The Depository · Browse · Africa

Craft Techniques of Niger

The Depository documents 6 techniques in Niger; by risk level: 1 critically endangered, 4 endangered, 1 thriving. Each record opens with a public summary; the full research record is free to view once registered.

Explore Niger in the Depository →

Architectural Craft

  • Agadez Banco Mud-Brick Construction and Minaret MaintenanceArchitectural Craft · Critically Endangered

    The construction and ritual maintenance of mud-brick buildings in Agadez, Niger, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2013, most famously embodied in the Grand Mosque's minaret — at 27 meters (89 feet), the tallest mud-brick structure in the…

All architectural craft techniques worldwide →

Metalwork & Jewelry

  • Agadez Cross Lost-Wax SilversmithingMetalwork & Jewelry · Endangered

    The lost-wax casting of silver amuletic pendants by Inadan (hereditary Tuareg blacksmith) silversmiths of Agadez and the surrounding Aïr Mountains region, northern Niger — the documented point of origin for the entire family of tanaghilt…

All metalwork & jewelry techniques worldwide →

Food, Drink & Botanical

  • Fura da Nono Millet-and-Fermented-Milk PreparationFood, Drink & Botanical · Thriving

    The grinding, spicing, boiling, and shaping of millet into small balls (fura), subsequently crumbled into fermented cow's or goat's milk (nono) to produce a cooling, nutrient-dense beverage-meal historically rooted in Fulani pastoral life…

All food, drink & botanical techniques worldwide →

Ceramics & Pottery

All ceramics & pottery techniques worldwide →

Leatherwork

  • Tuareg Tamzak Camel Saddle LeatherworkLeatherwork · Endangered

    The construction of camel saddles by Tuareg leatherworkers of the Agadez region, Niger, in which brightly colored leather -- traditionally red, black, and green -- is stitched and glued over a forked hardwood frame, then embossed with…

All leatherwork techniques worldwide →

Basketry & Woven Fiber

  • Zarma Souban Strip-Loom Blanket WeavingBasketry & Woven Fiber · Endangered

    The narrow-strip weaving of ceremonial blankets by Zarma weavers of Niger, organized within a dedicated hereditary weaver caste called Tchakey, itself divided into two named specialist sub-roles: the massaki-sakala, who weave the Dori and…

All basketry & woven fiber techniques worldwide →