The Yakan is one of the major ethnolinguistic groups of the Philippines. Among the Yakan of Basilan in Mindanao, Philippines, instrumental music is given much importance. For instance, the kwintangan, an instrument of five to seven bossed gongs laid in a row, are used for courtship and celebrations.

ICH is an integral part of the indigenous population of Fiji known as the iTaukei. Borne of a rich oral tradition that spanned migration from Southeast Asia into the Pacific from 3,500 B.C., the iTaukei people of Fiji share many similarities with their island neighbors of Melanesia and Polynesia. ICH has manifested itself in many elements—from oral traditions, social practices, knowledge of nature, traditional craftsmanship, and performing arts. These elements exist in a rich interplay of reciprocal social systems in which the pinnacle is the chief, the physical embodiment of the ancestral spirits. Practice of the various elements legitimizes and enforces the status quo in traditional iTaukei life.

The mountain terraces in the cordilleras of northern Luzon, Philippines, were included in the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list in 1995. Propitiously, there was no mention of the word rice in the citation of the inclusion. It well may be because, when the Spanish explorers went up the cordilleras in the 16th-17th centuries, they made mention of the existence of terracing. However, no mention of rice was made.

Nepal, like most nations, has its own distinct cultural, ethnic, and bio-diverse makeup. The richness of Nepal’s centuries old art, crafts, and culture abounds the alleys and courtyards of Kathmandu. Arts and crafts have long been a part of Nepalese livelihoods and lifestyles. Today these arts and crafts have become precious commodities—souvenirs and antiquities for collectors. Still hundreds of thousands of people create masterpieces as part of their livelihood. Acknowledging the importance of arts and crafts in Nepal, many Fair Trade Organizations (FTOs) have been working to preserve and promote art, crafts, and culture as a means of sustainable livelihood for people practicing fair trade (FT).

"BeezBistar Foundation (BBF), a community action-based non-governmental organization, was formed in 2009 by development workers and researchers. “BeezBistar” means prosperity in life and peaceful and joyful relations between human beings and all other life-forms. BBF works with local communities, especially farmers, weavers, fishers, adivashi, dalit, and other marginalized and socially vulnerable people for a prosperous and healthy life. Its guiding ethical principles are non-discrimination on the grounds of caste, race, class, and gender. BBF believes in people’s capacity to transform their existing situation of poverty and become pros- perous through a mediated process of interdependent, collective, and community support and actions. The notion of BEEZ is grounded in the local and indigenous culture of the peoples of Bangladesh, as well as advanced by science and life-affirming knowledge and technologies."

Women in the Philippine fisheries are often labeled as “the Invisible Fisherfolk”. Their pre-harvesting contributions are multifaceted, involving bait gathering, net fixing, and meal preparation for their husband while post-harvesting activities include bringing the fish to the shore, sorting, and cleaning of the daily catch. Women are normally associated with household chores. They are rarely admitted as an essential factor in pursuing their livelihood in the coastal communities. In most cases, women’s participation in fishing communities is neither socially recognized nor economically compensated. The primary goal for the development of women in the fisheries is to empower them, make them productive and self-sufficient. In this way, they can have an equal status as partners in promoting the living conditions of their own families and communities.

Bangladesh, the world’s largest delta is crisscrossed by many great rivers and their innumerable tributaries. With a vast expanse of lush crop fields and hilly borderland thickly covered with virgin forests, it has always been known as a land full of nature’s bounties. Ancient chroniclers have described it as “a land of emerald and silver”, “a garden fit for kings”, or “a paradise among countries”. It is no wonder that this country has always attracted settlers, traders, and conquerors who turned the land into a crucible of diverse creeds and cultures. Despite this, little has been done for the safeguarding of the very rich and varied cultural heritages of our ancestors.

The traditional martial art concerned here is divided into two currents belonging to the same founding lineage: 心意拳 (lit. Intention Fist boxing) and xingyiquan形意拳(lit. Form and Intention Fist). It saw significant development in northern China, especially in Shanxi Province, during the middle of the 18th century, and in Hebei Province at the beginning of the 19th century. Today, both styles are practiced well beyond China and are presented in various traditional or sporting forms. The traditional practice is composed of ritual initiations, alchemical, curative, and psychophysics exercises closely linked to the ancient Chinese concepts of cosmological thought and folk religions. The combat techniques (bare hands and traditional weapons) embody popular warlike traditions hypothetically attributed to the handling of a military spear dating back to the 12th century in Henan Province.\nWhat is historically certain, however, is that this art was deeply influenced by the merchant culture of Shanxi Province from the 19th to the beginning of the 20th century (Liu and Qiao, 2014). Thanks to migratory movement along ancient Eurasian trade routes in late imperial China, it has progressively become an inherent part of the local knowledge of trade caravan organizations called 鏢局. The mutual influences between martial art and merchant culture have brought about the emergence of new social category, 鏢师. They shaped local knowledge that comes in a variety of forms and contextual applications: communicative competence and jargon for cooperation (Chircop-Reyes, forthcoming), trade and veterinary sciences, handcrafts, visual capacity, hearing ability, olfactory sensitivity, and defensive skills.

Food, together with its preparation, cooking, sharing, and consumption, is now considered a form of cultural heritage (Brulotte, 2016). Traditional cuisine is passed down from generation to generation and is often an expression of cultural identity of communities. For example, sometimes the only thing migrants carry with them is the food of their countries, and cooking traditional food is a way to preserve their culture outside their place of birth. It is not surprising that today, food is receiving special attention from governmental organizations with the aim of preserving historical roots and cultural identication, providing food as close as possible to the farms of production and addressing health problems such as reducing obesity and\nunbalanced nutrition.

Traditional food systems of native peoples around the world are critical to cultural identity and customs as well as to the continuation of biological genetic diversity. However, such traditional cuisines are becoming increasingly vulnerable due to the advent of global food systems, agroindustry, and changing lifestyles as well as to shifting preferences and ignorance of original ingredients. Furthermore, territorial transformations and distancing from ancestral lands have led to the loss of knowledge regarding the benefits of diverse ecosystems and their natural resources.

I started the Manipuri Theatre group when I was 20 years old. Our first production was held in Ghoramara, and the experience and feelings of it were inexplicable. The word ‘theatre’ was alien to us until then. We realized that the villagers were not accustomed to such an indigenous production. It was not like traditional folk theatre on religious tales—the subject delved into vagaries of everyday life and struggle. However, the idea was incepted in a casual way. At that age, our usual recreation was sports or picnic. Drama production had never been an option. The idea came from watching traditional Manipuri religious drama Ras Leela.

When thinking of practices and expressions of intangible cultural heritage (ICH), traditional crafts making is perhaps the most tangible manifestation. However, when recognizing the potential of crafts making in empowering the individual, it is worth first looking beyond the physical craft objects to the processes behind them. Actually, to their very genesis. The act of making is ingrained in the beginnings of our human experience. It is essential to our nature and offers a deeper meaning and understanding of our humanity and identity. Furniture maker Peter Korn describes how craft making can be a holistic experience with the things around us, can invite a sense of meditation and self-transformation.1) As a maker, the individual is in control, the knowledge and skills are within you, and you can independently take ownership over your own development and production. Crafts making can as such be a liberating sensation and at the same time a meaningful bond or lineage to your geographical place, identity, culture and heritage. At its very roots, crafts making offers dignified, meaningful opportunities, the chance to do a job well done and make a product of quality in a world of disposable, low quality objects.