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CHAPTER TEN 
 

Local Crafts and Indigenous Technology 
Chika Chudi-Duru and Vivian Okpalauba  

 
Introduction 

ocal craft is the traditional manual skill of a 

community that is synonymous with indigenous 

technology. They are artworks that could be done 

with hands or manual skills. Ngumah, Ayoola, Dalhatu, and 

Samkay (2013), define crafts as manually produced objects 

(articles) meant to serve a particular purpose or human 

need. Local craft is also known as handcraft. This is because 

the process of making the article involves the use of skilled 

hands. From time immemorial, craftwork has been a source 

of revenue for many Nigerians, and this has encouraged 

archaeologists to explore more about the ancient arts and 

crafts in Nigeria. Traditional arts are practised in towns and 

villages while most of the works of art designed by 

craftspeople from across the country are sold in major 

urban markets. Crafts based on a long-standing tradition of 

a particular group of people are called local crafts. In many 

parts of the world, indigenes still practice their local crafts. 

Some examples are the Japanese tatami mats, banners 

Sarees from Varanasi, the magic carpets of Kashmir (India), 

appliques from Orissa, shawls of Kullu, coconut art from 

L 



Local Crafts and Indigenous Technology 

154 
 

south India, shells of Goa, pottery wares from Lalejin, Iran 

and several others.  

 
In Africa, there are also crafts for instance carved wooden 
Ashanti stools, Moroccan carved wooden soup spoons, 
Kenyan carved spoons, Zimbabwe grass hats, Ugandan 
grass baskets, Fon applique banners, Moroccan woven 
Zaiane cushions, Fulani grass hats and incised calabashes, 
Kente woven cloth, Kuba raffia cloth weaving, Tutsi basket 
weaving, Massai beadwork, Zulu beer pots and so many 
others. 
  

 
Plate 1: the magic carpets of Kashmir(India). Source: 

excitingindia.in/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/ tajagrocarpet.jpg 

 
In Nigeria, several tribes produce and still practice their 
local craft till date. They are produced and practised in a 
local setting such as villages and countryside with local 



Chudi-Duru C. C.  & Okpalauba V.  

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materials found within the environment. Due to 
technological advances, some imported materials they feel 
could go a long way to boost their skills. They require 
expertise working with hand tools, meaning that the "hand" 
is the most important aspect of the crafting process. This is 
because it controls and manipulates both the materials and 
the basic tools. The person who produces local craft is 
known as a craft man. The major local crafts in Nigeria will 
be discussed forthwith;  
 
Pottery 
This is one of the most ancient crafts still being practised in 
Nigeria. The earliest example of pottery in Nigeria was 
found in Afikpo, Ebonyi state Nigeria. It was dated back to 
300 B.C. However a British archaeologist Professor 
Thurstan – Shaw was known to have excavated some 
material remains of pottery at Iwo – Eleru in Yoruba land, 
which was older. As a craft, pottery making is solely a 
woman's occupation among the Yoruba people and is 
usually passed from mother to daughter through 
apprenticeship. They carry out their everyday activity at a 
specific pottery site known as ‘eebu’. According to to 
explore, an internet blog (2021), one of the major places in 
Nigeria popularly known for her artistry in pottery is Ilorin, 
Kwara State. It is an important centre of pottery, producing 
both red (pupa) and black (dudu) pottery wares.  Pottery 
works are produced in different pottery centres in the 



Local Crafts and Indigenous Technology 

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present Ilorin town, Okelele, Dada and Adeta pottery 
centres are well known for well-finished products. 
  
The raw materials used in producing pottery are clay and 
water. They are abundant in Nigeria and they are affordable. 
This enables the potters to produce low-priced domestic 
vessels for use, both in rural and urban communities. 
Pottery is a source of utilitarian and aesthetic products.  

Explore (2021) observed that decoration on pottery 
distinguishes one ethnic group from another or one area to 
another or one potter to the other, to display the culture of 
the area or tribe. Therefore, the patterns of decoration of 
pottery at Afikpo in Ebonyi state are different from the 
patterns of pottery at Ilorin in Kwara State or Gwari in 
Niger State. 

Explore(2021) further mentions that Ladi Kwali the famous 
female Nigerian potter was born in the village of Kwali in 
the Gwari region of Northern Nigeria, where pottery was 
an indigenous occupation among women.  As a child, she 
was taught by her aunt to use the traditional method of 
coiling.  Large pots for use as water jars, cooking pots, 
bowls, and flasks from coils of clay, beaten from the inside 
with a flat wooden paddle were some works made by her. 
Her pots were distinguished for their beauty and 
decoration, and she was recognized regionally as a gifted 
and outstanding potter. She was still using the traditional 



Chudi-Duru C. C.  & Okpalauba V.  

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open firing method with a herbal shiny surface and her 
method modified the face of modern pottery around the 
world. 

 

Plate 2: Ladi Kwali. Source: 

https://www.google.com/search?q=pottery+in+nigeria&cli.. 

Most of her works are displayed in well-known places like 
the National Museum Lagos, the Barbier-Muller Museum 
Geneva, Switzerland, the National Museum of Natural 
History, the Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC, and 
the Albert Museum, London. 

In recognition of her achievements and hard work, 
her picture was used to embellish the Nigerian 20 Naira 
note; at the moment she is the only woman to have such an 
honour. 

Wood/ ivory Carving 



Local Crafts and Indigenous Technology 

158 
 

Carving involves cutting or chipping away a shape 
from a mass of stone, wood, or other hard material. 
Lawrence (2017) believes that Wood carving has probably 
been around about as long as man has been on the earth. 
So the history of wood carving begins at the beginning. Man 
has always used and manipulated wood. Adam was 
probably the first wood carver. He must have used wood 
as one of his first tools, maybe for a club or a walking stick. 
He could have even tied a rock to a stick of wood and used 
it for a hammer. When he found a way to make an 
instrument sharp enough to hunt with, an arrowhead or 
spearhead may have been first but if so the knife couldn't 
have been far behind. Wood carving traditions grew up in 
the thickly forested areas of southern Nigeria. for instance, 
the Yoruba of South-Eastern Nigeria is still practising 
traditional wood carving to date although there are signs of 
decline in the practice (Meyerowitz 1943). Both hard and 
soft kinds of wood can be used for carving. Caving is the 
art of producing images and other related forms through a 
subtractive method (Ngumah, Et Al 2013). The two 
varieties of carving mostly found in Nigeria are utilitarian 
and decorative products.  

Utilitarian Products are essential household demands 
such as mortars, pestles, stools, spoons, handles for hoes 
and other farming implements.  
 

Decorative and Figurative Products are for social 
needs such as masks, statues, used in the worship of various 



Chudi-Duru C. C.  & Okpalauba V.  

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duties, door post and doors often decorated to make an 
impressive entrance to civic buildings and churches, 
walking sticks, staff of offices etc. The major material for 
carving is wood other materials are marble, stone, wax, etc. 
carving tools are knife, saw, mallet, harmer, file etc. Wood 
carving is an important and long-established traditional 
artefact industry. It has the potential to improve the 
livelihoods of millions of households. Wood and ivory 
carving requires a great deal of skill, creativity and artistry. 
A picture of a Benin ivory mask is placed below: 
 

 
Plate 3: Benin Ivory Mask. source: 

https://www.pinterest.com/charlottecoger/benin-art/ 

 
 
Weaving 



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160 
 

Weaving is a method of textile production in which 
two distinct sets of yarns or threads are interlaced at right 
angles to form a fabric or cloth. Some clues show that 
weaving was already known during the Prehistoric Era, as 
early as 27,000 years ago. An indistinct textile impression 
has been found at the Dolní Věstonice site (Hitchcock 
2022). According to the find, the weavers of the Upper 
Paleolithic were manufacturing a variety of cordage types, 
producing plaited basketry and sophisticated twined and 
plain woven cloth. It had been thought that the first farmers 
developed weaving 5,000 to 10,000 years ago. The artefacts 
include imprints in clay and burned remnants of cloth (BBC 
News). The types of weaving determine the shapes and 
materials to be used. The art of weaving can be traced to 
nature where man draws the inspiration to weave with 
available material. Birds and insects weave. The act of 
weaving is an interesting exercise and society cannot do 
without it as an important craft. There are different types 
of weaving. They are basket weaving, mat weaving, cane 
waving, rug weaving, and cloth weaving which is the most 
vital aspect of weaving. Materials for waving are; paper 
strips, fibres obtained from local plants, palm front, cane, 
grasses, ropes from the forest, leather strips from animals, 
and other flexible materials. Weaving is a form of textile 
design found in almost all parts of Nigeria. In Nigeria, cloth 
weaving is universally practised in most urban areas and 
cities like Abeokuta, Ilorin, Iseyin, Akwete, Okene, Benin, 
Sokoto, Borno, Kano, Bida and Iseyin area among others. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Textile
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yarn
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Textile
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloth
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doln%C3%AD_V%C4%9Bstonice_(archaeology)


Chudi-Duru C. C.  & Okpalauba V.  

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Raffia and cotton are most widely used in cloth weaving in 
Nigeria. Weaving generally is done in the same type of 
process. That is, the ward and weft stripes are used. The 
warp is the length-wise flexible material while the weft 
refers to the crosswise flexible materials. In weaving the 
warp is the vertical strip while the weft is the horizontal 
strip. The men’s horizontal loom and the women’s vertical 
looms are commonly used in Nigeria to weave. 

 
 

Plate 4: An Akwete weaver using the women’s vertical loom. Source: 

Chudi-Duru, C.C. (2017). 

Dyeing 
Dyeing is a popular craft in the early times, people 

used colouring substances obtained from plants and 



Local Crafts and Indigenous Technology 

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minerals to beautify their bodies and clothes to be more 
attractive. Dyeing is the process of adding colour (dyes) to 
a fabric. The most famous of all the dyes produced in 
Nigeria is the dark-blue dye known as “indigo” which is 
made from the leaves of a plant belonging to the Indigofera 
family. Materials used in dyeing are cloth, (fabric), colourant 
(dyestuff) strings or ropes, raffia, caustic soda, and 
Hydrosulphate tools used in dyeing are a store, boiler or 
heater, stirring stick, bucket, etc. Hand-dyed fabrics have a 
depth and richness of colour that commercial fabrics often 
lack. Samples of dyed fabrics are placed on the plate below. 
  

 
Plate 5: Some samples of dyed fabrics.  

Source: Chika Chudi-Duru (2018) 

 Tie-dye fabrics are very 
common in Nigeria. Especially among the Yoruba, they 
produce Adire. Adire (Yoruba: tie and dye) textile is the 
indigo-dyed cloth made in southwestern Nigeria by Yoruba 
women, using a variety of resist-dyeing techniques. Adire 



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cloths are cotton cloths resist-dyed with indigo in one of 
two ways: adire oniko (resist dyeing with raffia ties) or adire 
alabare (resist dyeing using stitches). A simple method of tie-
dyeing is the formation of patterns of large and small circles 
in various combinations making use of pebbles, bottle 
corks, stones and other items, these produce appropriate 
designs when utilized. According to Gunner (2016), there 
are an infinite number of ways one can tie, bind, stitch, 
twist, fold or compress cloth for tie-dye. Each way results 
in very different patterns. Each method gives a particular 
result, but each method is also used to work in harmony 
with the type of cloth used. Therefore, the techniques used 
in tie-dye depend not only on the desired pattern but the 
characteristics of the cloth being dyed. Cotton is preferred 
for practical in the studio because of its characteristics 
which are good absorbency, colour retention, prints well, 
machine and hand washable, good strength, drapes, dry 
cleanable and soft to the touch.  
 
Embroidery 

Embroidery is the use of needles and thread to apply 
a design on the surface of the fabric. It is used to decorate 
and enrich a fabric in the use of a skilful manner. It is an 
ancient craft which comprises a lot of history and 
embroiderers all over the world use the same stitches. She 
further mentions that design patterns vary from place to 
place but the techniques of stitching remain the same. The 
art of embroidery dates to ancient Egypt and China. History 



Local Crafts and Indigenous Technology 

164 
 

has it that this needle art developed from the task of 
mending clothes. As people used their needles on holes and 
torn seams they found the decorative possibilities of sewing 
(Chudi-Duru 2019). In Nigeria, some examples are the 
decorations found on the back and front of Hausa men’s 
robes and caps, Fulani robes and some others. The Hausa 
of Northern Nigeria have long been well known for their 
production of voluminous robes known as babban riga (Big 
clothing). They were earlier produced by men but recently 
some women have taken it up but sold their embroidered 
wear through the males (Renne, 2002). The Yoruba name 
for a type of flowing wide-sleeved robe, usually decorated 
with embroidery is Agbada, which is worn in most parts of 
Nigeria by the higher class, such as kings and chiefs, and for 
various ceremonies. Some of the old ones are being passed 
down from father to son as an heirloom and they are much 
cherished. In the past, these prestigious robes were traded 
for money. And they are still worn to date but the machine 
embroidery has almost taken over.   

 



Chudi-Duru C. C.  & Okpalauba V.  

165 
 

 
Plate 6:Agbada. Source: 

http://adireafricantextiles.blogspot.com/2011/02/agbada-
embroidered-robe-traditions-in.html 

 
Applique 

Applique is the art of cutting shapes from pieces of 
cloth and sewing them onto a larger piece of fabric to make 
designs and patterns. Appliqué has some characteristics; to 
be bold and graphic. It is less intricate than embroidery 
because of the cut-and-sew technique. The scale is bigger, 
thicker, and wider.  



Local Crafts and Indigenous Technology 

166 
 

 
 

Plate 7: Ijele Masquerade. Source: 
https://www.wikiwand.com/ig/Mmanw... 

 
Oftentimes, the customer that chooses an appliqué 

style has a vibrant, decorative aesthetic. It usually looks 
embossed and fanciful. Appliqué employs several stitches 
to attach separate fabric pieces onto a single base fabric. 
The aesthetic of appliqué is often developed further by 
using a variety of colours to contrast. A typical example of 
applique is the Igbo maiden masquerade popularly known 
as “Agbogho Mmonwu”. Another is the Ijele masquerade. 
According to Cole (1983), Ijele is a huge, spectacular mask 
carried on its dancer's head and comprised of cloth over a 



Chudi-Duru C. C.  & Okpalauba V.  

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wood or vine armature; miniature stuffed cloth images of 
humans, animals, and masqueraders: appliqué cloth panels; 
schematic plants and flowers; all topped with the image of 
a horseman leader. Some other masquerade costume 
designers in Igbo land still make use of applique to design 
and decorate their masquerade wears for some specific 
festivals. 
 
Bead Work 

Beadwork is the use of beads of varying sizes, shapes, 
and colours to produce necklaces, wall hangings, pictures, 
bracelets, armlets, and other articles meant for human use. 
Beads are quite significant in indigenous Nigerian 
communities. They are playing an integral role in 
strengthening and repairing the cultural ties and spiritual 
beliefs of Indigenous artists. Beadwork has been and will 
continue to be significant in representing Indigenous 
resiliency as well as highlighting the individual cultural value 
of ethnic peoples. Beads are used as a sign of social status 
among the chiefs and kings. For many decades, beads have 
been used in Nigeria by people of various ethnic groups. In 
the olden days, little girls wore nothing but waist beads 
known as "Jigida" until their age of puberty. Beads are used 
in various traditional costumes such as crowns, veils etc. 
The main materials include beads and thread. Some people 
trade on stringed beads as a means of livelihood. Beads are 
produced from shells, plastic, wood, and clay. Beadworks 
can be found everywhere in Nigeria especially in Bida, 



Local Crafts and Indigenous Technology 

168 
 

among the Nupe people. Most women in Nigeria like 
wearing beads to accentuate their beauty and uniqueness, 
especially on special occasions like weddings. Men also wear 
expensive beads on their wedding day.  
 

 
 

Plate 8: traditional brides adorned with beads. Source: 
https://www.bellanaijaweddings.com/white-coral-beads-look-

2019/ 

 
 
 
 
 
Calabash Decoration 



Chudi-Duru C. C.  & Okpalauba V.  

169 
 

 
 

Plate 9: Modern calabash decoration.  
Source: vanguardnewsngr.com 

 
The name, calabash is a derivative of the French 

word, ‘Calebasse’. It is defined as a tropical American tree 
(Crescentia cujete) of the bignonia family or its large gourd-
like fruits. Calabash and gourd are often used 
interchangeably. The calabash is simply the dried hollow 
shell of a gourd used for household utensils (Oziogu, 2012). 
However, calabash decoration is the application of beautiful 
patterns on calabashes through the method of carving 
scraping, scorching, engraving, and decorating with 
extraneous materials. Decoration of the surface of a 
calabash is attained using design elements Ngumah, Et Al 
(2013). The major medium for calabash decoration is the 
gourd, which belongs to the family of pumpkins or 
cucumbers. The gourds grow in different shapes and sizes. 



Local Crafts and Indigenous Technology 

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The major materials for designing the calabash are chalk 
and dye and its tools are a knife, cutter, scrapers, saw and 
engraving and carving tools of various sizes and shapes. 
The Ogun, Oyo, Ijebu and Fulanis are known for calabash 
decoration.  
 
Brass Ornamentation 

 
 

Plate 10: Bida brass works. Source: http://my-
imani.blogspot.com/2016/08/a-couple-of-months-ago-i-went-on-

road.html 

This is also one of the major crafts in Nigeria, though 
found in Bida, Ogbomoso, Kano, and Maiduguri Ngumah, 
Et Al (2013). According to him, some brass work is cast, 
that is, reduced to the molten metal before being formed 
into shapes. The properties and design of the solidified 



Chudi-Duru C. C.  & Okpalauba V.  

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elements are then adjusted through a series of controlled 
operations to produce an end 'Brass Stock' product. Brass 
– an alloy of copper and zinc – is one of the most widely 
used alloys. Known for its decorative attributes and bright 
gold appearance, brass also exhibits durability, corrosion 
resistance, and high electrical conductivity. Its tools and 
equipment are the same as metalwork tools. It is a craft that 
dates back centuries. 

Bronze Casting 
Bronze casting is the reproduction of some 

articles/images in brome metal. The archaeology of Igbo-
Ukwu revealed bronze artefacts dated to the 9th century 
A.D. which were initially discovered by Isiah Anozie in 
1939 while digging a well in his compound in Igbo-Ukwu, 
an Igbo town in Anambra State, Nigeria. According to Alice 
(2001), as a result of these finds, three archaeological sites 
were excavated in 1959 and 1964 by Charles Thurstan Shaw 
which revealed more than 700 high-quality artefacts of 
copper, bronze and iron, as well as about 165000 glass, 
carnelian and stone beads, pottery, textiles and ivory.  
 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Igbo-Ukwu
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Igbo_people
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anambra_State
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigeria
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Thurstan_Shaw


Local Crafts and Indigenous Technology 

172 
 

 
 

Plate 11: Bronze ceremonial vessel in form of a snail shell; 9th 
century. Source: Nigerian National Museum. 

 
She further mentioned that they are the oldest 

bronze artefacts known in West Africa and were 
manufactured centuries before the emergence of other 
known bronze-producing centres such as those of Ife and 
Benin. The bronzes include numerous ritual vessels, 
pendants, crowns, breastplates, staff ornaments, swords, 
and fly-whisk handles (Alice, 2001). As a craft, bronze 
easting is also associated with the people of Benin and Ife. 
The major material for bronze casting is bronze which is an 
alloy of copper and tin, wax, brushes etc. Its technique is 
called cire perdue, which is the lost wax method. The tools 
and equipment include a hammer, mallet, container, and a 
furnace for heating the bronze into liquid.  

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Africa
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ife
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benin_Bronzes
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fly-whisk


Chudi-Duru C. C.  & Okpalauba V.  

173 
 

 
Leather Work 

 
 

Plate 12: leather puffs. Source: 
https://www.google.com/search?q=leather+works+in+nigeria&cli

ent...... 

 
The decoration of hides and skin by appliqué 

technique and the shaving and printing of designs and 
patterns on them is a craft for which the Northern States of 
Nigeria are well known. They are: Naraguta in Jos, Sokoto, 
Kano, Katsina, Adamawa, Oyo and Maiduguri areas are 
well-known centres for leather craft. Nigeria is one of the 
highest producers of leather and finished leather products 
in Africa. The craft of leatherwork is prominent in parts of 
Nigeria where decorative art is popular and abundant. The 
city of Kano in Northern Nigeria is the largest commercial 
hub for the leather industry.  The tannery factories in Kano 
are always busy with activities. Good examples of leather 



Local Crafts and Indigenous Technology 

174 
 

works are leather shoes, bags, slippers, purses, horses, 
furniture, leather sheets for making drums for music and 
many others.  
 
Metal Work 

The knowledge and practice of metalwork in Nigeria 
date back more than 1000 years. The oldest smelting 
furnace in Nigeria was found in Taruga, Niger State. 
Obinelo (2010) rightly admits that blacksmithing in Nigeria 
is an age-long occupation as it is visibly practised across all 
tribes in Nigeria. It is mostly practised by men and the skills 
are transferred from generation to generation. He further 
mentioned that these blacksmiths have been the source of 
technology towards making farm implements, bush traps, 
hunting guns, and arrows. They have also been the source 
of smelting of precious stones like brass, bronze, and gold. 
All these improved the sectors in Nigeria. Bicycle repairers, 
and everyone benefits from the blacksmithing industry. 

Blacksmithing has evolved over the years and has 
been adjusting towards the needs of the Nigerian public. In 
the earliest times, it provided farming implements and bows 
and arrows for protection. In the industrial era, it served as 
means of supplementing the automotive industries across 
Nigeria, during the Nigeria Biafra war it was a source of 
weaponry to the Biafran warfare and now in Nigeria, it has 
tremendously evolved into many sections. Blacksmiths now 
serve as welders, and some of them provide spare parts for 
bicycles, motorcars and even tricycles because these men 



Chudi-Duru C. C.  & Okpalauba V.  

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and women have ingeniously been adapting to the new 
trends and are cohesively contributing to the metallurgical 
needs of Nigeria (Obinelo 2010). The blacksmiths at Awka, 
Anambra State were the most skilful and famous in the 
country. However, the practice of blacksmithing in Makera 
Assad makes the area to be recognized as the home of 
blacksmithing. The area was known for its smithing since 
the establishment of Sokoto town. 
 
Mat-Making and Basketry 

Mat-making is an age-long craft. The various ethnic 
groups in Nigeria engage in the production of the mat in 
one form or another, using materials available to them in 
their localities. Some of these materials are raffia, bamboo, 
palm fronds, grass and straw. The mat has various uses in 
Nigeria: it serves as material for seating, praying and 
sleeping. Though synthetic fibre mats are dominating the 
market, making the natural ones appear old-fashioned, yet, 
some Nigerians are making money from weaving different 
sizes and colours of this traditional sleeping material (Awa, 
2016).  
 



Local Crafts and Indigenous Technology 

176 
 

 
 

Plate 13: Mat weaver. Photo credit:  Ayodele Adeniran. Source: 
https://guardian.ng/business-services/mat-weaving-engaging-craft-

boosting-local-economy/ 

 
The uses of Mat cannot be over-emphasized. 

Ogotun community in the Ekiti South West Local 
Government Area of Ekiti State is renowned for weaving 
mats. The weaving process involves a cotton warp with 
individual strands of grass inserted by hand. This is the 
traditional style of weaving the mat, done on a simple frame. 
A flat piece of wood is used to pack it in place. The grass is 
dampened to make it supple before inserting it in the weft. 
Mat is used for covering floors, seating, fencing etc.  
 
 
 
Basketry  



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Basketry is one of the oldest crafts known today, 
however, its origin is unknown and cannot be tracked. The 
oldest known basket dates as far back as 10,000 and 12,000 
years old. In the Middle East, other baskets were later 
discovered 7000 years ago (Admin 2021). 

Basketry (also known as basket weaving or basket 
making) is the process of weaving elastic materials like cane, 
palm frond, rubber, and metal wires among others into a 
basket (a container made of interwoven strips of cane or 
wire for holding or carrying things). It can be made from 
any material that is flexible or weak provided the material 
could be bent easily. A basket could be round, oval and 
horizontal.  In some cases, the weaver will fill in the sides 
of the basket while some parts of the basket, become the 
base, the sidewalls and the rim respectively. A basket may 
also have a lid or handle depending on its usage (Admin 
2021). 

They come in various sizes and achieve several 
functions. Baskets are useful objects, therefore in one's 
everyday life, one finds oneself making use of these 
different types of baskets for one's daily needs. It is one of 
the world crafts that have remained aesthetically and 
functionally acceptable in the modern world despite 
technologically manufactured products. Grass, bamboo, 
reeds, vines, cane and honeysuckle plants are the best 
materials for weaving baskets. There are three main 
weaving techniques in basket weaving, namely: coiling, 
plaiting and twining 



Local Crafts and Indigenous Technology 

178 
 

The art of basket weaving in Sokoto is passed from 
one generation to the next. People in Shuni, Dange-Shuni 
local government area of Sokoto are renowned for basket 
making. The Igbo of south Eastern Nigeria uses mostly 
palm stems to weave their baskets while those from Ikot-
Ekpene wove mostly with canes.   
   
Questions 

1. Define the term local craft  
2. State five (5) types of local crafts.  
3. List five (5) vital materials used in wood carving. 
4. List five (5) places where local craft can be found.   

 
References 
Admin (2021). Pottery in Nigeria. Retrieved from 
https://exploretravelmagazine.com/pottery-in-nigeria/ 

Admin (2021). Basket weaving in Nigeria. Retrieved from 
https://exploretravelmagazine.com/basket-weaving-in-nigeria/  

BBC News. Woven cloth dates back 27,000 years. Retrieved from 
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/790569.stm  
 

Chika C. Chudi-Duru (2019), Adaptation of punch needle 

Embroidery as an added Surface Design on African wax prints for 

Nigerian fashion in RESONANCE journal of contemporary art 

scholarship, the publication of the Department of Creative and Visual 

Arts, Federal University Lafia, Nassarawa State. Vol.2, Pp. 142-159 



Chudi-Duru C. C.  & Okpalauba V.  

179 
 

Chudi-Duru, C.C. (2017).Exploration of Akwete weaves motifs for 

adaptation on printed textiles for Apparel Production. Unpublished 

PhD thesis submitted to the Department of Industrial Design, 

Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria. 

Cole, H.M. (1983). Igbo Art in Social Context. Retrieved from 
https://africa.uima.uiowa.edu/topic-essays/show/15?start=13. 

Gunner, J. (2016). Shibori for textiles Artists. Kodansha USA. ISBN 978-
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