Authors : Akampurira Levi; Nandala Mike

Volume/Issue : Volume 11 - 2026, Issue 9 - September

Google Scholar : https://tinyurl.com/2vzdpr4s

DOI : https://doi.org/10.38124/ijisrt/26sep328

Note : A published paper may take 4-5 working days from the publication date to appear in PlumX Metrics, Semantic Scholar, and ResearchGate.

Abstract : The research is a community-based, cultural-heritages oriented, qualitative dominant mixed-methods case study examining the contemporary existence of hides and skins artistry among the Bakiga of Kabale District, southwestern Uganda. The research participants (artisans, cultural elders, and institutional stakeholders) numbered thirty and data collection methods included semi-structured interviews, participant observation, artifact documentation, and life-history interviews during a fourteen-week fieldwork period. The research was informed by, Material Culture Theory, UNESCO‘s Intangible Cultural Heritage Framework, Cultural Memory Theory, and Social Identity Theory. Findings support the existence of Bakiga hide and skin artistry through five tanning techniques (bark tanning, fat curing, smoke curing, etc.), four artifact forms (clothing, household implements, ceremonial objects, musical instruments), and gendered division of labour.

Keywords : Bakiga Cultural Heritage, Hide and Skin Artistry, Intangible Cultural Heritage, Material Culture, Traditional Craftsmanship, Uganda.

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