Alla (lullaby) is an oral form of ICH sung by one person, usually a mother who is putting her baby to sleep. Alla is important in raising a child. That alla is a unique part of Turkic culture has been stated in many sources. Alla is highly emotive in that it allows a child to perceive not only motherly affection but also her spiritual sufferings.

The hands that hold the scissors and neddle\nThe hands that hold the silk to the tailor\nThe hands that provide the rich taste of ginger sauce\nOur love is as rich and deep as the ginger taste, so please don't leave me\n\nLullabies (Ru) within the family environment has a hypnotising function, where it's used to ease the child into sleeping. Southern Vietnam (Nam bộ) lullabies was formed and sustained through the many layers of Nam bộ culture. The environmental ecosystem and culture have given it a distinctive form that is expressed through lyrics, melodies, and rhytms.

The Alha is an oral epic from the Bundelkhand area in the state of Uttar Pradesh. However, it is popular and performed across much of Northwest India. It is a martial epic, and tells a single story. It’s the story of brothers Alha and Udal, who belong to the Banaphar family, loyal to the ruler Parmal of the Chandel dynasty. The story is told and sung over fifty-two episodes, each called a larai, which means “battle.” Some episodes are about births and weddings, but most culminate in a larai. The underlying theme is that of the Chandels fighting Prithviraj Chauhan, a legendary king of the Chauhan dynasty. Prithviraj Chauhan is a major figure in Indian folklore and there are many medieval epic poems dedicated to him. Most of the Alha larais are about the Chandels defending the kingdom of Mahoba from Prithviraj Chauhan. The Chandels are eventually defeated by Prithviraj Chauhan. However, Prithviraj Chauhan is weakened by the battles, thereby demonstrating how powerful the Chandels are. The Alha is thus not an epic of victorious heroes like many martial epics. The heroes are praisied for their loyalty and valor. The Alha is also an example of a local oral epic that is linked to the great Indian epics. Alha is often referred to as the Mahabharata of the Kaliyug, comparing the Banaphar brothers to the Pandavas. The Alha epic was translated and published as the The lay of Alha: A Saga of Rajput Chivalry as Sung by Minstrels of Northern India. It was partly translated into English ballad meter by William Waterfield in 1923. The singing of the Alha epic is based on the Alha-Khand, a body of episodes that is passed down from generation to generation. Though there are published pamphlets available in current times, most people learn from their gurus in the traditional system of oral transmission. Alha epic poets and singers belong to akharas, and singers perform only the compositions of the poets of their own akharas. The Alha epic is normally sung by a group, with one singer following another. Traditionally, Alha is performed in villages during the monsoon, when there is no work in the fields. Though there are fifty-one episodes, only one larai is performed at a time, which may last one hour or the whole night. It is performed by men for all-male audiences. In recent times, competitions or pratiyogitas have been organized by State departments and other cultural bodies. As these cannot give the same space to each group, the performances are necessarily truncated. This has also led to the use of costumes and props, and sometimes acting out of episodes. This track from the epic of Alha, is an excerpt from the beginning of an episode titled “Kiratsagar Ki Larai.” In this episode, women are carrying wheat shoots in baskets on their heads to the Kiratsagar lake in Mahoba on the full moon of the Indian month of Sawan, when Prithviraj Chauhan attacks Mahoba. The Kiratsagar ki larai is part of the collection of the Alha recorded and collected by Karine Schomer, who is known for her considerable research on the Alha.

Marriage to the Nùng ethnic minority is not merely that of a couple but has a greater meaning that is the ritual of community cohesion, keeping the ethnic group’s cultural identity. A wedding ceremony takes place in accordance with certain traditions and customs, such as bride and groom welcoming, ancestor worshiping, groom receiving; asking for a bride welcoming, etc. In the celebration to ask for the bride, the heads of the groom’s family will play music or sing to ask for the bride, and the bride’s family also plays music or sings in response. The instrumental music in Nùng weddings is mainly performed by men. Musical instruments may include the nhị (two-string fiddle), wind instruments, and cymbals.

This is the history of how Yapese learned several tying patterns and techniques and about where they came from. It was read by Alukan, Bapilung, and Gaangin from the Old Age Program in Yap back in the late 1970s. The tying techniques, along with other traditional knowledge and skills, were handed down from up above, or, some may say, from heavens. The canoe was a gift from above as a means to pass knowledge and skills from heavens to humans in Yap. It is said that the canoe was lowered down on Gacham, a savannah in Tamil municipality. Native Yapese called it “canoe of knowledge” (ba m’uw i llowaen). Even today, you can still see the figure of the canoe and its outrigger that have turned into red dirt. In Yapese traditional culture, knowledge and skills are considered resources of a village. The chief of the village has the authority over the person or the village possessing the knowledge and skills. Therefore, people have to get approval from the chief of the village to learn or access such knowledge and skills. Yapese have used several old tying techniques up until today that are considered to have come from a spider. Legend has it that a nameless man from Nimar village in Weloy municipality observed and mastered all kinds of tying patterns and techniques from the spider on a canoe. These tying patterns and techniques are said to have been applied by the man to build a huge community meeting house named Wedbon in the northern part of Rull municipality. The people from Rull municipality asked this tying master from Nimar village if he could share his knowledge to help build the community meeting house, but he did not consult his chief in advance. The chief was furious that the tying master had never asked for his approval, and scolded him for not taking the proper steps. From then on, all other requests by other communities were channeled through the chief for his approval. Makiy village in Gagil municipality and Malon village in Maap’ municipality gained the approval from the chief to get the knowledge. The techniques and pattern later spread to the southern part of the island, namely Lamear and Ngariy villages in Rull municipality. Soon after, they were passed on from Ngariy to Kanif village in Dalipe Binaew municipality.

This is a song by the people living on the banks of the Kali Gandaki River, in the Dhaulagiri zone. It is sung at a festival that lasts for up to seven days. People arriving from different villages introduce themselves and get to know one another by asking questions in song. Gradually, they become closer and may even fall in love.\nInstruments: maadal, saarangi, baansuri, jhamtaar

This is an oral history about the migration of ancestral heroes Roko Ratu and Roko Dreu from Burebasaga in eastern mainland Viti Levu to Ono, Kadavu, an island located to the south of Fiji. Oral histories not only recount events but also validate old kinship between tribes who may have been geographically separated over generations yet still acknowledge their connection and relationship.

The refrain, Va va, means “Come, come.” This lullaby welcomes the baby by describing the joyous scene of forty people singing and dancing and referring to a baby coming in a golden chariot pulled by twelve horses. This may be a reference to the birth of a deity.

The song was composed by a group called Kabu ni Delai Drekei River from Nabavatu village, Dreketi district in Macuata province. The music was recorded by the South Pacific Commission (SPC) in collaboration with the Fiji Museum on May 16, 1974.

Sandhya Vela means “evening time” and refers to one of the most important temple ritual tayampaka performances, and the most commonly performed. It follows the sunset ritual of Deeparadhane. Only after the drumming may the idol of the deity be brought out of the Sanctum Santorum of the temple.

The Rai or Kirat people of Eastern Nepal perform Sakela during Udhauli Parba and Ubhauli Parba, which fall in December or January and April or May respectively. The Rai people express their daily happenings and well wishes via Sakela songs and melodies. This song is performed in medium beat rhythm by dancers wearing traditional attires.

Paglami-lamihan Soundscapes 2: Music by National Living Treasure Uwang Ahadas and the Ahadas Family Ensemble  May be played by one to three musicians. Recording Credits Producer NCCA-Intangible Cultural Heritage Unit Audio Engineer Froilan Malimban Studio Fastgen Media Productions Year Recorded 2011