Indonesia · Basketry / Structural Craft
Kerajinan Sagu Papua
Sago palm (Metroxylon sagu) is the foundation of life in lowland Papua — simultaneously the primary food source (sago starch), the primary building material (leaf for thatching, trunk for flooring), and the source of a range of craft objects: woven sago leaf mats and baskets, sago bark containers, sago leaf ceremonial decoration, and the distinctive sago stem storage vessels. The sago craft traditions of the Asmat, Kamoro, Marind-anim, and Mee communities each use the palm differently — reflecting each community's ecological relationship with the sago swamp environment. The most technically distinctive is the Marind-anim sago leaf weaving — producing tight, waterproof baskets from split sago leaf spine using a complex twill that makes the basket self-sealing when wet.
Risk level: Endangered · Not inscribed
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