Traditional craft & heritage

Traditional crafts have been passed on by generations and carry the wealth of other times. They tell stories about how we live and who we are, carry the artisans frequencies and skills forward, and store ancestral knowledge. Many traditional crafts are of very high frequency, often strongly rooted in nature due to the choice of materials and motives, the ways of producing the items, and their connection with times during which the frequency on this planet was high. Most of these art forms have been marginalised and become associated with narratives of inferiority in contrast to machine-driven sophistication and a Europe-centered global economy. Yet many crafts survived, are now revived, combined with new technologies and ideas, and still carry the same high frequencies as they always have, esp. when practiced by authentic artisans of which there are many.

Embodying true sustainability, traditional crafts typically use abundant locally available materials and knowledge, and are often carried out by indigenous people who hold the practical and historical skills and stories surrounding these arts. This is a treasure to be cherished, reciprocated fairly and acknowledged in its wholeness. The respectful treatment of such crafts, their artisans and communities is still a rare sight in an industrialised world centered around money. Many indigenous skills and crafts are endangered, and need support within the context of the cultures from which they emerge. Unfortunately there is a tendency of artisanal work to be sold at luxury markets, rendering it inaccessible for the majority of people, perpetuating inequality. Hopefully ongoing changes in our trading systems will eliminate such exclusiveness.

Oma Traditional Textile Design

Laos

Traditional Oma textile design database. Securing cultural intellectual property rights for the Oma ethnic group of Laos. Securing 3 Cs’ rule for the use of indigenous & traditional art: consent, credit, compensation©. Excess to full database provided on individual basis upon request.

Baskets of Africa

Pan-Africa

Hand-woven baskets, made from natural, traditional fibers & dyes, using traditional indigenous weaving techniques. Preserving indigenous cultural heritage. Supporting artisan women & their families. Fairtrade. Collaboration rooted in mutual trust & respect.

Batak weaving

North Sumatra, Indonesia

Rangsa ni Tonun – The sacred Batak weaving tradition for the production of textiles, which is in danger of becoming extinct. Film produced by Sandra Niessen, anthropologist, Netherlands. Director & filmer: Javanese artist MJA Nashir.

Indego Africa

Pan-Africa

Hand-made artisan crafted baskets, home décor & accessories, using heritage techniques incl. raffia-weaving & woodcarving, hand-embroidery & wool-spinning. Empowering women, youth & refugees across Africa. 100% of profits go into education of artisans, building long-term, transparent relationships. Fair wages far above standard. Use of local natural materials incl. fibers indigenous to the countries & traditional natural dyes. Reduced waste in production process by recycling, upcycling & repurposing materials.

Acoustic Pottery

West Virginia, USA

Inspired by “The Hidden Messages in Water” (Masuru Emoto), Lockbridge Pottery plays music in the kiln room during firing of crystalline glazing, creating beautiful crystal patterns. Different types of music are used. Family-run since > 40 years. Jeff Diehl comes from a family line of potters with German roots, keeping traditional craft alive & merging it with new techniques & ideas. Traditional German salt kiln built form salvaged rocks. High-quality craftsmanship.

Ancestral Rich Treasures of Zuni Cooperative

New Mexico, USA

Zuni artisan community of > 7000 artists incl. carvers, jewelers, metal smiths, painters, potters, silversmiths, textile weavers, wood workers. Zuni Artists Owned & Managed Cooperative. ARTZ Cooperative Gallery – meeting place for Zuni community. Zuni Pueblo ArtWalk features artisan studios many of which are open daily for drop-ins. Ensuring authentic products by selling directly from Zuni community to those who love the art.

Aran Sweater Market

Aran Islands, Ireland

Hand-made knitwear. 100% wool from sheep raised on organic pastures. Made for durability. Entirely produced on the Aran Islands from raising the sheep to finished product. Use of traditional stitches which hold the history of generations of skilled knitters & designers. A celebration of the long tradition of Aran knitwear.

Northmen Guild

Scandinavia & Latvia

Fascinating guild of authentic northern craftsmen who live & teach their skills incl. carpentry, sustainable living, leather work, blacksmithing (knives, swords, axes), watch-making, organic food & wild foraging, wooden house-building with tenon joinery (no nails, screws, glue). Hand-made, for durability, with simple tools, using natural materials. Flourishing by living an endangered, rich heritage & sharing it with the world.

Angela Damman

Yucatán, Mexico

Reviving endangered, ancient Mayan techniques of using henequén, and now also sansevieria, plant fibers (both Agave). Woven bags & home decor made from fibers of agave plants grown without fertilizers, herbicides and irrigation. All steps from growing the plants to weaving the finished product happen within a 50-mile radius in Yucatán, supporting rural Mayan communities & their artisan knowledge. Organic dyes used for colouring.

Wildcrafted Ceramics

USA

Hand-made, wildcrafted pottery made from unprocessed clays collected across the US. Made by Pascal Baudar who is also a specialist in foraging, cuisine based on wild edible plants & in traditional food preservation. Variety of pottery techniques used. Combining nature’s food & art.

Fabriulous

China

Handmade fabric, accessories, homeware, vintage products made by rural indigenous artisans of minority ethnic groups. Supporting & reviving endangered heritage crafts incl. weaving, horsetail embroidery, natural dying, brocade & batik. Made from locally grown, natural materials. Supply chain transparency. Reducing waste via upcycling & repurposing of products & fabrics.

1050°

Southern Mexico

Pottery artisan cooperative passionately creating high-quality, simple & elegant kitchenware, restoring Oaxaca’s, Chiapas’ & Puebla’s pottery tradition. Authentic, transparent, drawing from collective knowledge & memory. Part of Innovando la Tradición, a non-profit organization dedicated to keeping pottery alive. Strong community of 50 potters focused on mutual respect. Driving transformation via solidarity economy, sharing, free dissemination of ideas & fair prices. Made from local Earth in deep connection with nature.

Nablus Soap Company

West Bank, Palestine

Handmade 100% natural soap made with traditional methods & ingredients of high quality by a family which has produced soaps for 100s of years. Supporting skin’s natural self-healing abilities. Rooted in connectedness to local lands & herbs.

Scott Richardson-Read

Scotland

Scottish everyday folk traditions, lore & magic through the lens of current Scottish & European culture. Transforming traditional knowledge based on understanding the ‘why’s’ behind ancestral beliefs & practices. Contributing to rediscovery & survival of knowledge & associated language. Standing up to borrowing, misuse & misrepresentation of ancestral knowledge out of context, or with self-centered agendas.

Snowchange Cooperative

Finland & Siberia, Russia

Upholding sacred traditional knowledge, stories, crafts, fishing & hunting skills. Restoration of 110-hectare Linnunsuo Marshmire after toxic pollution & physical destruction by commercial peat mining. Further community-embedded rewilding projects – always merging indigenous knowledge & research with modern science. Also worldwide network of indigenous peoples.

Snowchange Archive of Northern Traditions:

Baiyue Tea Society

Vietnam

Large diversity of endangered ethnic minority groups specialised in ancient, sacred mountain tea picking, processing & ritual. Creating means of sustainable livelihoods to maintain foothold & traditional ways of life amidst corporate invasion in the region. Increasing market visibility of ethically harvested, exquisite teas while maintaining affordability. Driving authentic, sustainable tourism.

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Artist Hotspot

Rowena Scotney
Multimedia artist
Based in England, UK

Find out more via her website:
www.rowenascotney.com

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