Historical Evolution and Cultural Heritage of Ahwiaa Indigenous Wood Carving Practices, Ghana: 1960s and Beyond
Historical Evolution and Cultural Heritage of Ahwiaa Indigenous Wood Carving Practices, Ghana: 1960s and Beyond

Summary/Abstract: In many communities around the globe, woodcarving contributes significantly to livelihood, cultural sustainability, religious exhibition and historical antecedents. It is in the light of this that this study delves into the historical evolution of indigenous wood carving in Ghana from 1960 to present, with a focus on the Ahwiaa wood carving community to explore the transformations, continuities and innovations that have shaped the wood carving tradition in this renowned wood carving community. The study was situated within the qualitative approach, with a combination of historical and case study as the research methods used. Woodcarvers, woodcarving buyers, Users of wood carving, Opinion Leaders, Woodcarving Traders/ buyers in Ahwiaa constitute the population of the study. A sample size of 13 were selected from the target population through purposive and convenience sampling methods a technique under the non-probability sampling. Data for the study was collected with interviews and observation as the tools. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the date with two coding system axial coding and In Vivo coding adopted for the study. Findings of the study were presented descriptively and showed that the beginning of indigenous wood carving in Ghana traces its roots to the Ashanti people, with Ahwiaa emerging as the prominent woodcarving centre. The study recommends that this knowledge needs to be safeguarded in an explicit mode for preservation and sustainability of the woodcarving heritage.

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