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Craft Techniques of Ethiopia

The Depository documents 6 techniques in Ethiopia; by risk level: 3 endangered, 2 stable, 1 thriving. Each record opens with a public summary; the full research record is free to view once registered.

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Basketry & Woven Fiber

  • Amhara Shemma Handloom Weaving with Tibeb Supplementary-Weft BorderBasketry & Woven Fiber · Stable

    The handloom weaving of shemma, translucent white cotton cloth, by artisans of the Amhara region highlands, decorated with tibeb, a distinctive supplementary-weft or hand-embroidered border pattern woven using continuous extra weft threads…

  • Mesob Coiled Grass Basket WeavingBasketry & Woven Fiber · Stable

    The coiled construction of the mesob, Ethiopia's iconic woven basket-table used for serving injera and shared communal meals, built by wrapping and stitching bundled plant fiber into a continuous outward spiral.

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Ceramics & Pottery

  • Ari and Amhara Hand-Built Pottery with Graduated Skill HierarchyCeramics & Pottery · Endangered

    The hand-building, without a potter's wheel, of unglazed earthenware vessels -- including the jebena coffee pot -- by women potters of the Ari people, southern Ethiopia, and, separately, by the women of the Kechene Women's Pottery…

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Food, Drink & Botanical

  • Ethiopian Jebena Coffee Ceremony (Buna)Food, Drink & Botanical · Thriving

    The roasting, grinding, and triple brewing of coffee by Ethiopian women in a structured, hours-long hospitality ritual dating back over 1,000 years to the ninth century.

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Metalwork & Jewelry

  • Ethiopian Orthodox Processional Cross CastingMetalwork & Jewelry · Endangered

    The single-piece metal casting of large, elaborately decorated processional crosses for the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, exemplified by the Lalibela Cross, one of Ethiopia's most precious religious and historical heirlooms, held at…

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Stone & Gemstone Carving

  • Welo Artisanal Precious Opal Tunnel MiningStone & Gemstone Carving · Endangered

    The excavation of precious opal by hand-dug horizontal tunneling into steep volcanic valley walls, practiced by artisanal miners of the Delanta area, South Wollo, and the wider Welo (Wollo) and Shewa provinces of the Ethiopian highlands.

All stone & gemstone carving techniques worldwide →