potter does NOT rotate the clay on a wheel — instead the potter walks in a circle around the stationary clay on a rotating platform (bat…

All ceramics & pottery techniques worldwide →

Lacquerware

  • Khmer Lacquerware (Lak)Lacquerware · Critically Endangered

    Khmer Lak is gold-on-black lacquerware using rattan or bamboo weave bases coated with yang-rak lacquer.

All lacquerware techniques worldwide →

Woodwork & Carving

All woodwork & carving techniques worldwide →

Boatbuilding & Maritime

  • Mekong River Traditional Boat BuildingBoatbuilding & Maritime · Endangered

    The Mekong River communities of Stung Treng and Kratie maintain a traditional wooden boat building tradition producing the narrow, high-prow vessels used for Mekong River fishing and transportation.

All boatbuilding & maritime techniques worldwide →