The culture of the Central Asian steppes expresses itself vividly in the lifestyle of traditional nomadic practices. Mongolian culture has been in practice in the nomadic life and the traditions surrounding the nomad’s home (ger). And it is present in religious celebrations, national festivals, art and crafts, music and dance, language and literature, which form the backbone of Mongolian intangible cultural heritage of Mongolia. Mongolia is filled with valuable cultural properties and intangible cultural heritage of humanity that have been kept or practiced for thousands of years.\n\nGer, Mongolian Traditional Dwelling\nThe traditional architecture of the Mongols differed strongly from that of the settled peoples of Asia and other continents. Centuries ago, there the ger, also known as a yurt, appeared. It still offers shelter to nomads in particular places in Central Asia. Its development and fundamental principles are determined by the specific features of the way of life of Mongol tribes, which made it necessary to evolve a light and collapsible structure to be used as a dwelling or for public functions.\n\nMongolian Language and Literature\nMongolian is the language of most of the Mongolian population and inner Mongolia. By origin, Mongolian is one of the Altaic family of languages, and the history of the Mongolian language is long and complicated. Significant literary work of early Mongolia includes The Secret History of the Mongols, which was published in 1228).\n\nMongolian Religion and Beliefs\nThe Mongols have practiced several religions, of which Shamanism and Buddhism were the most common. The faith in Mongolia is Buddhism, though the state and religion were separated during the socialist period, but with the transition to the parliamentary republic in the 1990s, there has been a general revival of faiths across the country\n\nMongolian Art and Crafts\nMongolian arts and crafts have been passed down across generations from the Paleolithic times to today, leaving behind deep impressions on all facets of life and conscious, aesthetic, and philosophical thinking. Highly developed Mongolian arts and crafts come from the second millennium BCE. The works included sculptured heads of wild animals with exaggerated features. Other items include knives, daggers, and other items of practical and religious use.\n\nMongolian Music and Dance\nMusic is an integral part of Mongolian culture. Among Mongolia’s unique contributions to the world’s musical culture are the long songs, overtone singing, and morin khuur (the horse-headed fiddle). The music of Mongolia is also rich with varieties related to the various ethnic groups of the country. Among the most popular forms of modern music in Mongolia are Western pop and rock genres and the mass songs written by contemporary authors in the form of folk songs.\n\nHorse Culture of Mongolia\nIt is famously known that horses play a large role in the Mongols’ daily and national lives. Common sayings are, “A Mongol without a horse is like a bird without wings,” and “Mongols are born on horseback” these are arguably true words. Even today, horse-based culture is still practiced by nomadic Mongolians.\n\nVisit https://www.toursmongolia.com/tours for additional information about Mongolian culture.\n\nPhoto 1 : Prairie meadow grass inner Mongolia traditional clothing © Batzaya Choijiljav\nPhoto 2~7 : © Batzaya Choijiljav

In 2014, the Mongolian Law on the Protection of the Cultural Heritage was amended with 13 chapters and 61 articles. The main purposes and functions of this law is to regulate any relations associated with investigation, registration, research, classification, evaluation, conservation, protection, restoration, revitalization, transmission, ownership, usage, and promotion of cultural heritage. \n\nArticle 22. Registration of cultural heritage \n22.4 The information of intangible cultural heritage and its bearers shall be registered in the cultural heritage registration and information database\n24.1 The information of the cultural heritage registration and information database can be used by citizens and legal entities, with the permission of an authorized entity. It is prohibited to infringe the legitimately given interest of owner and possessor while using the information. \n24.2 The information of cultural heritage registered in the cultural heritage registration and information database can be used to make comprehensive promotional products for the public. \n\nArticle 34. Rights and duties of bearers of intangible cultural heritage \n34.2. Bearers of intangible cultural heritage shall have the following duties:\n34.2.1 to teach students and transmit intangible cultural heritage to the next generations\n34 2.2. to disseminate and promote intangible cultural heritage; \n34.2.3 to provide assistance to record information and conduct registration of intangible cultural heritage.\n\nArticle 39. Transmission of intangible cultural heritage \n39.1. The state central administrative organization in charge of cultural affairs and Governors of all levels shall be responsible to preserve, protect transmit, promote, and research intangible cultural heritage, and its bearers in association with ethnological

Those familiar with Pakistan’s history can easily appreciate the range and variety of its hand-made textiles and the sight of a humble villager using them as everyday wear. The cloth weaving and dying tradition from the Indus Valley that originated roughly five thousand years ago has continued throughout the Middle Ages and has received a tremendous boost of encouragement with the onset of new technological developments and the introduction of new motifs while under Muslim rule.

Yoga is a traditional practice from India that focuses on bringing harmony between mind and body. It is also known as the art and science of healthy living. Yoga is a combination of postures (called asanas), breathing techniques (called pranayama), relaxation, and meditation.

“ICH and Gender” introduces the mutual relationship between gender norms and ICH and emphasizes that understanding the intimacy between ICH and gender is important for effective ICH safeguarding and gender equality.

The fundamental purpose of the 2003 Convention is to contribute to peacebuilding, mutual understanding, respect, dialogue among different people and communities and to empower and enrich the cultural diversity of humanity. The concept and nature of ICH are linked with the expression of valuable knowledge and skills transmitted among ethnic communities and groups, in a word, with the spiritual memory of the people and societies, which transcend geographical spaces and political borders. As ICH is often shared by communities on the territories of more than one state, the multinational inscriptions of such a shared heritage on the UNESCO List of ICH constitute an important mechanism for promoting international cooperation. \n\nThe Committee, therefore, decided (7.COM 14) to establish an online platform through which State Parties can announce their intentions to nominate elements and other State Parties may learn new opportunities for cooperation in establishing multinational nominations. Mongolia holds the multinational nomination with China on the ‘Urtiin duu, Mongolian traditional folk long song’ (2008) and with 18 States Parties on the ‘Falconry, a living human heritage’ which are inscribed on the Representative List of the ICH of Humanity

According to the Mongolian astrological calendar, as well as in other Asian countries, this year is the Year of the Tiger. As well as a year, the third of the twelve animals of lunar astrology is also marked with the day of the tiger (the day of the conquest of the tiger), the month of the tiger (the first month of spring), and the tiger hours of the day (3.40 a.m. to 5.40 a.m.). Mongols teach that, “If you do not get up with tiger i.e., during the tiger hours, then the day will be late. If you do not study in young age, then growing up will be late.” The tiger is also one of the eight cardinal directions on the map of Mongolia, representing northeast. This corresponds with the octagonal shape of a yurt, on which homeowners place the appropriate symbols depending on the direction of each face.

Abstract: This paper discusses lion dances as an example of shared heritage. In the local communities of Japan, there are several thousand lion dance troupes. These types of performances, where the dancers don animal costumes, can be found in various locations across Asia. While the dances are similar in shape, they vary in meaning, religious background, music, style, etc. Such differences are a manifestation of diversity. As such, when considering shared heritage, it is important to recognize the aspect of diversity.\n\nJapan has never made a multinational nomination to the UNESCO’s List of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH). The reason for this lies in Japan’s method of selecting candidate properties for nomination. That is, Japan abides by a unique policy of selecting candidate properties from among those designated as cultural properties by the national government. “Cultural properties” refer comprehensively to the system for safeguarding cultural heritage in Japan and can be designated not only by the national government but also by local administrative units such as prefectures and municipalities. However, only nationally designated cultural properties have so far been eligible for nomination as a UNESCO’s List of ICHs, and the national designation criteria include no requirement to consider international compatibility. The designation criteria of local governments include no such requirement, either.\n\nIn other words, as long as Japan’s criteria for selecting candidate properties for nomination to the UNESCO’s List of ICHs conform to the domestic criteria for selecting cultural properties, making a multinational nomination would continue to be extremely difficult. Under the present system, responding to proposals from other countries would also be difficult. Yet, I have hope. In 2021, the cultural properties system for ICH in Japan was slightly modified. In place of the conventional system of designation, a system of registration was adopted with respect to intangible cultural heritage to provide more flexibility in safeguarding a wider scope of properties than ever before. Such a new system might promote the awareness of the need to take a more international perspective. At the same time, views that Japan should strive to make multinational nominations are emerging within discussions about UNESCO’s List of ICHs. When considering such trends, the prospect of Japan making multinational nominations or responding to proposals from other countries may be realized in the future.\n\nThus, in this paper, I wish to discuss what types of multinational nominations would be possible, based on case examples of folk performing arts, my specialty area. It should firstly be noted, however, that there are two categories of performing arts in Japan, namely traditional performing arts and folk performing arts. Traditional performing arts are fundamentally performed in theaters by professional performers. There are also amateur performers of traditional performing arts, who generally study under a specific master. Folk performing arts, on the other hand, are fundamentally performed by amateur performers within a specific event held in a particular region. Most are linked to faith and have been inherited through festivals and annual events. In placing them under the domestic system for safeguarding cultural properties, traditional performing arts are judged by their artistic and historical value, and folk performing arts are evaluated mainly by their folkloric value (stipulated by law as performing arts that show transitions in lifestyles). A large number of folk performing arts exist in Japan. As of 2020, as many as 8443 properties, including festivals and annual events, have been nationally or locally designated for safeguarding as intangible folk cultural properties. When including properties that have not been designated, more than several tens of thousands of performing arts are thought to exist. These folk performing arts have emerged from diverse historical contexts and are further classified into a number of subcategories. Among these performing arts, I wish to focus on Lion Dances, or “Shishi-mai.” I must, however, confess that I am regrettably not well-versed in the intangible cultural heritage situation in East Asia as a whole. I, therefore, wish to apologize in advance that the case examples I present herein are not necessarily common to all countries in East Asia.

Lialiaci is a publication of the iTaukei Institute of Language and Culture, Ministry of iTaukei Affairs. Lialiaci means to ponder or reflect upon deeply.\n\nThat is the intent of these articles and perspectives on culture.

Khamir was established on 2005 out of a joint initiative of Kutch Nav Nirmaan Abhiyan (KNNA) and Nehru Foundation for Development (NFD) to empower Kutch’s creative industry after a devastating earthquake in 2001. Khamir was originally developed to support craft industries where livelihoods were particularly affected. They also wanted to ensure the sustainability of the necessary resources for growth of handicraft industries. Today, it serves as a platform for promotion of traditional handicrafts and allied cultural practices, the processes involved in their creation, and preservation of culture, community and local environments.

Abstract: East Asian countries such as Mongolia, the Republic of Korea, the People’s Republic of China, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, and Japan have had interactions and cultural exchanges for a long time ago. This paper is therefore about safeguarding the “Shared Heritage” in East Asia. Writing down the shared intangible cultural heritage in East Asia requires an understanding of the concept of sharedness from the perspective of commonality, similarity and recognition, and mutual acceptance. \n\nThis paper enumerates the Mongolian government’s initiatives and efforts to safeguard the shared intangible cultural heritage elements, such as “Falconry, a living human heritage,” and the challenges we face.

Modern state cultural institutions can lend support to safeguarding its national ICH by injecting financial, administrative, and logistical support. However, the fact remains that for ICH to express itself as a ‘living heritage’ it needs active involvement from the community or communities that bear it and practice it to provide a platform for its ongoing dynamic and special historically rooted organic qualities to transcend through generations within the broad context of the changing society in which it is located.