South Korea · Knotting / Decorative Craft
매듭 (Maedeup)
Maedeup is the Korean art of decorative knotting — producing intricate three-dimensional knot forms from silk cord for use in norigae pendants (CRAFT-0274), Hanbok accessories, ceremonial wrapping, and objects of daily beauty. Korean maedeup uses a specific two-strand silk cord twisted to a standard tension and worked into over 38 distinct named knot forms — from the simple dorae-maedeup (basic round knot) to the complex garak-ji-maedeup (ring knot) and the nabi-maedeup (butterfly knot). Unlike Western macramé which builds outward from a mounting, maedeup works three-dimensionally in free space — both hands manipulating the cord simultaneously without reference to any jig or frame. The knot forms are encoded in the maker's hands as muscle memory.
Risk level: Endangered · Not inscribed internationally; within Korean ICH Living National Treasure system
Hanji, Korean mulberry paper, cut into strips, twisted into tight cords and twined like basketry into vessels, lanterns, shoes, quivers, brush holders and trays.
Lidded bowls and rounded vessels built from hanji scraps: waste paper is finely torn, soaked in water, mixed with glue and kneaded into a clay-like paste, which is laid onto a mold or frame in repeated layers, each dried before the next,…
The hand-forging of Korean bronzeware (yugi) from a precisely alloyed copper-tin mixture into tableware, vessels, and — using the identical technique and material — traditional percussion instruments.
The carving of Hahoetal — the wooden masks used in Hahoe Byeolsingut Talnori, a satirical mask dance-drama performed as village ritual in the Andong region since the Goryeo Dynasty (918–1392) — designated Korea's National Treasure No.
The haegeum (two-stringed fiddle) and gayageum (12-stringed plucked zither) are the two most iconic Korean traditional instruments — and their making is a craft tradition of considerable technical precision.
Goryeo celadon (cheongja) is the Korean ceramic tradition that produced, between the 10th and 14th centuries, some of the most technically and aesthetically remarkable ceramics in world history — praised by Chinese Song Dynasty observers…
The weaving of dried date palm fronds into baskets, mats, fans, and food coverings, one of the oldest human crafts practiced in Qatar and directly documented by the country's own official tourism authority as an industry that has almost…
The seasonal harvesting and hand-weaving of capim dourado — the long, naturally metallic-golden stem of a wildflower (Syngonanthus nitens), not actually a grass — sewn together with buriti palm fiber into baskets, mats, and, increasingly,…
The hand-spinning and weaving of Al Sadu, geometric Bedouin textiles, by Qatari women, genuinely distinct in national documentation from the archive's already-recorded Saudi Arabian/Kuwaiti (CRAFT-2673), Emirati (CRAFT-2680), Omani…
Anyaman Tikar Bergerang is a Sarawak Malay pandan-leaf weaving tradition producing mats and containers in two named techniques: anyaman berduri ("thorn weaving") for smaller lidded vessels such as the ketupat lanyek beranak container, and…
The tribes of Northeast India — particularly in Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura, Meghalaya, and Mizoram — have developed among the most sophisticated cane and bamboo working traditions in Asia.
The weaving of dried palm fronds into baskets, mats, trays, fans, bags, tablecloths, brooms, and camel-carried containers, one of the oldest handicrafts in Saudi Arabia and practiced everywhere the palm tree grows across the Kingdom.