Because neither the potter’s wheel nor kilns have gained acceptance in Ethiopia, earthenware vessels are still manufactured by hand-built techniques. This involves laying clay beads on top of one another, pressing them together and smoothing them with water. Often the pots are decorated with patterns scratched into the surface. Then they are baked in fire pits. In Ethiopia making pottery is mainly a woman’s task.

Basket weaving is a woman’s work. The baskets are woven from the fibres of wild grasses and used for a variety of purposes, e.g. as storage and transport containers. They also serve as a dining table in which the injeera pancakes, a basic component of any Ethiopian meal, are stored.

Weaving cotton into cloth is mainly men’s work. Anyone who orders a shamma (traditional scarf of the Amhara) from a weaver, must supply him with the thread, spun by the women from raw cotton. The cotton fabrics are all natural white, as the thread is not dyed.

Leather is frequently used in Ethiopia. Leather processing has not changed over the centuries: the fresh hides are carefully scraped, tanned, pounded and then further processed. Leather was once very common in clothing, but has been replaced by cotton. However, leather is indispensable for many other purposes, such as for shoes, buckets, water bottles and panniers. Whole cowhides are used as bed covers.

In Ethiopia wood is used for everyday articles such as tools, equipment and furniture. It is worked with hatchets, chisels, knives and even fire. In agriculture the plough is also made of wood. It is used for tilling the soil primarily in the northern and central highlands. In the household, wooden vessels compete successfully with earthenware and horn.

Music is highly popular in Ethiopia, as everywhere in Africa. The masenqo, a one-sided violin, is one of the most popular instruments. Its resonant body is a frame covered with animal hide. The single string consists of horsehair and the instrument is played with a horsehair bow. The masenqo is the preferred instrument of the Asmari, the wandering singers of Ethiopia, who should not be absent at any celebration.

Jewellery and ornaments of all kinds are worn by all ethnic groups in Ethiopia. As the art of working gold is highly developed, many pieces of jewellery consist of finely worked metal. This is accompanied by jewellery made of glass pearls or amber and many natural materials. Because Ethiopia is a largely Christian Land, the cross also plays a special role in jewellery. Small silver crosses as a pendant today appear to outnumber crosses made of other materials by far.