Equatorial Guinea · Fine-Art-Adjacent Workshop Craft (musical/ritual object-making)
Not specifically documented under a standardized Bubi-language term in available sources
The single-block carving of trapezoidal, oval-sectioned wooden ceremonial bells by the Bubi people, indigenous inhabitants of Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea. Historically worn on the arms as part of ceremonial and ritual adornment, alongside necklaces and bandanas made from snake vertebrae, the wooden bell was specifically waved over the body during healing rituals -- understood as a way to call good spirits toward the person and drive away bad spirits. Carved entirely from a single block of wood into its distinctive trapezoidal form with an oval cross-section, the bell today functions as a recognized identity symbol of the Bubi people; contemporary initiatives are documented as actively working to recover the traditional artisan techniques required to manufacture the bells again on Bioko Island, explicitly framed as a way to generate alternative economic resources for the community beyond hunting or fishing.
Risk level: Critically Endangered · Not independently inscribed
The carving and painting of wooden masks by the Bubi people of Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea, used as central elements of funerary rites, seasonal festivals, and community storytelling.
The hand-weaving of raffia palm fiber into the ngombi, the traditional single-piece garment of the Fang people, Equatorial Guinea's largest ethnic group.
The hand-knotting of a monumental Islamic medallion prayer carpet for the main prayer hall of the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Abu Dhabi, certified by Guinness World Records as the largest hand-knotted carpet in the world.
The making of finely detailed miniature objects — houses, vehicles, food, currency, diplomas, and more — for Bolivia's Alasita festival, an Aymara ritual tradition honoring Ekeko, the god of abundance, in which miniatures are bought,…
The two-stage collaborative creation of nkisi, sacred power figures produced by the Kongo peoples of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (and neighboring Angola), through the sequential work of two distinct ritual specialists.
The carving of small wooden yanda figures by the Zande (Azande) people, whose territory spans the Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan, and the Central African Republic.
A distinctive bridal henna tradition specific to Misrata, Libya's coastal city, in which a wool rope (nira) is used instead of a cone applicator to wrap the bride's hands and feet in a fishnet pattern, directly reflecting the city's deep…
A distinctive Nubian bridal henna tradition practiced in Aswan-area villages resettled after the Aswan Dam displacements, historically maintained through Nubia's kinship ties with Sudan and reflected in specifically Sudanese-influenced…