France · Wood craft; Maritime craft; Poitou heritage
Construction de la Plate du Marais Poitevin
The building of the plate — the traditional flat-bottomed wooden punt of the Marais Poitevin (Green Venice), used to navigate the narrow waterways of the Poitevin marshland. The plate is a working vessel perfectly adapted to shallow, weed-choked channels: flat-bottomed for minimal draft; squared ends for stability in narrow turns; propelled by a long pole (pigouille). Each plate is built without plans from local poplar or oak, using a traditional eye-and-touch method passed exclusively through working boat-builders in the marsh communities.
Risk level: Endangered · Not listed; Marais Poitevin is a Parc Naturel Régional
The construction and maintenance of the dry stone walls (murgers) that define the Burgundy vineyard landscape — the famous stone walls enclosing the Clos (walled vineyards) of the Côte d'Or.
The weaving of silk ribbon — narrow silk fabric (2–150mm wide) on specialized ribbon looms in Saint-Étienne, historically the ribbon capital of France.
The seasonal transhumance of Aubrac cattle between winter lowland farms and summer pastures on the Aubrac plateau (1,000–1,400 meters).
The making of silk trimmings — fringes (franges); tassels (glands); braid (galon); cord (cordon); and passements (decorative trimming elements) — in the Lyon tradition.
Le Puy-en-Velay is the lace capital of France — the home of the most technically elaborate French bobbin lace tradition, with documented production since the 16th century and a peak in the 17th–18th century when Puy lace was worn by the…
The preparation of silk warp on the ourdissoir (warping drum or frame) before threading the loom — the first step in producing Lyon silk fabric.
The construction of a large, open, wood-framed boat covered with stitched bearded seal or walrus skin, historically the primary vessel for whaling and large-scale marine mammal hunting and cargo transport among coastal Iñupiat and other…
The nguzunguzu is the carved figural ornament fixed to the prow of Solomon Islands war canoes — a small (15-25cm) figure representing a sea spirit (vura) who guides the canoe through dangerous waters.
The Tao tatala is one of the most extraordinary craft objects in the Pacific — an outrigger fishing canoe assembled from 27 individually carved wooden planks joined without nails or caulking, held together only by wooden pins and the…
The hand-construction of dhows, traditional Arabian sailing vessels, at Khor Al Batah, a natural harbor in Sur, one of the most historic boatbuilding centers in Arabia, where ships have been built or moored for more than 500 years.
The building of traditional wooden boats in the Basque Country — from the trainera (the traditional Basque rowing regatta boat, built from American oak using a specific longitudinal planking sequence) to the goleta (the Basque schooner…
The hand-construction of dhows, traditional single- or double-masted Arab sailing vessels, by shipwrights of the United Arab Emirates working without blueprints, using knowledge and skill transmitted directly from one generation to the…