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Craft Techniques of Zimbabwe

The Depository documents 6 techniques in Zimbabwe; by risk level: 2 critically endangered, 2 endangered, 2 vulnerable. Each record opens with a public summary; the full research record is free to view once registered.

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Stone & Gemstone Carving

  • Marange Alluvial Diamond Hand-PanningStone & Gemstone Carving · Critically Endangered

    The hand-digging and panning of alluvial diamonds from softer Quaternary sediment deposits by informal miners, known locally as omakorokoza, in the Marange (Chiadzwa) diamond fields of eastern Zimbabwe's Manicaland province, following the…

  • Shona Serpentine Stone SculptureStone & Gemstone Carving · Vulnerable

    The direct hand-carving of figurative and abstract sculpture from serpentine and related stones by the Shona people of Zimbabwe, a tradition with roots stretching back more than a thousand years to the construction of Great Zimbabwe…

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Metalwork & Jewelry

  • Njanja Communal Iron Smelting and ForgingMetalwork & Jewelry · Critically Endangered

    The organized, communal extraction, smelting, and forging of iron ore by the Njanja, a Shona-speaking sub-group of central-eastern Zimbabwe who migrated into the Wedza (Hwedza) area from Mozambique around 1857 and rapidly organized one of…

  • Shona Mbira Lamellaphone CraftingMetalwork & Jewelry · Vulnerable

    The construction of the mbira, a lamellaphone consisting of 22 to 28 tuned metal keys (tines) mounted on a hardwood soundboard, by Shona craftsmen of Zimbabwe, in a tradition inscribed by UNESCO in 2020 as shared Intangible Cultural…

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Basketry & Woven Fiber

  • Binga Tonga Ilala Palm Basket WeavingBasketry & Woven Fiber · Endangered

    The coiled hand-weaving of ilala palm fiber into symmetrically patterned baskets by Tonga women of Binga District, northwestern Zimbabwe, along the shores of Lake Kariba -- a directly related, cross-border sister tradition to the Tonga…

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Ceramics & Pottery

  • Shona Incised and Burnished Hand-Built PotteryCeramics & Pottery · Endangered

    The hand-forming, incised decoration, burnishing, and open-firing of clay pottery by Shona potters of Zimbabwe, a tradition with archaeological continuity extending to the Late Iron Age, when settled agriculturalist groups including the…

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