Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Practices of Jewelry Making in Aksum: The Technology, Its Transfer and the Social Taboo

Traditional knowledge in jewelry making in Ethiopia is undocumented, restricted to only few artisans as a skill and also as a business. It also has not been given focus while it is a sector through which the economy of the country could get a boost and in which many could get benefited. It is also a basic problem in focus in this book why the artisans are socially out caste and what the perspectives regarding this issue from the church are. This work, with a thematically organized presentation, identified what the raw materials, the basic tools used and the techniques applied are in traditional jewelry making. It has also pinned some social significances of jewels in the society. This book will help individuals and offices concerned with exploring and studying traditional techniques in making jewelry. The gross contribution that this book may provide is highly tied to the understanding of various indigenous knowledge systems. Researchers who are interested in tourism, cultural studies, craft making, jewelry, and related areas will benefit from it.