Vayali was established in 2004 with the intention of preserving the folklore and folk art of the indigenous communities residing along the banks of river Nila. Originating in Annamalai Hills, river Nila or Bharatapuzha has a strong cultural influence on the south Malabar region. The river has witnessed many historical events and there are numerous rituals, folk tales and myths related to the river. Vayali team members wanted to learn the traditional knowledge system in and around the river Nila, and pass on the knowledge to the next generations.

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.

Dondang Sayang is a Malay traditional music and song that is well-known in the State of Malacca and still practised by four communities such as the Malay, Baba Nyonya, Chitty and Portuguese. The performances are accompanied by violin, rebana, gong and accordion and sing by two singers of the opposite sex, who sing in quatrains. It has received UNESCO’s recognition as a Representative List of The Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity on 29th November 2018.

Une musicienne entre chez nous et dépose sa grosse boîte sur la table du salon. Comme un écrin, celle-ci s’ouvre et laisse apparaître un accordéon. Un autre musicien barbu pose un étui et en sort une guitare, sous l’œil accoutumé de son chien. La salle s’enflamme à travers le rythme et les volutes de fumée de cigarette. Mes parents, tantôt danseurs ou musiciens, me somment d’aller me coucher, mais je fais semblant d’y aller et je reste caché en haut de l’escalier avec mon frère. Fasciné, je m’arrache au sommeil pour écouter jouer des membres de groupes culte tels que Le Rêve du diable ou La Bottine souriante.\n\nD’aussi loin que je me souvienne donc, j’ai été bercé par ce son si caractéristique de l’accordéon diatonique et de ses anches dites mouillées, c’est-à-dire des lamelles accordées suivant des fréquences suffisamment éloignées entre elles pour que cela produise une sonorité forte et large, avec un soupçon de dissonance parfaite pour accrocher les cœurs et surtout les chanteuses, les danseurs ou les gigueuses!

The Republic of Korea has undertaken systematic efforts to safeguard intangible cultural heritage since enactment of the Cultural Heritage Protection Act in 1962 and implementation of the 2003 UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2005. Korea has a long history of institutions for cultural heritage safeguarding. Korean ICH assets are basically protected under three government organizations known as Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA), Intangible Cultural Heritage Division of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and National Intangible Heritage Centre (NIHC) of Korea.A variety of national institutions have taken charge of transmission, promotion, education documenting and archiving ICH elements in consideration of their domains and characteristics. Those organizations are working collaboratively with each and many other ICH stake holders such as government and non-governmental organizations, education institutions, ICH holders and community people as well as foreign countries and international organizations in the safeguarding process of traditional music and dancing.

The harp is one of the earliest musical instruments of the world. World musicologists believe that the Harp was a musical instrument used by ancient man who hunted with bows and arrows. Harps now being used by people of the contemporary world fall into two types the bow shaped type and the trangle shape type. Of the two the bow shaped harps are said to be the earlier type.\nIn Myanmar, ancient chronicles say that harps were being played as early as in the Pyu Period. In February of 802 A.D. Sri Khettra despatched a Pyumusic and dance ensemble to Chan-ann the city of the Tang Dynasity of China. Tang Dynasty chronicles say that the Pyumusicians had with them two harps with pheasant’s head shapes, two harps with corcodile’s head shapes, one flat harp in the shape of a dragon’s head, one flat harp in the shape of rain clouds, two flat harps of big gourds, one flat gourd-harp with a single string and one small flat gourd-harp. \nAmong rock relief sculptures found on the walls of the Ananda pagoda built by king Kyansittha in A.D 1084- 1113 is a harp which indicates that the harp was in general use in those days. \nSome historical researchers say that Myanmar harp began with 7 strings and is used 13 strings until the down of Konbaung period. And then the harpist U Nyein added one more string in the late of Konbaung period and the harpist U Ba Than added two more strings in the year of 1960s. So Myanmar harp has played with16 strings from that time to now. \nMyanmar harp strings are strung and fastened to the arm of the harp by means of fastening cords or by means of pegs pushed through the arm it is called Let yone. In the old days, fastening cords were tied to the arm in a special kind of knot to prevent the cords slowly slipping down. The present way of making such a knot is of a reef-knot method. \nThe strings of the harp are raw silk twisted to different thicknesses. They are tuned not with pegs but by adjusting the tautness of the strings through loosening or tightening the tassels round the neck. \nThe part where the neck joins the sound box is shaped like a leaf of the saga: (champac) while the stern is shaped like bowl. The tip of the nek is shaped like the leaf of the banyan tree. The neck is made of sha: (acaciacatechu) wood. The sound box is covered with a membrane of deer skin. \nHoles are perforated along the ridge to hold the ends of the strings. The intervals between the holes need to be of correct proportion, otherwise, the harp tends to be out of tune and also lacks proper form. \nHence, the ridge is a critical component of the harp. Today Myanmar harp is being used not merely as musical instruments they are also being used as artifacts to decorate the top room of dwellings. This is being done by way of honouring a musical instrument that has played an important role in development of Myanmar Culture. More sophisticated musical gaegets may emerge time passes, but the harp will ever remain as a heritage of Myanmar musical traditions.

L’anthropologie s’est intéressée à l’alimentation sous diérentes perspectives. Parmi celles-ci figurent notamment les pratiques alimentaires et les manières de table, la diversité des traditions culinaires, la variété des produits consommés, les interdits alimentaires et les repas rituels. Y ƒgurent aussi la place de l’alimentation dans la construction des rapports sociaux, l’importance de la commensalité, la pratique de l’hospitalité, le don de nourriture et l’échange des préparations et des recettes culinaires. Y ƒgurent également l’alimentation comme un indicateur de différentiation sociale entre individus et groupes sociaux, un révélateur d’inégalité et de hiérarchie, en somme un instrument de pouvoir.

The 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity aims at safeguarding ICH for its own sake. However, it can also bring other benefits. This article describes how safeguarding and transmission of ICH—in this case traditional performing arts—revived the spirit and enthusiasm of the children of Aceh in the wake of the terrible tsunami that struck the Indonesian province in December 2004.\n

In Japan, etoki, or picture deciphering, is a centuries-old form of performing arts that involves telling stories about Buddhist principles and historic events while using emaki (illustrated scroll) or kakejiku (hanging picture) as a visual reference. Other related performances are called sekkyou, or sermons, and they are distinguished from etoki in that sekkyou includes narration without any visual references. The stories for both arts, which were originally performed by monks and nuns, may explain the history of a shrine or temple, a pilgrimage, a biography of Shakyamuni, Buddhist sutra, or any other related topics. The origins of this heritage element is unclear, but some evidence indicates that it arrived in Japan from Southeast Asia through China and Korea, and historical records do tell us that monks were performing etoki for aristocratic audiences in Japan by the tenth century.

Capoeira , a Brazilian martial art (MA) expression, was in 2014 inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) of Humanity for its fundamental values and characteristics, transmitted from one generation to another (Vianna, 2016; UNESCO, 2020). The is a circle formed by capoeiristas, musicians, and the audience, in the center of which capoeira matches take place.

Teyyam is a divine dance that is prevalent in the northern districts of Kerala, such as Kannur and Kasargod. The name teyyam is derived from daivam, a Sanskrit word meaning ‘god’ or ‘deity’. Performed in shrines, sacred groves, houses, and open places, teyyam represents mythological, divine, ancestral, animal, and heroic characters, each with its own distinct shape and form of origin. There are over 350 of these teyyams.

Wedding ceremonies play an important role in social life of the Uzbek people. Embodying various traditions, rituals, and celebrations, weddings are important lifetime events since they mark the birth of a new family. But a wedding is not only a union of two young people and launching of a new life but also a solemn rite of entry into important social norms and a continuation of the family legacy.