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ICH Elements 26
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The Ngajat Lesung Dance
The ‘Ngajat Lesung’ is one of the famous dances in Sarawak. This is an Iban traditional dance and is believed to have been performed by warriors on their return from battles. This dance is now performed to celebrate the most important harvest festival called ‘Gawai’, to welcome important guests to the longhouses. In this dance, the knees are bent and kept close together as they twist from side to side, ending with a simple tap of the heel on the ground. The arms move from left to right in front of the body. The dance is done gracefully. Apparently, the hornbill, an iconic bird of Sarawak, inspires all the movements. The male dancer in this dance represents the warrior who shows off his strength by biting a wooden mortar called the ‘lesung kayu’ with his teeth while dancing. It weighs about seven kilogrammes. The male dancers wear feathers as part of their headgear, hold an ornate and long shield in their hand with chains, beads and a loincloth called the ‘sirat’. The female dancers have an elaborate headdress, chains, beads and a ‘dress’ that reaches below their knees with intricate weaving. Gongs and other ethnic percussion instruments such as the ‘enkeromong’, ‘bendai’, ‘canang’ and ‘dumbak or ketebong’ provide the music.
Malaysia -
Coaxing ritual for camels
The Traditional Coaxing ritual expresses the peculiar relationship between a man and animal. The ritual comes under the domain of “social practices, rituals and festive events” and in cases where there is participation in the ritual by a singer and musician, or by a few musicians, it might also come under the domain of “performing art”. While elsewhere spring is a pleasant season for peasants, it isn’t convenient for Mongolian herdsmen. The mother animals give birth to their young in a harsh and dusty spring, so there is a big risk of losing a mother or a baby animal. Mongols have a variety of rituals relating to husbandry in traditional Mongolian society. One of them is a chanting ritual for a new-born baby animal and its mother. To chant is to stimulate, through the use of special words and melody, the adopting of a baby animal to a mother. There are different gestures, melodies and chanting techniques for the five types of livestock in Mongolia. Coaxing (khuuslukh) a camel is a ritual for a mother who rejects her baby; or for adopting an orphan baby to another female who has lost her baby, because only a suckling mother will have milk in harsh spring time. For the nomadic Mongols the camel milk has been not only the source of food and drinks in the severe Gobi Desert conditions, but also the basic means of preventing illness or for healing diseases. Therefore, the coaxing rituals originated from the everyday occurrence of the herdsmen and became one of the important elements of Mongolian folk knowledge and ritual. The performance of the ritual continues for a few hours at early morning or at twilight and requires a high skill of handling camels and a singing talent or skill for playing on a musical instrument such as the horse head fiddle or flute. Most herdswomen engage in techniques and methods of coaxing, but these techniques and methods aren’t enough sometimes, for performing the ritual successfully. If there isn’t a singer or musician in the family, the owner of the camels will invite a coaxer or a few masters in coaxing and players of a musical instrument, from another place. In this case, the coaxing ritual will compose of a small performance by several actors: a singer along with a horse head fiddle, flute or mouth-orlgan players. A mother is tied close to the calf, nearby to a yurt. A singer will begin gently their monotone song ""khuus"", ""khuus"" with a horse head fiddle or without any musical instrument. A mother will bite, savage or spit and show her ignorance to a calf at the beginning of the ritual. The coaxer can change their melody, depending on the mother’s behavioural reaction. Most musicians will perform the ritual traditional Mongolian -sad stories about camels- songs such as “Unchin tsagaan botgo”, “Goviin undur” etc. The musician performs his play with different sounds of walking, running and bellowing of a camel and absorbs words into poems, songs and epochs. When a mother camel is being coaxed into accepting a rejected or an orphan calf, it is said to break into tears at the gentle sound of ""khuus"" and the enchanting melody of the horse head fiddle sung and played by someone skilled in the art of casting spells on animals. In some cases, to perform the ritual more effectively herdsmen use additional techniques such as skinning a dead calf and covering the orphan camel calf with the hide, tying a mother together with a baby quite a far distance from the ger camp for the whole night, or soaking the calf in salt, saltpetre or in the mother’s milk. Also it was common to place the ankle bone of a wild sheep (there is a myth that wild ewes never reject their babies) around the neck of a mother or a calf. But nowadays it is very hard to find these anklebones, as wild sheep are enlisted to the endangered-species list. There is also an exotic remedy in the coaxing ritual where the mother is led to a ger at twilight and shown the fire inside. (A camel can’t enter a ger, because of its size.) All participants in the ritual wear good clothes, remain attentive and focused, using their own psychic vision and imagination in the coaxing process, because the participants express their gratitude to gods of the camels, mountains and waters within the ritual. After finishing the ritual a coaxer or small group of masters will be honoured guests of the family. A person, who had performed coaxing rituals prosperously, will be invited again and again by the families in need of the ritual. When, where, how many times they have been invited - is the main criteria for evaluating the talent of a cultural bearer of this ritual. The evaluation is a prerequisite to their popularity in a society. The coaxing ritual has been transmitted from generations to generations and been enriched by the exchange of camel herding knowledge between the herders of Umnugovi, Bayankhongor, Dundgovi provinces, which are the main territories of Mongolia’s Bactrian camel population. “We should not forget this ritual while we are herding camels, because in both the animal and the human - it transcends genre to become a deeply affecting allegory about the importance of patience and acceptance in so many relationships” that is the conception of elders, the cultural bearers’ communities and camel herders. The knowledge and skills relating to the ritual’s transmission occurs from parents and elders to youth, in home tutoring: Elders with long experience of herding, herdswomen with singing talent and the talented musicians, who can influence the camel’s behaviour, are the main actors of the coaxing ritual. The ritual acts as a symbolic medium for creating and maintaining the social ties of individual nomadic families and dependencies to the community, because it is one part of the traditional intangible cultural heritage of the relationship between man and livestock.
Mongolia 2015 -
RAFIDADUZI
Rafida is a tool for baking round breads in the traditional ovens. It is made form fabrics, cotton, and thorns of a plant called mushkhor. Rafida has different sizes and some of them are embroidered.
Tajikistan -
Ging Tshogling Cham: Wrathful War Dance
One of the most entertaining mask dances is the Ging Tsholing Cham, where most of the audience, especially the children, are captivated by the intensifying drum beats and the fighting scene of the Cham ritual dance. The mask dance is also called Tro-ging, a local name, because it provides an entertaining presentation and performance for the audience. Ging represents the wrathful appearance of celestial beings, daka and dakinis; those dances are performed by laymen called Boecham pa. Whereas Tshogling is the emanation of guardian deities of Dharma protectors, including the Four Kings of the cardinal points and the Eight Classes of Gods and Goddesses; these roles are usually performed by Tsun cham pa monks. According to literary sources, the mask dance was introduced by Terton, treasure revealer, Pema Lingpa (1450-1521) after he saw the performance at Zangdok Pelri, the copper-colored mountain and spiritual realm of Guru Padmasambhava. Pema Lingpa, who was one of the fortunate incarnate beings of Guru Padmasambhava, met his enlightened master several times: when he predicted the future, when he gave him the list of treasures to be discovered in disguise, when he guided him to the sites to be discovered, and as he often invited him into his realm during meditation states and in dreams. On one such occasion, in the magnificent palace of Rang-jung Trulpai Phodrang, self-formed palace, he saw the Root Master manifesting in Ja-lue rainbow body or wisdom body, from which millions of his forms emerged, filling the three realms of the universe, which is beyond our imagination. Among the magical representations, the enlightened sages of India and Tibet sit in the right row and the scholars sit in the left row. In between them sit the 108 treasure discoverers, who are incarnations of Guru Padmasambhava and his 25 chief disciples. A cloud of gods and goddesses transformed into one hundred Dampa Rigja Protective Deities– forty-two peaceful forms, and fifty-eight in Ging wrathful appearance–they made various sensuous offerings, including the performance of Dorji-lugar Vajra Dances, dancing upon the air, rejoicing in the participation in the preaching of the coinage doctrine. Outside the entrance gate of the Four Directions are thousands of warriors from the Pho-jued and Mo-jued male and female classes of protecting deities, the Eight Classes of Gods and Goddesses, led by the kings of the Four Directions Tshoglings, who are getting ready to overcome obstacles to the sacred teachings. In the war scene between the Gings and the Tshoglings, the aggressive characters of the Tshoglings, and the drum beats of the Gings arouse a sense of fear in the obstacles and samaya oath breakers, guiding them to follow the righteous path of humanity. A similar performance was originally introduced by Guru Padmasambhava to aid Tibet’s King Thrisong Detsen (c. 755-797 or 804 AD). Padmasambhava used his supernatural powers at the great Samye Monastery in Tibet, he manifested in the form of Ging and Tshogling, producing an immense positive force to fight and subdue the evil spirits that hindered the construction of the monastery. With the obstacles overcome, the site became an important part of establishing the teachings of the Buddha in the region. After seeing the spectacular performance and realizing its benefits for the liberation of sentient beings, Pema Lingpa introduced the sacred mask dance to Jigten me-yul the human world, first at Korphu Temple, one of his seats in Trongsa, central Bhutan. There is still a saying that goes, "If you are not sure about the choreographies of Ging Tsholing or Tro-ging, you should visit Korphu Drub." Korphu Drub is the annual mask dance festival that coincides with the temple's dedication ceremony. Due to the importance of the dance, this mask dance was later introduced in most Tshechu, Rabney, Mewang, Mani, Drub, Drubchen (native names for the annual mask dance festival) of forts, monasteries and temples by Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal (1594-1651) who unified Bhutan as a country, the successive spiritual leaders of the Je Khenpo as well as the temporary leaders of the Druk Desi - these spiritual masters and far-sighted monarchs.
Bhutan -
Blacksmithing
Blacksmith business is one of the oldest folk crafts in Uzbekistan. For many centuries, the country has been one of the largest centers of craft production, including the art of metalworking. In Bukhara, Samarkand, Tashkent, Kokand, Margilan and other places there are unique workshops where knowledge is transferred from generation to generation, from master to student. Thus, ancient traditions are preserved, and the family of hereditary masters continues. At the blacksmith’s shop, the oven, qura, supa, ura, chupkunda; and instruments sandons, bosqon, hammers, bulls, eaves, mills, and others are used. Hammersmiths make various things such as hoes, mowers, tesha and other household items, doors, gratings etc.
Uzbekistan -
Kiyiz basu - the tradition of making felt
'Kiyiz' is a valuable felt material used by nomads in everyday life since immemorial time. Felt is manufactured from sheep, camel or goat wool by felting. Felt is made from wool using various methods to compress the wool fibers to form a thick, durable and warm material. Felt processing and products remains as one of the most popular crafts in the decorative art of the Kazakhstan steppes and other Central Asian countries. It was the major craft in Kazakh nomadic life as well as a significant work of women. Felt in Kazakhstan used mainly for flooring as a carpet well as covering a yurt. Nowadays one can get also a Kazakh felt souvenir toy. Warm slippers, vests, scarves and much more. Kazakhs used two basic types of felt, which differ in their method of manufacture and function. Kazakhs used coarse felt to cover the yurt and the dirt floor inside. Felt often decorated ornament. There are different methods of ornamentation: applique, ornamental stitch and many others. Skilled workers typically cover the entire surface of the felt track patterns, using a contrasting color. Kiiz is a simple felt carpet made of white, brown or grey wool, used as a foundation for making other products or to cover various parts of the yurt. Syrmak is a floor carpet, made by designing on a basis (kiiz) ornamental aptterns cut out of think multicolor felt which are then adjusted to the basis and sewed with color lace along the contour of the pattern, Tekemet is the Kazakh felt carpet with inserted color pattern on the top of each other before rolling. Different tribes in Kazakhstan each have their designs. Tuzkiiz ia a wall carpet, made by sewing ornamental compositions on felt or solid color fabric like velvet or silk, and then sewing them to the felt basis.
Kazakhstan -
Traditional knowledge in medicine
Knowledge of the Kyrgyz concerning treatment and use of medicinal plants is distinguished by depth and diversity. It contains knowledge and practice about harvesting, drying, and storing medicinal plants, and their use in traditional medicine. Different tinctures, decoctions, ointments, and powders made of plants for treatment purposes are used today in traditional medicine to treat bleedings, heart deceases, kinks, scabs. Except plants, natural objects, minerals, and animal limbs are used in traditional medicine. The so called psychological treatment methods such as spells and exorcisms were used in the past, to which the Kyrgyz, rarely, but still resort to nowadays.
Kyrgyzstan -
Bumthang Yathra: Woolen textile of Bumthang
Yathra weaving is found in six gewogs (Chungphel, Zhurey, Kertsho, Bhim, Terzoe and Yeerangbi) in Chummey village. The raw material or fabric for Bumthap Yathra is traditionally sheep wool and yak hair. However, the importation of raw material from India is a result of the decline in sheep population. In addition, wool from Bhutan was considered to be of higher quality, but the prices are unusually high. For this reason, Indian wool is now in demand because of its cheaper price. The cheapest made-up and bleached wool costs Nu 300 per kg in India, while the highest quality wool costs Nu 1,200 per kg. To keep production costs low, Yathra manufacturers rely on imported wool. Yathra factory owners receive between Nu 10,000 and Nu 15,000 for weaving 15 pieces of yathra. People in Bumthang are forced to use yathra as bedding, raincoats, and jackets due to the long, bitter winters in the region. Likewise, yathra is one of the most sought-after commodities in the local handicraft industry, as yathra can be hand-woven as jackets and floor coverings because it is warm. Recently, Yathra products are becoming popular worldwide through Bhutan's digital fashion site such as Bhutan Street Fashion. In addition, Yathra coats and other pieces of fabric made from Yathra are used as costumes in fashion events because of their intricate patterns. The global and local levels of the economy are interdependent, with the lives of locals of Chummey village, known for Bumthap Yathra, being improved by international tourists buying Yathra as souvenirs and fashion items despite its high price. The economic activity of Bhutanese goods like Yathra locally and globally leads to a financial landscape where money flows across borders and generates revenue for the country.
Bhutan -
Yeondeunghoe, lantern lighting festival in the Republic of Korea
Inscribed in 2020 (15.COM) on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity As the eighth day of the fourth lunar month (Buddha's Birthday) approaches, the entire country, from otherwise tranquil Buddhist temples to bustling city centers, lights up with colorful lanterns. A rite to celebrate Shakyamuni's birth is observed nationwide and public processions of people holding lanterns are held. Records associating Buddhism and the lotus lanterns dates back to the 9th-century according to Samguksagi(Histrory of the Three Kingdoms). And there are records showing that the lotus lantern festival was organized around Buddha’s birthday in the Goryeo dynasty(918-1392). Originally a religious ritual to celebrate Shakyamuni's birth, Yeondeunghoe has become a representative national spring festival open to all. Made of a bamboo frame, or a steel wire frame covered by traditional paper, the lanterns decorating Buddhist temples and public spaces are crafted by traditional artisans who share their knowledge and skills with lay participants. Members of the public can participate in the festival carrying lanterns they made to express good wishes not only for themselves and their families, but for their neighborhoods and the entire nation. The lighting lanterns also symbolizes enlightening the minds of the individuals, the communities, and the whole society through Buddha's wisdom. The primary element of the annual festival starts with bathing an image of the baby Buddha as a ritual celebrating Shakyamuni's birth. This sacred ritual is followed by a public procession of lantern-bearing participants. After completing the procession, participants gather for recreational events. The spirit of unity culminates in collective game activities as social boundaries are temporarily erased.
South Korea 2020 -
Crafting and playing the Oud
Oud is the name of a short-necked lute-type musical instrument that is a plucked chordophone instrument with a historical background dating back to ancient times, in both countries. It is placed on the player's leg, and the performer stops the frets with the fingers of one hand and plucks with the other hand. The oud in both Syria and Iran consists of a sound box, which looks pear-shaped and is made of ribs of either walnut, rose, poplar, ebony or apricot wood. Walnut wood is usually the wood of choice because of its flexibility and beautiful color gradients. The ribs were shaped by moulds. The neck is attached to a soundbox which bears a pegbox. Three soundholes are made on the soundboard for technical and decorative reasons. Crafting a complete Oud takes 20-25 days. The natural wood is left to dry and harden, then it is treated with water and steam for a period of 15 days to build its durability. Ouds are crafted in different sizes for different sized-bodies, and beautifully decorated with wodden carvings and mosaic patterns. The soundboard is sometimes decorated in Eslimi patterns. The instrument slightly varies in size in different regions. The number of oud strings in both countries are 5 twin strings, and a sixth string can be added to the oud according to the wish of each craftsman by making additional tunes. The compass of this instrument is in bass and baritone ranges. It can produce both melodic and harmonic tones. It is performed solo as well as in ensembles. As this Human-Rights-friendly element is historically deep-rooted in the region, it is played in a very wide range of events including weddings, cultural events, festivals, family gatherings, and funerals accompanied by traditional songs and dance. Therefore, it serves as an identity-marker. The element is transmitted through master-apprentice training and it is also taught through musical centres and institutes, colleges and universities in urban areas. Players of both genders usually undergo years of training, and a skilled practitioner is able to improvise tunes. Grafters are mostly men although in recent years young women have developed an interest in crafting.
Iran,Syria 2022 -
Traditional craftsmanship of making Dumbara Ratā Kalāla
Element relates to the traditional craftsmanship of making a type of mat used as wall-hangings, tapestries or cushion-covers, ornamented with culturally defined motifs and designs using the fibre of Hana plant (Agave vera). This fibre is a substitute for the traditionally used fibre of Niyanda plant (Sansevieria zeylanica) that became scarce in the area by early 20th century. Fibre is separated by pressing the leaf against a log with a sharp-edged wooden splinter to scrape away the fleshy parts. Washed, sun-dried, and combed fibres of ivory-white colour are bundled as skeins. Warp-yarn is spun using a wooden spindle. The spinner wraps a fibre bundle around the chest over the left shoulder and spins by pulling fibre strands from the bundle. Unspun fibre strands are used as weft elements. Yarns and unspun fibre are dyed in red, yellow, and black using traditional herbal dyes made of natural materials from Dumbara valley. Motifs and designs are created using a flat narrow wooden lath with an 'eye' at one end. The weaver, squatting over the loom, passes the lath's eye-end through the warp-yarns from right to left selectively depending on the intended motif. Strands of fibre pulled from the heddles that suspend from a tripod placed over the loom are inserted into the lath's eye that is pulled back through the yarns to create the desired motif. After weaving, ends of fibre at the two narrow ends are tied together using a thread drawn through to which the fibre ends are knotted.
Sri Lanka 2021 -
Zergerlyk - Kazakh jewelry art
Jewellery art (kaz. 'zergerlyk') - is knowledge and skills in the field of traditional Kazakh art manufacturing of silverware. Since ancient times, there were produced a variety of silver jewelry: rings, earrings, necklaces, bracelets, pendants, buckles and much more. Especially highly prized precious silver vessels, such as jugs, bowls, mugs, decorated with engraved images. Archeological findings suggest that Kazakh people achieved a higher level in the development of jewellery making. Chylik findings were made using such techniques as stamping, engraving, true grain, incrustation (VII-V century BC); Issyk finding included “Golden warrior” (IV-III century BC); Berel kurgan findings (IV-VI century BC) from Eastern Kazakhstan are the testimony of a unique “animal style” in jewellery making. Jewellery is mainly made with silver. This craft is widespread across Kazakhstan but each region has its specifications concerning technique and design. Jewelry sets are made for men, women, and children; as well jewellery making is used for decorating musical instruments, household items, weaponry and horse gears; some made for rituals, others have symbolic or sacred value. Zergerlyk used for making details in men’s clothing, rider’s gear, horse riding gear, for example, horse equipment (er-tuman), traditional belts (beldyk, kyseh beldyk and kyemer belbeu), sword and knives’ handles and scabbards, powder flask (okhshantai), snuffboxes (nasybai). Women’s decorative items include forehead jewellery (shekelyk), braid jewellery (shashbau), earrings (syrgha), necklaces (alkhah, onirzhiyek, tumar), bracelets and cuffs (bilezyk), rings (zhuzyk), belt buckles (khapsyrmah), buttons (tyuime), personal hygiene items (tyss tazlaghysh, khulakh tazlaghysh), tools for crafting, spindle (urshykh), thimble (oymakh). Zergers also make child’s cradle set: bessyk (cradle), shumek (tube to flow urine), syldyrmakh (rattle), yemyzik (pacifier), tumar (amulet, charm) and other items. The jewelry pieces in the form of circle, oval, triangle, half oval, rectangular, petal, peak and beak are frequently combined to make a larger piece, for example pectoral decorative items onzhyrek and alkah are made of several triangle and rectangular plates, khudaghy zhuzik (a special large double ring presented when marriage brokerage occurs) and bes-blezyk (a bracelet connected with chains with three rings). Geometric style from Western Kazakhstan is famous for large-scale decorative items that are assembled from pre-made pieces that are joined together by soldering (plates, borders, solar symbols, grain). Most common techniques include true grain, plated filigree, stamping, embossing, engraving, niello, enamel, casting, forging, and incrustation with precious and semi-precious stones. Stone (tas) are sliced flat and are called eye (koz) as they considered to be protection charms. The most popular stone is cornelian (akhykh) as it symbolizes prosperity and joy.
Kazakhstan