An Original Investigation into the Mechanisms of Cultural Transmission in Nigerian Traditional Art Systems

Cultural transmission in traditional art systems, understood as the processes through which aesthetic knowledge, technical skills, symbolic vocabularies, and social functions are passed across generations, is a foundational concern for understanding the sustainability of living art traditions, and an original investigation of these mechanisms in Nigerian contexts contributes to both cultural heritage scholarship and creative arts theory. This study conducted an original investigation into cultural transmission mechanisms in selected Nigerian traditional art systems, encompassing Benin bronze casting, Yoruba Egungun masquerade production, Igbo Uli body art, and Kano leather embroidery. A multi-site longitudinal ethnographic methodology was employed over 18 months, with extended fieldwork at each of the four art traditions' primary production communities. Data collection combined participant observation at transmission events, in-depth interviews with 56 practitioners across four generational cohorts per tradition, and visual documentation of transmission interactions. Grounded theory constant comparative analysis generated theoretical constructs from the ethnographic data. Results confirmed that all four traditions employ multilayered transmission mechanisms combining explicit instruction, embodied learning through extended observation and imitation, spiritual legitimation of knowledge transfer, and gradual disclosure of advanced symbolic knowledge tied to initiation progression. However, transmission fidelity is differentially maintained, with Benin bronze casting showing the highest intergenerational continuity and Uli body art showing the most significant knowledge attrition. An original Layered Transmission Model was developed, specifying the conditions under which each transmission layer operates, fails, or adapts to contemporary contexts. Expert review confirmed the model's theoretical originality.