Module Title
Module Context
This module forms part of Origins of Trade in Ancient Civilizations and Ethics of Sacred Commodities, examining how agarwood knowledge has been preserved, transmitted, and safeguarded through oral traditions rather than written manuals.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this module, participants will be able to:
- Understand how oral traditions function as living knowledge systems in agarwood cultures
- Identify key artisanal roles in the agarwood value chain
- Distinguish tacit knowledge from codified commercial knowledge
- Analyze ethical risks in extracting or commercializing traditional wisdom
- Apply ethical protocols for documenting and sharing artisanal knowledge
1. Nature of Oral Traditions in Agarwood Cultures
1.1 Knowledge as Living Practice
- Agarwood expertise traditionally transmitted through apprenticeship, storytelling, ritual participation, and sensory training
- Knowledge embedded in daily life: forest walks, harvesting rituals, incense burning, and communal evaluation
- Learning through observation, repetition, and intuition, not written formulas
1.2 Why Knowledge Was Not Written
- Protection against misuse and overexploitation
- Sacred framing: some knowledge considered spiritually dangerous if mishandled
- Colonial disruption and loss of indigenous documentation systems
2. Artisanal Knowledge Holders
2.1 Key Roles
- Forest Elders – tree identification, ecological signs, seasonal timing
- Harvest Masters – ethical cutting, injury reading, resin maturity
- Oud Sorters & Graders – scent lineage recognition, burn behavior, cultural grading
- Distillers – water ratios, fire control, cut points guided by scent not time
- Religious Custodians – ritual usage, purification protocols, sacred restrictions
2.2 Gendered Knowledge Streams
- In many cultures, women preserve incense blending, domestic ritual use, and medicinal applications
- Men often hold forest and trade-route knowled