Larouma or larouman reed weaving
The hand-processing and weaving of larouma reed (also called larouman) into baskets, mats, trays, and containers by artisans of the Kalinago people, Indigenous inhabitants of Dominica's Kalinago Territory — the only officially recognized Indigenous territory in the Caribbean, established 1903. Woven patterns are not purely decorative: sources describe them as meaningful, with specific designs historically associated with particular Kalinago families, ceremonies, and historical narratives, and some patterns understood to have served a communicative function. Distinct from Saint Lucia's Choiseul larouma craft (CRAFT-2099), which is practiced within a general Creole community using different plant materials (screw pine, khus khus grass, sisal); Dominica's tradition is a living Indigenous-nation practice within a legally recognized territory, using aroman/larouma and cachibou fibers specific to Kalinago material culture.
Risk level: Vulnerable · Not inscribed; Dominica is a State Party to the 2003 ICH Convention
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