Traditional craftsmanship

• Scope and Content
• Some Examples
• Challenges to Viability
• Some Safeguarding Approaches

Scope and Content

The Woodcrafting Knowledge of the Zafimaniry
© J. Ségur/ZED

“Traditional craftsmanship” seems in many ways to be the most tangible of domains in which intangible heritage is expressed, but the focus of the Convention is not on craft products as such, but rather on the skills and knowledge crucial for their ongoing production. Any efforts to safeguard traditional craftsmanship must focus not on preserving craft objects—no matter how beautiful, precious, rare or important they might be—but on creating conditions that will encourage artisans to continue to produce crafts of all kinds, and to transmit their skills and knowledge to others, especially younger members of their own communities.

Traditional craftsmanship is expressed in many forms: clothing and jewellery to protect or adorn the body; costumes and props required for festivals or performing arts; objects used for storage, transport, and shelter; decorative arts and ritual objects; musical instruments and household utensils; toys meant to amuse or educate, and tools vital to subsistence or survival. Many such objects are ephemeral, intended to last only as long as the community festival or family rite for which they are made. Others become keepsakes, handed down as precious heirlooms and used as models for ongoing creativity. The skills and knowledge required for artisanry to continue are sometimes as delicate as a paper votive or sand drawing, but often as robust and resilient as a sturdy basket or thick blanket.

Some Examples

The Indonesian Kris
©Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Indonesia

These examples are selected from the 90 Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity proclaimed in 2001, 2003 and 2005.

• The Indonesian Kris, both weapon and spiritual object, is considered to possess magical powers. A bladesmith, or empu, makes the blade in layers of different iron ores and meteorite nickel. Empus are highly respected artisans with additional knowledge in literature, history and occult sciences. Although active and honoured empus who produce high-quality kris in the traditional way can still be found on many islands, their number is dramatically decreasing, and it is more difficult for them to find people to whom they can transmit their skills.
• The most visible emblem of the Kihnu Cultural Space (Estonia) is the woollen handicrafts worn by the women of the community. Working in their homes using traditional looms and local wool, the women weave and knit mittens, stockings, skirts and blouses; many of the symbolic forms and colours adorning these striking garments are rooted in ancient legends.
• Vanuatu Sand Drawings are memory tools to record and transmit rituals, mythological lore and a wealth of oral information about local histories, cosmologies, kinship systems, song cycles, farming techniques, architectural and craft design, and choreographic patterns. A master sand drawer must possess not only a strong knowledge of graphic patterns but also a deep understanding of their significance.
• Barkcloth Making in Uganda involves some of humankind’s oldest knowledge, a prehistoric technique that predates the invention of weaving. Barkcloth is mainly worn at coronation and healing ceremonies, funerals and cultural gatherings, but is also used for curtains, mosquito screens, bedding and storage. With the introduction of cotton cloth by Arab caravan traders in the nineteenth century, production slowed and barkcloth’s cultural and spiritual functions diminished, until its revival in recent decades.

Challenges to Viability

In a world where goods are increasingly produced thousands of kilometres from where they are consumed, and where industrial efficiency is often valued more than traditional know-how, the skills and knowledge of traditional artisans face many challenges. Mass production, whether on the level of large multinational corporations or local cottage industries, is often able to supply goods needed for daily life at a lower cost than hand production, and often craftspeople cannot adapt readily to that competition. Many craft skills are dependent on particular natural resources that may be increasingly difficult to acquire as climatic and environmental changes or conversion of land to agricultural purposes reduces forest reserves. Craft processes themselves may be environmentally harmful, particularly when they are intensified from individual production to cottage industry.

As social conditions or cultural tastes change, festivals or celebrations that once required elaborate craft production may become simpler or sparser (although in some cases, increasing prosperity allows festivals to be celebrated today with a splendor unimaginable in the past, creating new opportunities for craft producers). Young people who observe the rigours of traditional craftsmanship, and particularly the sometimes-lengthy apprenticeship before one achieves mastery, may choose instead to seek better-paid or less demanding work in factories or service industries. And many craft traditions involve “trade secrets” that should not be taught to outsiders; if family members or community members are not interested in learning it, such knowledge may disappear because sharing it with strangers violates the tradition.

Some Safeguarding Approaches

The goal of safeguarding, here as with other domains of ICH, is to support the continuing transmission of the knowledge and skills associated with traditional artisanry—to help ensure that crafts continue to be practiced within their communities, providing livelihoods to their makers and reflecting creativity and adaptation.

The “Maître d’art” Jean Dominique Fleury, painter on glass, among its apprentices
©Alexis Lecomte, Ministère de la Culture - France

Many craft traditions have age-old systems of instruction and apprenticeship, and one proven safeguarding strategy is to reinforce and strengthen those existing systems by offering financial assistance to student and teacher to make transmission more attractive to both. Strengthening transmission is also the central objective of many “Living Human Treasures” systems, such as the “Maîtres d’Art” system in France that has recognized dozens of exemplary craftspeople in fields such as musical instrument-making, textile arts, decorative arts, and bookbinding.

Another safeguarding measure proven particularly effective for strengthening traditional craftsmanship is to reinforce local, traditional markets for craft products while also developing new markets. With increased urbanization and industrialization, people around the world seek “high touch” experiences to counterbalance all the “high tech” that surrounds them, and whether domestic consumers or international tourists, people are attracted to hand-made objects that embody the accumulated knowledge of craftspeople. One recent effort combining these two strategies is the establishment of a center and workshop for the Cross-crafting tradition of Lithuania in the city of Prienai, in which apprentices learn cross-crafting from masters, producing crosses to meet the orders of local towns and private persons.

In other cases, if craft practices are threatened by the loss of required natural resources, forests may be replanted or gardens established to provide essential craft materials. Without the resources, there is no call for the knowledge of craft techniques; when raw materials are once again available, artisans’ knowledge gains renewed value. Legal measures are sometimes necessary to protect the access rights of communities to gather needed resources, while ensuring environmental protection.

Other legal measures such as IP protections and patent or copyright registrations can help a community to benefit from its traditional motifs and crafts. Sometimes, legal measures intended for other purposes can encourage craft production; for example, a local ban on wasteful plastic bags can stimulate a market for handmade paper bags and containers woven from grass, encouraging the continuity of traditional craft knowledge and skills.

The UNESCO Seal of Excellence for Handicrafts takes a multifaceted approach to stimulating craftsmanship through international visibility, providing market opportunities, establishing standards of excellence, encouraging innovation and offering training and support services.