Endangered Material Knowledge Programme

17/10/2026

INTERNATIONAL DAY OF INTANGIBLE CULTURAL HERITAGE

Happy International Day of Living Heritage!

Living heritage takes many forms in the everyday lives of people and communities around the world. Dance, tattooing, music, craftsmanship, foodways, and oral traditions are all examples of a type of heritage that is not static or fixed, but instead relies on the people who practise, sustain, and transmit it from one generation to the next.

The EMKP seeks to document the knowledge systems that create and sustain the material world around us. Going beyond the material object itself, the programme captures and celebrates the diverse, interconnected networks of knowledge that are activated in the creation, use, care, and stewardship of material culture. Many EMKP projects explore the dynamic relationship between material and intangible heritage. One such example is Emily Pott's project, Masks of the Navadurgā in Bhaktapur, Nepal: Documenting the annual process of making the deities from raw soil to cremation. The project documents the creation of deity masks as part of the annual cycle of festivals within the Newar community.

The making of these masks is an essential component of the knowledge system that surrounds them. Equally important is their central role in the Navadurgā dances, demonstrating how material and intangible heritage are inseparable, each sustaining and giving meaning to the other.

If you wish to learn more, please click here to go to Emily's project page: https://www.emkp.org/mask-deities-navadurga-bhaktapur-nepal/

VIDEO CREDIT // Renuka Gurung, 2025 // LICENSED UNDER CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

16/10/2026

ISSUE 9 OF THE EMKP NEWSLETTER IS HERE 📢

The EMKP quarterly newsletter keeps you up to date with everything that is going on both behind the scenes and out in the field. This issue opens with our 2027 call for applications announcement, and a closer look at our 2026 cohort, alongside repository updates and news bites. Issue 9 also contains two articles by EMKP grantees, past and present: Gerelmaa Erdenechuluun and Cécile de Francquen. These can be found on pages 4 and 6.

You can find the link to the latest issue, as well as the sign-up page here: https://www.emkp.org/newsletter/

15/10/2026

NEW EMKP COLLECTION RELEASE - The Impact of War and the Survival of Tradition: Documenting the Zande slit-drum (gugu) in South Sudan ⬆️ A project hosted by the British Institute in Eastern Africa

Congratulations to Zoe Cormack and the team for completing their project and uploading it to the repository!

This project documented the production, uses and cultural significance of the Zande ‘gugu’ (slit drum or gong) in South Sudan. These wooden drums, which can stand up to five feet high, are often carved into elaborate zoomorphic designs. They are used in dances, as a means of communication and increasingly in Christian worship. They embody the social centre of many Zande communities. Their production takes several months to complete and requires a hardwood tree and specialist knowledge of several traditional carving implements, which are used to create the characteristic two-toned ‘voice’ of the drum. Its production is deeply rooted in the landscape and history of Zande people. However, knowledge of gugu production is dwindling, and transmission of this knowledge has been threatened by prolonged civil wars and extensive displacement.

The project followed the creation of a gugu from the beginning to end, capturing the knowledge of a master carver and associated rituals. Its current use was also documented and oral history interviews about past practice with Zande elders were recorded. Despite the extremely disrupted circumstances in South Sudan, the gugu survives, albeit in a critically endangered form. Therefore, this project also interrogated how material knowledge, such as that embodied in the gugu, can endure through periods of conflict and long-term displacement.

To learn more, please follow this link to the project page: https://www.emkp.org/zande-slit-drum-gugu/

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS // "The project team wishes to thank all the knowledge holders and community members, the local authorities in Western Equatoria State, and the committee at the Catholic University of South Sudan in Juba. We are indebted to the support and patience of the team at the British Institute in Eastern Africa. Several other people provided support and expert guidance in South Sudan, including Rebecca Lorins, the wider team at the Likikiri Collective, and the late Takido Zambia Sebit. The gugu made during this project was given by Elia Magas to El-Fatih Maluk Atem in 2022. It now lives in Juba, at the office of the Likikiri Collective."

IMAGE CREDITS // 1-9. Zoe Troy Cormack, 2021 / 10. Zoe Troy Cormack, 2022 // ALL IMAGES LICENSED UNDER CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

14/10/2026

We are delighted to see this piece published by Museum Ethnographers Group and written by our colleagues Elia Romina Quijano Quinones and Paula Granados García. 'The Endangered Material Knowledge Programme (EMKP): Preserving knowledge through digital documentation, collaborative work, and open access' introduces EMKP and explores how digital tools, ethnographic methods, and community-led research can help document endangered knowledge systems. Through examples from Ethiopia, India, and the Philippines, the article highlights the importance of open access, collaboration, and amplifying Indigenous and local voices.

Special thanks to Emmanuel Leon and Museum Ethnographers Group for the invitation to contribute and the support throughout.

IMAGE CREDIT // Incipit-CSIC, 2021 // IMAGE LICENSED UNDER CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

08/10/2026

REMINDER! The EMKP 2026/2027 Call for Applications is now open! Deadline 1 December 2026.

Apply here: https://www.emkp.org/grants/

You can find all the resources you need by visiting the EMKP website!

We will be hosting webinars in the coming weeks to answer any questions.

Applications must be submitted via our grant management system, please see instructions for registration and application submission.

06/10/2026

NEW EMKP COLLECTION RELEASE - Ende Material Knowledge: Carrying Water, Yams, and Information ⬆️ A project hosted by the University of California, Santa Barbara

Congratulations to Catherine Scanlon and the team for completing their project and uploading it to the repository!

This project documents a variety of material practices of the Ende tribe of Western Province, Papua New Guinea. The Ende tribe possesses a huge trove of knowledge about the lowland forest, using a wide variety of plants for everything from fishing and hunting to making houses, clothing, containers, and musical instruments. However, the past several decades have seen major changes to the Ende way of life, including the adoption of Christianity, the establishment of schools, and increasing (though still limited) access to markets and mass-produced goods. These changes in lifestyle have been accompanied by changes in material practice, including changes in the style of production, and replacing some homemade goods with store-bought ones. Other items are still produced locally, but with changes in materials and technique.

Another important part of the project was an ethnobotanical survey, conducted by Ende community members and botanists from the New Guinea Binatang Research Centre, who collected, pressed, and photographed voucher specimens for identification, matching them to the Ende names. Ende community members also wrote notes (in English) about the uses of various plants.

To learn more about this project, click here: https://www.emkp.org/ende-papua-new-guinea-water-yams-information/

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS // "The EMKP thanks the community members, consultants, and knowledge-holders of Limol and Malam villages who generously donated their time and knowledge to the collection. This project moreover would not have been possible without its team."

IMAGE CREDITS // University of California, 2022 // ALL IMAGES LICENSED UNDER CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

01/10/2026

JOB VACANCY - Senior Administrator: African Histories and Heritage Programme

The deadline for applications is 9 October, so be sure to get your applications in!

For further details on the role, and to access the application portal, please click here: https://bmrecruit.ciphr-irecruit.com/Applicants/vacancy/9066/Senior-Administrator-African-Histories-and-Heritage-Programme

28/09/2026

Recognising the significance of access to information, the 74th UN General Assembly proclaimed 28 September as the International Day for Universal Access to Information in October 2019.

This international day aims at spreading awareness concerning the need to expand laws related to information and their actual implementation. UNESCO provides a platform and frame for all the stakeholders to participate in international discussions on policy access to information in the digital era as it empowers individuals, enables informed decision-making, fosters innovation, and promotes inclusivity and social progress.

The knowledge collated and recorded as part of EMKP-funded projects is made available under Creative Commons licences in an open-access digital repository hosted by the British Museum. To date, the collection holds over 30-thousand records, including images, videos, maps, fieldnotes, 3D models, and more, and is accessed by users across the world.

To access this Repository, please click here: https://drs.britishmuseum.org/EMKP

25/09/2026

Are you thinking about applying for one of our EMKP grants? Do you have questions about the application process?

On Tuesday 29 September we will be hosting the first two of nine online webinars:

> 11.00 BST - Documentation Grants (English)
> 15.00 BST - Legacy Digitisation Grants (English)

Join us for presentations about the application process, and ask any questions you may have about the documentation and legacy digitisation grant schemes. Both of Tuesday's sessions will be given in English.

If you would like to attend, please click here to fill out our registration form: https://forms.gle/dNhcU7fojsuyqN4j7

For other upcoming webinars, please see slide two.

IMAGE CREDITS // 1. Micaela Anguaya Jetacama, 2023 / 2. Dayana Carmen Mayorga-Paredes, 2023 // ALL IMAGES LICENSED UNDER CC BY-NC-SA 4.0