The Depository · Browse · Africa
The Depository documents 6 techniques in Eritrea; by risk level: 2 critically endangered, 1 endangered, 2 vulnerable, 1 thriving. Each record opens with a public summary; the full research record is free to view once registered.
The metallic-thread embroidery, seed-pearl and silver-adornment application, and construction of the burqa, a heavy, opaque facial veil worn by Rashaida women of Eritrea's Northern Red Sea and Gash Barka regions, alongside the vibrant,…
The hand-weaving of white cotton into the zuria, a long ceremonial dress, followed by mekab, a counted-thread cross-stitch embroidery technique applied to its borders in precise geometric grids, practiced by Tigrinya weavers and…
The roasting, grinding, and multi-round brewing of coffee by Eritrean women in a structured hospitality ceremony sharing deep historical roots with, but technically and terminologically distinct from, the neighboring Ethiopian coffee…
The hand-building and firing of unglazed clay pottery by women potters at traditional pottery-production centers across Eritrea, using two distinct documented techniques: an older open-firing method and a later-developed closed-firing…
The tanning and working of animal hide into an extensive range of functional and ceremonial leather objects by artisans of the Nara people of Eritrea's Gash Barka region, using asso, a plant-bark-derived tanning agent, to cure and preserve…
The plaiting (kunti) of young palm tree leaves, reeds, grass, and sorghum stalks into an exceptionally diverse range of functional and decorative household objects by women of the Nara people, a small (approximately 1.5% of national…