Sulaman Karawo
Karawo is the traditional drawn-thread embroidery tradition of Gorontalo province — a technique in which specific warp and weft threads are withdrawn from a woven ground cloth to create an open grid of remaining threads, into which colored silk or metallic thread is then woven to produce lace-like geometric and figurative patterns. The process requires two distinct skills: thread withdrawal (precise removal of specific threads without disturbing adjacent ones) and pattern weaving into the resulting grid. Karawo is applied to both fashion fabric and ritual garments, and has become the primary cultural identity craft of Gorontalo province (established 2000). The technique bears structural similarities to European drawn-thread embroidery (Hardanger, Reticella) but is independently developed and has a distinct Islamic geometric pattern vocabulary. GI Tag was granted in 2014.
Risk level: Endangered · Not inscribed; GI Tag 2014
Makassar goldsmithing and silverwork is the hereditary jewelry tradition of the Makassarese people — the other major ethnic group of South Sulawesi alongside the Bugis — producing filigree, granulation, and repoussé work for ceremonial…
The Pinisi is the traditional two-masted sailing vessel of the Bugis and Makassarese people — one of the most iconic watercraft in Southeast Asia and the primary vehicle of the Bugis maritime trading network that connected Sulawesi to…
Donggala silk is the traditional handwoven silk cloth of Donggala district on the Gulf of Tomini, Central Sulawesi — producing supplementary weft patterned silk in a palette and motif vocabulary reflecting the area's blend of Bugis, Kaili,…
Asmat woodcarving is among the most celebrated indigenous art traditions in the world — produced by the Asmat people of the southwestern Papua coast, a community whose artistic output has been collected by international museums since the…
Kain Leja is the traditional handwoven ikat cloth of the Tolaki people of Southeast Sulawesi — the indigenous community of the Kendari area.
Salele is the traditional supplementary weft patterned cotton cloth of the North Maluku Sultanates — Ternate and Tidore — produced for royal ceremony and aristocratic dress in a tradition directly linked to the global spice trade economy…
The needle-and-thread meshwork and embroidery of randa, a fine needle-lace textile made by randeras — women artisans of El Cercado, a rural commune in Monteros department, Tucumán province.
Bian embroidery (汴绣) is the revival of the Song Dynasty court embroidery tradition of Kaifeng (historically Bianjing — the Northern Song capital), most famous for its reproduction of Song-period paintings in silk — in particular, the…
Lu embroidery (鲁绣) is the Shandong provincial embroidery tradition — one of China's oldest documented embroidery schools, referenced in Han Dynasty texts as tribute fabric sent to the imperial court.
The Irish lace making tradition — two distinct Irish lace traditions: Carrickmacross (appliqué and needlerun muslin on net, Monaghan County) and Limerick (tambour and needlerun on net, County Limerick), both developed during the 19th…
Miao embroidery (苗绣) is one of the most complex and historically rich embroidery traditions in the world — produced by the Miao people (known as Hmong in Southeast Asia) of Guizhou province and neighboring regions in southwest China.
The Yao people — an ethnic group of over 3 million spread across Guangxi, Yunnan, Hunan, Guangdong, and beyond into Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand — maintain a distinctive textile tradition combining tie-dye (zha ran — stitch-resist indigo…