If development is an aspiration, then culture is the historical sediment underlying this aspiration. Culture conveys humanity’s intersecting bonds and the kinds of rituals, practices, and representations that make up its ways of life. Development—conceived narrowly as income growth or broadly as ways in which people participate to achieve well-being—is heavily influenced by this sense of bonding and group-ness. Culture is literally the way humanity recognizes itself and reveals its aspirations.

Building a canoe for the palolo rise, an event that occurs twice in a year, is rarely described and documented in moving and still images. With accompanying text capturing knowledge shared by a Master Craftsman, Lesā Motusaga of Sa‘anapu village in Samoa, this paper provides insights into the Intangible Cultural Heritage associated with the building of a paopao, dugout canoe, for a rich fishing tradition. \nPalolo, a delicacy that rises pre-dawn from coral beds seven days after the full moon in October and November, is known as the caviar of the Pacific, an apt description given the high price people are willing to \npay for this rare seafood. Briefly, it is a seafood with significant socio-cultural value now enjoying high, if not inflated, economic value. \n\nThe natural environment is not a typical classroom but is, insofar as Intangible Cultural Heritage is concerned, an important setting where knowledge is transmitted, particularly knowledge of the environment and tapu or sa, the sacred laws or forbidden acts designed for its protection and conservation.

To fully appreciate the theme of the Fifth Melanesian Festival of Arts and Culture—Celebrating Cultural Diversity—it is imperative that we question the meaning of cultural diversity.

Ceremonial cloths known as Tais have been woven in Timor-Leste for generations. From the time of the Timorese ancestors, women have learned how to make Tais for use in traditional ceremonies, such as weddings. It is seen as important for women to transmit this knowledge for the future generations, and thus the technique has been passed down from mother to daughter for centuries. The weaving tradition is considered a key social function as it strengthens familial bonds. For Timorese, Tais is strongly connected with local tradition and its weaving is seen as not only a local practice but part of the national identity. The designs and techniques record a woven narration of the culture, lore, paradigms, and stories of Timor-Leste’s history.

On 16th June 2016 Thailand ratified the UNESCO 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage. Since then, and in order to meet the requirements of the Convention, Thailand has made considerable efforts to work more closely with stakeholders, government agencies and local communities. Regulatory bodies, as well as the Promotion and Preservation of Intangible Cultural Heritage Act B.E. 2559 (2016) have been established in order to regulate, advise, consider and grant approvals for policies and plans, and to issue the rules in connection with the Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) activities.

The punnuk is a tugging ritual of the village folk from three communities in Hungduan, Ifugao in Northern Luzon, Philippines. It is performed at the confluence of Hapao River and a tributary as the final ritual after the rice harvest. Its consummation brings to a close an agricultural cycle and signals the beginning of a new one. \n\nThe punnuk is a ritual of pomp and revelry. Garbed in their predominantly red-col-ored attire of the Tuwali ethno-linguistic subgroup, the participants negotiate the terraced fields in a single file amidst lush greens under the blue skies. The tempo builds up as the participants reach the riverbank, each group positioned opposite the other. The excitement is sustained through the final tugging match, and the sinewy brawn of the participants is highlighted by the river’s rushing water.

The Silk Roads is a path and a route, not a fixed concept but a dynamic and expanding polysemic concept. The definition of the Silk Roads varies depending on academic perspectives. Toward the end of the twentieth century, the Silk Roads have become symbols of peace and understanding. It is at risk of abuse, commercialization, and political misapplication. Countries along the Silk Roads are experiencing a great deal of change, especially under the influence of globalization and commercialization. They are, therefore, highly vulnerable to change. It is necessary to consider the definition and target countries/areas, membership, access online and offline, gaps in ICT content production, and updating and maintaining information. Recommendations on improving a possible network include strengthening the information sharing capacity, improving the quality of information, and promoting and making successful public and private partnership programs. Two questions we have to ask are “What is the position of intellectual/academic cooperation for ICH safeguarding along the Silk Roads?” and “Can we support another new scientific approach?”

Rupayan Sansthan was founded in 1960 by the renowned folklorist and ethnomusicologist writer and Padma Bhushan recipient Komal Kothari and his very close friend, Padmashree recipient Vijaydan Detha, an eminent Rajasthani writer. Their research encompassed folk songs, folk tales, folk beliefs, proverbs, folk ballads, folk epics, folk gods and goddesses, social practices, rituals, fairs and festivals, rural food, nomads and pastoral ways of life. Rupayan’s archive houses have one of the richest collections of folkloristic materials.

Based on the accumulated experience over the course of fifteen years since the adoption of the 2003 Convention, Southeast Asia is well known for its diverse and abundant intangible heritage. Many states in this region have already initiated ICH safeguarding plans with active participation of communities.\nHowever, a number of Member States are still having difficulties employing community‐based safeguarding plan and programs. In implementing the 2003 Convention, much attention should be paid to build capacity to support and safeguard a wider range of ICH Stakeholders, including communities, group, and individuals.\nTherefore, this session will provide an opportunity to share experiences and discuss on the roles the community should exercise in safeguarding ICH. In this session, we will discuss the following questions: (1) Do ICH communities, groups, individuals, and practitioners fully recognise the spirit and significance of the 2003 Convention? (2) Are they subsequently assigned to embody appropriate roles?

Intangible cultural heritage is a culmination of insight and wisdom for life. Intangible cultural heritage that has been passed down over the years affect our value systems in the present. It is also likely that this will continue in the future given a similar environment. Thus the transmission of intangible cultural heritage as the spiritual source behind tangible heritage is important. Intangible cultural heritage allows us to understand the past, find wisdom for the present, and predict the future. We can learn about the values, social consciousness and worldview that people held in the past through intangible cultural heritage. This then becomes a tool to understand the people of the present and predict the future based on the past. Thus, as the history of humanity progresses, the greater the need becomes to analyze the cultural elements accumulated in tradition. As people in modern society face the pressures of urbanization, industrialization and intense competition, intangible cultural heritage provides the spiritual comfort of a homecoming by reviving the nation’s cultural memory.

Co-orgarnized by ICHCAP and Hue Monuments Conservation Centre (HMCC), this year’s Asia-Pacific ICH NGO Conference was held in Hue, Vietnam under the theme of ICH NGOs towards Sustainable Development of Communities.