Decolonizing craft: A systematic literature review of indigenous traditional modes of production in Abya Yala

Abstract

In contrast to the concept of craft, which is shaped by Western ontological assumptions connected to colonial logics, indigenous traditional modes of production (ITMP) arise from a distinct ontological worldview that guides how making is understood and practiced in indigenous communities. To move beyond colonial framings and advance Indigenous-grounded understandings of making, this systematic review draws on 47 empirical studies published in English and Spanish focused on ITMP in Indigenous communities across Abya Yala (Latin America). The review identifies three interrelated dimensions of ITMP: a kincentric paradigm that situates humans within nature, a reciprocal economy that renders making as an act of mutual exchange, and intergenerational matriarchal leadership through which knowledge and responsibility are transmitted. Together, these dimensions form a nested model that centers cultural continuity and renewal in making. Building on these insights, the review foregrounds ITMP as sovereign Indigenous lifeways rather than peripheral forms of craft, underscores the ethical imperative to center Indigenous voices and engage Indigenous epistemologies through respectful and reciprocal relations, and advances a decolonial conception of rigor when conducting a literature review.