The Watertight-Bulkhead Technology of Chinese Junks is an age-old craft for the construction of ocean-going vessels with watertight compartments in South China’s Fujian Province. The vessels are made mainly of camphor, pine and fir timber, and assembled through use of traditional carpenters’ tools. They are built by applying the key technologies of rabbet-jointing planks together and caulking the seams between the planks with ramie, lime and tung oil. A master craftsman designs and directs the whole process. A large number of craftsmen work in close coordination to build solidly rabbeted ocean-going vessels consisting of multiple independently watertight cabins. The core technology for building such vessels is called The Watertight-Bulkhead Technology of Chinese Junks. Watertight bulkheads are the most important step in building Chinese junks. To start with, the craftsmen build an integral hull by joining the vessel’s bilge and sides. The hull is then divided into cabins according to the function and size of the ship. The whole process is manual. Planks are rabbet-jointed together. And then interlocked to the bilge and on to frames or held with crampons. Ramie fibber, lime and tung oil are mixed in the proper proportion to wedge into any gaps between planks and make the cabins waterproof. The tools are largely those used by traditional Chinese carpenters, such as axes, carpenter’s ink markers, hand drills, rulers, maces, pit saws, chisels and planers. Chinese junks are subdivided into multiple watertight cabins. If in the course of navigation one or two cabins are accidentally damaged, seawater will not flood other cabins. The vessel will not sink, but remain afloat. This greatly improves navigation safety. This technology has been widely used over the centuries in fishing vessels, cargo ships, warships, and diplomatic vessels. In particular, Fujian’s ocean-going cargo ships sailing along the Maritime Silk Road during the Song and Yuan dynasties, and the fleets commanded by Ming Dynasty navigator Zheng He in his seven voyages to the West, fully adopted this technology. The technology has served as a bridge and unifier in the exchange between Eastern and Western civilizations. In the late 18th century this technology was finally adopted in the West. Since then Watertight bulkheads have become an important structural element in modern ship design, remain so today and have greatly enhanced navigation safety.

China 2010

Katta ashula is a vocal direction, a song genre typical for the Ferghana Valley, in which peculiar style and manner of singing is observed. It is performed by two or more singers in turns and without accompaniment of musical instruments. Katta Ashula is characterized by laconism (in means of expression), expressiveness (in music language), dynamism (in melodic development) and bright emotionality. Its figurative structure (or style) is closely connected to the traditional (classical) poetry of lyrical and philosophical nature. And ghazals of Navoi, Lutfi, Mashrab, Khazini, Muqimi, Furqat, Zavqi, Miskin serve as main poetic texts in this genre. Though, since the XX century the poems of contemporary Uzbek poets (such as Sobir Abdulla, Charkhi, Chusti, Akmal Polat, Khabibi, and others) as well as examples of folk poetry have been widely used. In terms of subject matter katta ashula songs can be divided into love-lyrical, didactic, religious and contemporary ones. The origins of katta ashula genre should be looked for in ancient folk-ritual chants, songs of "praise" (such as marsiya, navkha, ayolgu), agriculture- and labor-related songs with their original combination of recitative-declamatory beginning and chanting; and in distiches of ghazals (ghazalkhonlik), written in aruz prosody. Performance with high-pitched voice, existence of culmination parts, clarity of words for and their impact to the listeners – all these are features of this type of song. Katta ashula has several genres, such as “Yovvoi maqom” (“Yovvoi Ushshoq”, “Yovvoi Chorgoh”),"Yovvoyi asula" ("Yovvoyi Tanovar", "Yovvoyi Munojat"), "Yakkahonlik" ("Ohkim, gulzorim qani topmadim"). Notably, the emergence and development of Katta ashula genre is closely linked with existence of corresponding performance schools, which stand out with their style of interpretation, manner of singing and bearers. From among katta ashula performance schools it is possible to mention Qoqand, Margilan, Andijan, Namangan and Tashkent performance schools.

Uzbekistan 2009

Bonko is a form of Bon tradition. Bon practices existed in Bhutan in pre-Buddhist times, and were rooted in the worship of nature and the spirits or gods that inhabited it. Bonism originated in Tibet and is characteristic of animistic and shamanistic practices. The Thangka bonko is a celebration in memory of Miwo Tenpa Shenrab (Buddha of Bon), who introduced the Bon tradition to their community. The commemoration is celebrated with religious rites dedicated to and invoking the local deity Zamshingpa. Bonko literally means the practice of Bonpo, who roams the villages, teaching Bonism and blessing the people (Bon kor). Long before the arrival of Buddhism, Bon-nag was a practice that involved the sacrifice of animal life. The Bonko Thangka was a Bon-kar. Although it was a Bon practice, it did not involve animal sacrifice. In the 11th century, the first disciple of Terton (treasure discoverer) Rigzin Jatshen Nyingpo (1585–1656), Terton Dorji Lingpa (1346-1405), established Yu-tog Goenpa (monastery) and established Buddhism in the area. Later, he established his seat in the village of Zhingkana. At present, the deity Zamshingpa is pacified in the Buddhist way in Zhingkana nagtshang. And also during the Bonko, the Pazaps receive their Lha-dhar (giant prayer flag) and Tsan-dhar (deity’s flag) from the Nagtshang (manor of an aristocratic family). It is celebrated for four days, from the 13th to the 16th day of the 11th month of the Bhutanese calendar, by the villagers under Shaba Gewog. The main event is held in an open area in Thangka, locally known as Lha-chim (deity’s shrine). On the 8th day of the 11th month of the lunar calendar, the Lholinga and Jishing Bonko is held in Lholinga village. And on the 11th day of the 11th month of the lunar calendar, the Zhelngo Bonko takes place. On the 15th day, the Thangka Bonko is celebrated.

This article examines the notion of inculturation especially where the Gospel of Christ resonates with the iTaukei culture. Christian Missionaries arrived on Fiji’s shores in 1830 but the actual works of the Wesleyan Missionaries in Lakeba started in 1835 (Bigitibau 2007:13). Apart from Evangelization, missionaries targeted cultural elements to influence the masses. They critiqued beliefs they considered were against Biblical teachings and encouraged the practice of elements that were compatible (Bigitibau 2007:13). The intergration is one reason Christianity is still popular today with the Fijian population. Cultural elements that were encouraged during church service included isevu or the First Fruit Harvest, vosa vakavanua ni somate or traditional eulogy, vosa ni veikidavaki or traditional welcome speech by the host, dolei ni vosa ni veikidavaki or verbal acknowledgement by visitors and luvanitai or a kava ceremony to welcome and show gratitude to the presider of the church service.

The practice of Bon traditions was widespread in Bhutan long before the arrival of Buddhism, and it retains influence in Tshapey village. Previously people practiced animal sacrifice and had faith in nature. With the advent of Buddhism in the country, many elements of Bon dissipated even as Bon rituals continued. Taking on a fusion of Buddhism and aspects of Bon, this became known as Bo-kar, white Bon. This especially allowed Bon rituals to be performed without sacrificing human lives. Den-zha, a local festival in the village of Tshapey, is one of many such Bo-kar practices. This festival is about appeasing Ke-lha the deity of birth, or the local deity known as Nyep Dangnap, who is commonly worshipped as the protector of the Tshapey community. The deity's dark appearance is said to have given her the name Dang-nap, which is further exemplified by the deity's black mask that can be seen in the Lhakhang, temple, today. The Lhakhang, locally known as Haa Goenpa, or monastery. It is believed that the Goenpa was built on the spot where a dove miraculously landed. The dove is considered to be the Nob Denshap, heart emanation, of the Jowo image of Buddha Shakyamuni of Lhasa, Tibet. It is located about seven kilometers from the road. The most important Nangten, or relic, at the Lhakhang is a large statue of the Jowo Shakyamuni. It is said that any wishes or prayers made before the Jowo will come true. In earlier times, the Tshapey community took care of the Lhakhang, but in 1998 it was given to the Zhung Dratshang Central Monastic Body. It was severely damaged by an earthquake and renovated in 1992. Currently, eight people live in and around the Lhakhang - five Tshampa meditators, one Kunyer caretaker, and one Lopen or Lam the spiritual master. On this occasion, the members of the Tshapey community, including those who have moved away to other places, gather at the village Lhakhang to make Nyen-dhar monetary offerings. If they cannot come, they must come and make Shag-pa confession immediately after the festival period.

Traditional Knowledge can also be referred to as indigenous or local knowledge, however for the sake of consistency, Traditional Knowledge will be used. Traditional Knowledge refers to the holistic total of an indigenous people’s understanding of the world. While the term is often used in relation to oral history, its bounds are much broader. ‘Traditional Knowledge can refer to knowledge of past events, but also encompasses peoples’ embodied practices, spirituality, morality, ideologies, modes of artistic (or abstract) expression, and the ways in which knowledge is acquired and passed on through generations. Traditional Knowledge systems extend into the present, and are alive and constantly adapted in order to remain relevant to contemporary indigenous life. The term is predominantly used to designate those knowledge systems that are markedly different from the dominant Western systems of knowledge. Traditional or Indigenous knowledge is a: body of information passed down through generations in a given locality and acquired through the accumulation of experiences, relationships with the surrounding environment, and traditional community rituals, practices and institutions. In light of that, the iTaukei people from Fiji, have traditional knowledge of identifying early signs of natural disasters.

“Pinisi”, literally referring to the rig and sails of the famed ‘Sulawesi schooner’, for both the Indonesian and international public has become the epitome of the Archipelago’s indigenous sailing craft. Construction and deployment of such vessels stand in the millennia-long tradition of Austronesian (‘Malayo-Polynesian’) boatbuilding and navigation that brought forth a broad variety of sophisticated watercraft, ranging from the outriggered boats that enabled man to migrate throughout the vast expanses of the Pacific and Indian Oceans to the massive ships encountered by the first European intruders into the Malay Archipelago. As in any maritime tradition, these practices involve sophisticated cognitive concepts that outline the three-dimensional form of a ship and its countless components as well as the advanced social organisation necessary to successfully build, operate and navigate trading vessels. Following centuries of mutual co-operation, the three communities now represent the pinnacle of the Archipelago’s boatbuilding and navigation traditions. In indigenous perception a ship’s hull is conceptionalised in the form of ‘plank patterns’ (tatta), i.e., comprehensive mental routines that delineate the configuration and assembly sequence of a hull’s planking, her inner strengthenings and the dowels holding planks and framing together. Deeply embedded into a series of rituals that complement the building process, these routines for many a traditional type of vessel define position, form and size of each plank, frame or dowel in a hull; for more contemporary ships the tatta provides an overall draught that can be adapted to changing constructional demands, thus facilitating perpetuation and enhancements.

Indonesia 2017

A few islands in Fiji and the Pacific are said to have submerged in the last hundred to thousand years ago. The island of Vuniivilevu is believed to have submerged in the year AD1200 in the Motoriki waters, Lomaiviti (2005). It is one of the islands that is regarded to have been inhabited first before other settlers arrived. Early migrants were said to be tall, muscular and tough and this could be proven with the skeleton that was found in Naturuku, Motoriki in 2002. What was also remarkable about this skeleton was the excellent state of preservation of the skull. It was of a female who would’ve been tall, muscular and tough and was believed to have lived in Motoriki around 800BC (2007). The abrupt collapse of Vuniivilevu would’ve generated waves to nearby islands and one such example is the waves rushing up the valley from Bureta which saw the presence of sea-fish in pristine freshwater rivers. Their ancestor god Rakavono then speared a turtle, a shark, and a ray, all of which immediately turned to stone and can still be seen there, at a deep place in the river called Muloi, near Nasaumatua village, Lovoni, close to the center of Ovalau. When passing through the Davetalevu passage, travelers are forbidden to make noise, and to throw rubbish into the ocean in respect of the sunken island. Certain people who have disturbed the peace at the Davetalevu passage had their boat capsized and are now buried at Uluibau village in Motoriki. A considerably large number of people in Fiji came from Vuniivilevu and dispersed when the island submerged. This includes the villages of Uluibau, Nasauvuki in Motoriki (Rokowaqa, n.d. 1926; Rakadragi, 1979; Draunidalo, 1990; Vulava, 1996); Tuatua village in Koro, the chiefs of Vuna in Taveuni (Rakadragi, 1979); Navure clan in Sawaieke and a group of people in Vadravadra, Gau (Vulava 1996); and also the village of Naimalavau (Vulava 1996). Some reached as far as Kadavu.

Situated in the South Pacific, the Vanuatu archipelago has preserved a unique and complex tradition of sand drawing. This multifunctional “writing” is more than an indigenous artistic expression and it occurs in a wide range of ritual, contemplative and communicative contexts. The drawings are produced directly on the ground, in sand, volcanic ash or clay. Using one finger, the drawer traces a continuous meandering line on an imagined grid to produce a graceful, often symmetrical, composition of geometric patterns. This rich and dynamic graphic tradition has developed as a means of communication among the members of some 80 different language groups inhabiting the central and northern islands of Vanuatu. The drawings also function as mnemonic devices to record and transmit rituals, mythological lore and a wealth of oral information about local histories, cosmologies, kinship systems, song cycles, farming techniques, architectural and craft design, and choreographic patterns.

Vanuatu 2008

Throughout the Pacific, kava is synonymous as the elixir or drink of the gods. Known in various words ranging from kau, sakau, kava, ava and yaqona, the ritual commonality is similar. This video revisits the sacred kava ritual from a retelling of the indigenous spirituality and worldview as far as yaqona, chiefs, mana, power and the people are involved.

Communities in the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) and in particular, communities of the outer islands of Yap state, continue the age-old indigenous traditions of building long distance ocean voyaging sailing canoes from local materials; and of traditional ocean navigation (wayfinding) without maps or instruments. As such, these communities preserve (their local versions of) the technical and intellectual traditions which are the last vestiges of indigenous traditions involving crafts, sustainable materials, design, mathematics and navigational reasoning. These traditions and technologies made possible the settlement of thousands of islands across the entire vast Pacific Ocean. These traditions are now lost in most Pacific nations. It is of note that the much celebrated Polynesian seafaring renaissance, and the history-changing voyages of the Hokule’a, would not have occurred without the involvement of a Micronesian master navigator, Mau Piailug, who taught the Hawaiians navigation skills long lost in their own culture. In addition to celestial navigation, the traditional wayfinders use a huge variety of environmental cues, including: atmospheric phenomena (the gathering of clouds over islands beyond the horizon); the subtle perturbations of swells caused by islands beyond the horizon; the behavior of (long distance flying but land based) seabirds and the occurrence of other air and water species.

Micronesia 2021

The Tonga archipelago lies in the South Pacific approximately 2,000 kilometres north-east of New Zealand. It is the only constitutional monarchy in the Pacific region. Often considered Tonga’s national dance, Lakalaka is a blend of choreography, oratory, and vocal and instrumental polyphony. This cultural expression is practised by communities throughout the islands and features prominently at important celebrations such as the coronation of the monarch and anniversaries of the constitution.The term lakalaka means “to step briskly or carefully” in the Tongan language, and its origins can be traced to a dance known as the me’elaufola. The tradition developed in the nineteenth century and, thanks to the continuous transmission and the patronage of the royal family, it underwent a revival in the twentieth century. Performances last approximately thirty minutes and involve large groups of up to several hundred people. Participants are aligned in rows, men on the right and women on the left.The men dance in rapid and energetic movements, while the women execute graceful dance steps co-ordinated with elegant hand gestures. Both groups clap and sing as they move, and a chorus often provides vocal accompaniment.The polyphonic singing coupled with the synchronized movements of hundreds of dancers offers an impressive spectacle.The creative force behind the performance is the punake who is at the same time poet, composer, choreographer and performance director. Punakes are expected to continually renew the Lakalaka repertory, by exploring themes related to Tongan history, legends, values and social structure.

Tonga 2008