The tug-of-war is widely spread throughout the world, especially in agricultural communities. The Gijisi Tug-of-War Festival is highly regarded. Held on the second weekend in April, it has a five-hundred-year history. The event, which is based on agriculture, fishery, and merchant traditions, is held to wish for prosperity and good luck for the coming year. The tug-of-war represents the agricultural, rural, and social characteristics of the region. The rope used for the event is two hundred meters long and one meter thick, so it is truly a community event. Similar tug-of-war games are also held in other nations. After creating a museum for Gijisi tug-of-war, members discovered that it could be a symbol of the region, so the local government invested into the museum. After building the museum, we wanted to expand our knowledge of tug-of-war events in other countries. In the past, there wasn’t much communication among the different communities celebrating tug-of-war festivities. However, after building the museum, we had the opportunity to invite other countries as a sort of network that allows research into other types of tug-of-war in the Asia-Pacific region. As Gijisi tug-of-war is well known, we thought that having a festival to display other cultures’ traditional tug-of-war through a networked festival. \n\nTug-of-war (juldarigi in Korean) is an intangible heritage that is commonly found in various regions across the world. In particular, it is a popular activity that takes place with the aim to foster harmony and solidarity among communities in rice-farming regions across Korea, Japan,and various Southeast Asian countries.

This is an original dance based on the iconic Shuaifa dance of the Wa minority group in China, expressing their hunting lifestyle. Male and female dancers fling their long black hair energetically, impressing the audience with powerful and controlled movements. Shuaifa dance, in which female Wa dancers fling their long hair vigorously, is the most famous Wa dance commonly seen at religious rituals and festivals.\n\nCharacteristics:\n∙An adaptation of the traditional Shuaifa dance of the Wa, characterized by the flinging of long hair\n\nPerformed by Seo Eun Dance Company\nDirected by Zhang Ge(張格)\nChoreographed by Li Ying

‘Awa’ is the name the Wa people, a minority ethnic group living in Yunnan Province, use to call themselves. This is an original dance based on a traditional dance of the Wa, which tells the story of a boy combing the hair of his love, and tying their hair around each other’s wrists, expressing the wish to be together always. Hair holds special significance in the culture of the Wa. Dark skin and black hair is a measure of beauty to the Wa, who have dark skin and long black hair. Shuaifa dance, in which female Wa dancers fling their long hair vigorously, is the most famous Wa dance commonly seen at religious rituals and festivals.\n\nCharacteristics:\n∙Original dance based on the Shuaifa dance, a traditional Wa dance characterized by the flinging of long hair\n\nPerformed by Kunming Ethnic Song and Dance Company\nChoreographed by Yang Zhou

Igal is a type of traditional dance with fast but smooth moves. It is a heritage shared among the Sama people in the Southern Philippines and communities of the western part of Mindanao Island. Its history dates back to the maritime tradition of Southeast Asia. Igal is called pangalay by the Tausug people and pamansak by the Yakan, both of which simply mean "dance".\n\nThe traditional dance comprises improvised moves and expressions through which the dancers merge with nature and step closer to God. This video showcases sublime lgal performances by two dancers from different time periods and islands in the same province.

Agroforestry is a traditional method of agriculture with a 1000-year long history, practiced mostly in Southeast Asia and Africa. Agroforestry acts as a buffer against flooding and stabilizes the soil, making it an effective response to climate change. Presenting the example of Micronesian sustainable agroforestry, which co-exists in harmony with nature.

▶ Play Video 1. The World of a Maguindanao Virtuoso: This episode was first aired on Filipino television on August 18, 1994. This episode has been modified from its original format.\n\nThe Maguindanao (Magindanaw, Maguindanaw, Magindanao, Maguindanaon, Magindanaoan, Mindanao) form one of the large ethnic groups of the country. Most of the members are concentrated in the municipalities of Dinaig, Datu Piang, Shariff Aguak, and Buluan, in the province of Maguindanao.\n\nConstant contact with the Spaniards led to naming the entire island after the Maguindanao. The people practice Islam; their culture and social structure are deeply tied to this eligion, forming a conformity without which the group would not have been able to resist the incursions of the Spanish conquistadores. One of the three Philippine sultanates is aguindanao. The Maguindanao sultanate at one period in history could claim ritual authority over southwestern Mindanao. Their socio-political system and the hierarchical structure of their society are complex and similar to that of the Sulu sultanate.\n\nThere are three royal houses: Maguindanaon in Sultan Kudarat, Buayan in Datu Piang, and Kabuntalan in Tumbao, all of which trace their lineage to Sharif Kabunsuan, one of the earliest Muslim missionaries, and Sultan Kudarat. Customary law (adat) is applied, embodied in oral traditions and in accordance with the Paluwaran code, which contains provisions for very aspect of life.\n\nThe culture is characteristically lowland with a special adaptation to marshland, and wet rice is the staple food. Arts and crafts are well developed, exhibiting sophistication in eaving. Through waste mold technology metalwork and with the double-bellows Malaysian forge, they produce a wide range of bronze artifacts including betel-nut boxes, gongs, knives, racelets, and even the Southeast Asian cannon, the lantaka. The lantaka is not used just in warfare, but also as a prestigious status symbol.\n\nTheir ornamental art employs very characteristic design motifs that show affinity with the rest of Southeast Asia while retaining a distinctive ethnic identity. Their musical nstruments include a unique crocodile-motif version of the ubiquitous two-stringed lute, the kutyapi; the kulintang, which comprises eight brass gongs of graduated sizes; and the very large and deep agong, as well as various drums and flutes. Their music is characterized by drone and permutation.