Preservation of indigenous wood carving knowledge of African traditional people through the use traditional wood carvers database framework (Twcdf)

Abstract

<span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family: " times="" new="" roman";mso-fareast-font-family:"times="" roman";mso-bidi-font-family:="" mangal;mso-ansi-language:en-gb;mso-fareast-language:en-us;mso-bidi-language:="" hi"="" lang="EN-GB">Indigenous wood carving in Africa is a vital practice which provides answers to the origins and ancestry of many African people. The question of where we come from, transfer of cultural practices, historical artifacts and how to preserve the knowledge emanating from these, have become a cause of concern to many African people especially when indigenous wood carvers die or migrate from their communities of origin. This study investigated how knowledge from African Traditional wood carvers (ATWC) are transferred and preserved for future use in Africa. A case study approach was used. Participants were selected from 10 communities in Sub-Saharan Africa based on their historical background in Africa sculpture. Semi-structured, open ended interview questions were used to gather evidence from the participants regarding their methods of wood carving process and how knowledge is share with younger people and preserved. The interviews were recorded, transcribed and coded. The findings reveled that carved sculptures are kept by chiefs and important dignitaries in communities to express their history through <span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:" times="" new="" roman";mso-fareast-font-family:="" "times="" roman";mso-bidi-font-family:mangal;mso-ansi-language:en-za;="" mso-fareast-language:en-us;mso-bidi-language:he"="" lang="EN-ZA">events like fertility, birth, and death. The challenges indicated by the woodcarvers’ point to the perishability of wood carvings due to<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;font-family:" times="" new="" roman";mso-fareast-font-family:"times="" roman";="" mso-bidi-font-family:mangal;mso-ansi-language:en-gb;mso-fareast-language:en-us;="" mso-bidi-language:hi"="" lang="EN-GB">its vulnerability to decay, insect damage, and fire. The results further indicated that knowledge of African Traditional wood carvers (ATWC) need to be transferred and preserved for future use in Africa. Based on the findings, this paper offered a new Traditional wood Carvers Database Framework<b> </b>(TWCDF) to collate, protect and preserve all artistic knowledge on wood sculptures and skills which are transferred through apprenticeship. </span></span></span>