Woven Heritage, and Indigenous Knowledge Systems: A Comprehensive Reviews on Preservation of Embroidery Culture

Smitamayee Raj, Dr. Ajay Kumar Singh

Abstract: This review explores the multi dimensions of embroidery within tribal and indigenous communities, emphasizing its educational, cultural, aesthetic, and socio-political significance. Studies such as Alajaji (2019) and Sawant et al. (2023) emphasize embroidery as a traditional method of decoration (motif and fabric), deeply rooted in regional aesthetics and craftsmanship. Others, like Sahu & Tiwary (2024) and Yang & Yodmalee (2024), hihglights embroidery?s role in preserving traditional knowledge systems and literacy, showing that how fabric arts serve as living archives of cultural heritage. Several works, including Singh & Singh (2025) and Lin et al. (2024), explore embroidery as a sustainable and evolving practice through integration with contemporary design and digital innovation. The pedagogical power of embroidery is underscored by Eldridge (2018) and Ross (2000), who link art forms to create identity, civic awareness and consciousness as well as educational frameworks. Specifically focusing on Dongria Kondh traditions, researchers like Sethi & Naik (2020), Rastogi (2023), and Prusty (2024) reveal how embroidery; particularly the kapdaganda-acts as a form of intergenerational learning, cultural resistance, cultural identity, and socio-economic empowerment for women. Embroidery not only a craft, but as a "living curriculum" that transmits values, history, and identity. Collectively, the reviewed literature affirms embroidery's several role as both tangible heritage and epistemological tool, where knowledge is produced, and transformed. Its supporting the broader inquiry into how embodied practices like stitching function as acts of memory, pedagogy, and resilience among tribal communities.

Keywords: Traditional knowledge system, Cultural heritage, Embroidery culture, Socio-economic Empowerment, Living Curriculum

How to Cite?: Smitamayee Raj, Dr. Ajay Kumar Singh, "Woven Heritage, and Indigenous Knowledge Systems: A Comprehensive Reviews on Preservation of Embroidery Culture", Volume 14 Issue 8, August 2025, International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR), Pages: 1309-1316, https://www.ijsr.net/getabstract.php?paperid=SR25823015825, DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.21275/SR25823015825