Ethnotechnography

/ˌɛθnoʊtɛkˈnɒɡrəfi/ noun

Definition

Detailed written description and study of the technologies and techniques used by specific cultures and peoples.

Etymology

From Greek ethnos (people) + technē (technique) + -graphia (writing/description). This combines ethnographic methods with technical analysis, emerging from anthropology in the mid-20th century.

Kelly Says

Researchers use ethnotechnography to document how indigenous peoples engineered everything from boomerangs to irrigation systems, preserving knowledge that might otherwise disappear.

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