Knotting is, in essence, the act of tying a thread or a cord so that it does not come undone, while knot craft is the art of weaving together various shapes using threads or cords made through various methods in order to serve a certain physical or psychological purpose.\nThe origin of knotting can arguably be traced back to the advent of humanity itself. In primitive times, it was necessary to fashion cords and knots out of tree bark and grass for survival purposes in the context of the hunter-gatherer lifestyle; uses would have included tying or linking together hunting tools or carrying captured prey. With the advancement of humanity, however, knots surpassed their purely utilitarian purpose and evolved into craft items that are closely linked to everyday life, with the addition of various materials and crafting techniques. For example, each civilization has evolved its own knotting techniques and shapes influenced by its surrounding environment, to craft items such as belts or waist cords, baskets, and straw mats. Over time, knots have also become accessories worn for aesthetic purposes and ornamental items used to decorate the household, in addition to ritual items used in various ceremonies. In this regard, knots have surpassed their original survival and everyday life purposes to take on aesthetic and spiritual functions as well.

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.

Torn apart by decades of conflict, post-2003 Afghanistan was on the brink of an economic, social, and cultural collapse. Besides the much-mediatized shelling of the country’s material heritage, such as the Buddhas of Bamiyan, Afghanistan’s intangible heritage equally took an untold toll. In addition to various practices that had been directly targeted and proscribed (such as making the rubab, a short-necked lute), a general weakening of the national economy, disruption of raw material procurement networks, and an overall destruction of the social fabric put a majority of Afghanistan’s heritage at risk. Particularly threatened were its craftsmen, the stewards of woodcarving, goldsmithing, or miniature techniques, skills firmly rooted in more than 3,000 years of artistic traditions and defining features of many of the country’s communities.

This paper provides an overview of the Intangible Cultural Heritage program developed by the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It traces the early development of the program, and then provides an overview of two recent projects that explore, document, and encourage the continued safeguarding and sharing of ICH knowledge and skills: the Living Heritage Economy Case Study project, and the Oral History Roadshow. Background Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada. Situated in the country's Atlantic region, it incorporates the island of Newfoundland and mainland Labrador to the northwest. It has a combined area of 405,212 square kilometres, with a population of just over 514,000. Most of the population is concentrated on the eastern portion of the island of Newfoundland.

Today, it is generally acknowledged that indigenous culture and knowledge around the world is under threat by globalization, rights infringement and violation, and other effects of modernization, including the general lack of respect for traditional culture and the individuals or communities through which that culture is manifested.

School should be a happy place where students are willing to engage in activities, learn, share, and develop into citizens who make a useful contribution to society. Most people spend a significant proportion of their youth, and sometimes some of their adult years, in the education system. It is, therefore, not a surprise that quality education is one of the goals identified as part of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Interestingly, this objective—Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4)—focuses not only on quantitative indicators (e.g., ensuring that all girls and boys complete free, equitable, and quality primary and secondary education) but also on qualitative aspects of education. It is essential to give a central place to strengthening education’s contribution to the fulfillment of human rights, peace, and responsible citizenship; this can be achieved through, among other aspects, the acceptance and appreciation of the cultural diversity of the world.

ARHI is a collaboration of individuals belonging to the indigenous groups and activists working for the cultural and educational rights of indigenous people in Northeast India. Folk Culture Research Centre or FCRC–a unit of ARHI—works with a mission to protect the cultural and educational rights of the indigenous people and to preserve and promote the rich cultural heritage of the different ethnicities of Northeast India. Their range of current and future work plan include preservation through visual media, audio, video, documentary film on distinct indigenous cultures, publications of indigenous folk culture, organizing workshops and fellowship programs. FCRC works for safeguarding language, oral traditions, textile and traditional knowledge in medicine through documentation and skill transmission.

The Agency for Promotion of Indigenous Craft (APIC) was established in July 2011. APIC is responsible for the execution of the arts and crafts activities under the Accelerating Bhutanese Socio-Economic Development (ABSD) program funded by the Royal Government of Bhutan (RGoB) with support from other relevant agencies like UNDP and Government of India (GoI). The agency is responsible for enhancing the products range through research and propagating product and design ideas to artisans or Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), promoting design banks and raw material banks for quality production, facilitating cluster development for crafts sector, and marketing and management of craft outlets in Bhutan.

Uzbek craftsmanship is one of the most significant parts of the creative cultural industry, contributing to sustainable economic and social development of society. Uzbek craftsmanship has not only historical and functional significance but also great artistic value. It has been attracting the attention of travelers and scholars for centuries. During the years of independence, since 1991, the handicrafts industry has undergone significant transformation. Today, it ranks high among the export-oriented creative industries of the national economy. Handicraft is an essential domain of intangible cultural heritage of humanity and plays key role in promoting creative economic development.

Dongjo Yoo, a renowned installation artist, focuses primarily on environmental projects, specifically projects related to water. His most notable work is the Water Performance Installation Project, an eleven-year project starting from 2014, involving eleven lakes and rivers in ten countries. Under the motto of “there is no ‘water’ in the presence of water, and there is ‘water’ in the absence of water,” the project has been a large success. To highlight the importance of the environment, Mr. Yoo is looking forward to expanding his project to areas along the Silk Roads where water is a scarce and valuable resource.

The Loden Foundation is a pioneer organization in Bhutan bridging cultural heritage with socio-economic development. Loden literally means ‘the intelligent one’ and is an epithet of the Bodhisattvas, who work for the world using wisdom and compassion. Loden first started as a modest child sponsorship scheme in 1999 to help poor students go to school. Since then, it grew incrementally to become a leading NGO in Bhutan. Led by a group of people with shared visions, concerns and interests, Loden has three programs supported by a wide network of donors, volunteers, management team and partners.