Malay martial arts of Silat.

Malay martial arts of Silat.

Silat is a combative art of self-defence and survival rooted in the Malay archipelago. It was traced from the early of Langkasuka Kingdom (2nd century CE) till the reign of Melaka (Malaysia) Sultanate era (13th century). Silat has now evolved to become part of social culture and tradition with the appearance of fine physical and spiritual training. There are many styles of Silat which inspired by the movements of human anatomy, nature and animal in which the name of the Silat would be known, for instance, Silat Harimau (Tiger) inspired by the movement of tiger been creative forms the art of self-defence and attack by initiating a tiger in positioning one's hands, legs and body texture movement. The imitation in an aesthetic rhythmic motion portrays the art of the particular Silat. There are varieties of Silat style. In Malaysia alone, there are more than 150 known Silat styles such as "Seni Silat Gayang Lima" "Seni Silat Pukul Buah" "Silat Gayong", "Silat Bunga", "Silat Melayu", "Silat Cekak", "Silat Pulut' and so on.

Nowadays, the practitioners of Silat consist of Master/Guru/Teacher, Jurukaka/assistant/senior student and students regardless of gender, race, age, and background of their formal education. They are Silat practitioners who responsible for maintaining the practice of Silat and the continuation of Silat. They are members of the local community, living in the same vicinity. Masters are responsible for educating every student. The difference between the Jurukaka and the student is that Jurukaka is a senior student who has mastered some knowledge of Silat from his Master. Jurukaka is among the chosen individuals from the students and often has the potential to be a representative of the Master in training other students.

Silat has been a symbol of pride and identity among Malay communities for centuries as a traditional martial art passed down from generation to generation. Inspired by Malaysia’s natural surroundings, silat has grown as a way to socialize as well as a way of life for its practitioners. \n\nIt also encourages practitioners to explore their inner world and contributes to building the Malay identity and enriching community life. In this video, three silat practitioners and researchers from Malaysia explain the history and philosophy of silat through cinematic reenactments and interviews.

Silat has been a symbol of pride and identity of the Malay community for centuries, being passed down through generations. From being a martial art primarily used for self-defence, silat has grown into becoming a life principle for its practitioners. Through cinematic reenactments and interviews, three silat practitioners and researchers in Malaysia explain the history and philosophy of silat through its three fundamental elements — foundation, pillar, and movements — designed to build character and instill values of civility.

Kun Lbokator is an ancient Khmer martial arts dating back to at least the Angkorian period, which aims to inculcate and develop mental and physical strength and discipline in its practitioners, by mastering self-defense techniques, while promoting the philosophy of non-violence. It is characterized and distinguished not only a martial arts form but also embodies a certain cultural aspect. For instance, the rituals and social practices observed in Kun Lbokator require that the practitioner possesses knowledge about nature and the universe. \nPractitioners are required to train and master striking and defense techniques relying on their bare arms and legs, and only once a student can demonstrate proficiency is weapons training introduced. Another essential aspect of Kun Lbokator is that it is to be practiced with an ensemble of elements including dance, music, natural medicine, sacred objects and/or amulets, tattoos, and weapons. Masters play a crucial role in the performing aspect of Kun Lbokator because they serve as mediators between the apprentices and the guardian spirits, and thus are responsible for introducing new apprentices to them and the surrounding nature, asking for the apprentices’ protection and safety in training. In return, practitioners are required to show respect to others and take a pledge to become good citizens. \nPresently, Kun Lbokator is still actively performed as part of ritual offerings to local protective deities, Neak Ta as well as in other festive events. Kun Lbokator is an intangible tradition widely practiced among Cambodians, regardless of their age, gender and educational backgrounds or statuses.\n

On 12 and 13 November 2020, ICHCAP and the ICH NGO Forum virtually held the 2020 ICH NGO Conference entitled “ICH and Resilience in Crisis.” The fifteen participants, including eleven selected presenters from ten countries around the world, discussed various cases and activities of each country applied under the Corona-era, and proposed solidarity for the resilience of ICH for a ‘New Normal.’\n\nSession 1: In the Vortex: COVID-19 Era, Roles of NGOs to Safeguard ICH\n\nSpecial Lecture 1: 'Resilience System Analysis' by Roberto Martinez Yllescas, Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in Mexico\n1. 'Uncovering the veil of immaterial cultural heritage towards and autonomous management of well-being as well as cultural and territorial preservation' by Carolina Bermúdez, Fundación Etnollano\n2. 'Holistic Development Model of Community-Based Intangible Cultural Heritage of Yuen Long District in Hong Kong of China' by Kai-kwong Choi, Life Encouraging Fund \n3. 'Indigenous Knowledge System as a vector in combating COVID-19' by Allington Ndlovu, Amagugu International Heritage Centre\n4. 'Enlivening Dyeing Tradition and ICH: The initiative of ARHI in North East of India' by Dibya Jyoti Borah, President, ARHI\n\nSession 2: Homo Ludens vs. Home Ludens: Changed Features COVID-19 Brought\n\n1. 'The Popular Reaction to COVID-19 from the Intangible Cultural Heritage among Member Cities of the ICCN' by Julio Nacher, ICCN Secretariat, Algemesi, Spain\n2. 'Innovation for Arts and Cultural Education Amid a Pandemic' by Jeff M. Poulin, Creative Generation\n3. 'Promoting Heritage Education through Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Kalasha Valleys of Pakistan' by Ghiasuddin Pir & Meeza Ubaid, THAAP\n4. 'Shifting to Online Activities: Digital Divide among the NGOs and ICH Communities in Korea' by Hanhee Hahm CICS\n\nSession 3: Consilience: Prototype vs. Archetype for Educational Source\n\nSpecial Lecture 2: 'Geographical imbalance: the challenge of getting a more balanced representation of accredited non-governmental organizations under the 2003 Convention' by Matti Hakamäki, Finnish Folk Music Institute\n1. 'Crafting a Post Covid-19 World: Building Greater Resilience in the Crafts Sector through Strengthening Ties with its Community’s Cultural System' by Joseph Lo, World Crafts Council International\n2. 'Arts and Influence: Untangling Corporate Engagement in the Cultural Sector' by Nicholas Pozek, Asian Legal Programs, Columbia University\n3. 'ICH in the South-Western Alps: Empowering Communities through Youth Education on Nature and Cultural Practices' by Alessio Re & Giulia Avanza, Santagata Foundation for the Economy of Culture\n\n

ICHCAP, with the support of the Cultural Heritage Administration of Korea and the cooperation of the State Ministry of Cultural Affairs of Sri Lanka, hosted the five-day Sri Lanka-ICHCAP Cooperative Workshop on Digitizing ICH-Related Audio-Visual Materials in various locations in Jeonju and Seoul. The workshop was organized to explore methods and technologies involved with digitizing analogue audiovisual resources related to intangible cultural heritage, with emphasis on Sri Lankan music so that it can be approached and enjoyed around the world.\n\nThis publication includes the nine paper presentations as well as transcripts of the speeches and information related to the field visits.

ICH Courier is the quarterly magazine on ICH in the Asia-Pacific region issued by ICHCAP since 2009. Every issue has its own theme under the title of the Windows to ICH, and the theme of the Vol 36 is 'Traditional Embroidery.'

Based on the ICHCAP Field Survey on Intangible Cultural Heritage Safeguarding Efforts in some Pacific countries (2009-2013), this summary provides a brief overview on the ICH situation in Fiji, Papua New Guinea, the Cook Islands, the Marshall Islands, Tonga, Palau, Vanuatu and Federated States of Micronesia. The summary focuses mainly on ICH safeguarding systems, safeguarding policies, and ICH inventories as well as on pending issues and the urgent safeguarding needs of these countries. Moreover, information on the main entities in charge of ICH safeguarding and opinions of each country on the issue of community involvement are provided. To give a quick overview these countries’ participation in ICH safeguarding at the international level, some additional information related to UNESCO is specified as well. Apart from the main topic, information on the situation of intellectual property related to ICH safeguarding in each country is included. This survey report offers a large sample of the diverse ICH situations in Pacific countries. Each country has a different background on the issue of intangible heritage. Although all countries participating in the survey are concerned with the threats facing their ICH, most of them haven’t defined ICH and haven’t established inventory national ICH list or inventory. However, each country expresses a high degree of motivation and encouragement for safeguarding ICH, sharing experiences, and participating in international cooperation efforts. Compared to some Asian countries, Pacific countries seem to be well aware of the emerging intellectual property issues related to ICH. This might be related to the internationally publicized infringement and violation of intellectual property rights by outsiders on the Pacific’s traditional knowledge, cultural expressions, and genetic resources . Moreover, these countries appear to collaborate closely with the World Intellectual Property Organization on various awareness-raising and capacity-building activities on protecting traditional culture in a broad sense. To date, out of the eight Pacific countries participating in the survey, five countries (Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Cook Islands, Palau, and Vanuatu) are drafting laws on the protection of traditional knowledge and expressions of culture. Furthermore, in terms of technical terminology, the Pacific countries tend to use “traditional knowledge” and “expressions of culture” as equivalent terms to “intangible cultural heritage”. Pacific countries are also conducting cultural mapping projects, which is another common point that they share. Finally, the Pacific region has the highest rate of indigenous populations of any other region of the world and the highest rate of customary or traditional land ownership.\n\n- Has not ratified the ICH Convention yet; conducted survey in 2011\n- As of May 2013, has no elements on the ICH Lists of UNESCO and no accredited NGOs

As part of the Cultural Partnership Initiative of 2019, ICHCAP invited ICH professionals from Vietnam, Timor-Leste, Kazakhstan, Nepal and Indonesia. This publication is a collection of the research reports of 2019 CPI participants. The participants selected their own topic and conducted researches based on their various activities during their five-month stay in Korea.