Two remaining of te Kua (whales) at the Kiribati Museum, Tarawa

A closer look at the remains of the whale as displayed in the Museum.

hell Money presentation with whale vertebrae

Cau ngu festival is a typical cultural product of the coastal communities in the Central and Southern regions including Ngu Loc Commune. The organization of this festival has a great significance in terms of spiritual aspect, expressing the uniqueness of Ngu Loc fishermen’s cultural and religious life. Thao Phuong Le stressed that the recognition of cau ngu festival in Ngu Loc as the national intangible cultural heritage will effectively contribute to the conservation and promotion of traditional cultural values in the contemporary life.

ICH Webinar Series on Maritime ICH: Maritime Living Heritage-Building Sustainable Livelihood and Ecosystems in the Asia-Pacific Region\n\nSession1: Traditional Maritime Skills and Knowledge for Inclusive Social and Economic Development\n\n1. 'Maritime Living Heritage and the Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development' by Athena Trakadas, National Museum of Denmark / Ocean Decade Heritage Network\n2. 'The ties and tides of knowledge: Living as a community, living as the sea people' by Narumon Arunotai, Social Research Institute, Chulalongkorn University, Thailand\n3. 'Strengthening Women Fisherfolk Empowerment toward Social Inclusion in Coastal Environment of Malolos, Bulacan, Philippines' by Elmira Thrina C. Pelayo, Bulacan State University, Philippine\n4. 'Traditional Maritime Skills and Knowledge of Social and Economic Development in Inle Lake' by Thu Thu Aung, Department of Archaeology and National Museum, Myanmar\n5. 'Preserving Maritime Cultural Values and Promoting Community Cohesion: From the Viewpoint of Cau Ngu (Whale Worship) Festival in Thanh Hoa Province' by Thao Phuong Le, Vietnam Museum of Ethnology, Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences, Vietnam\n6. 'Fisherwomen across Bay of Bengal region and the extension of their profession in ICH- Understanding the contributions of a vital part of the community and their symbolisms of sustainability, survival, and continuity' by Lopamudra Maitra Bajpai, Symbiosis International University, India\n\nSession2: Traditional Maritime Skills and Knowledge for Environmental Sustainablity and Resilience\n\n1. 'Evidence from the Social Economic Impact Acessment of COVID-19 in the Pacific: The Contribution of ICH in human-centered development' by Ellen Lekka, Cultural Officer, UNESCO Apia Office\n2. 'The Coastal Cultural Landscape of Yap and Marine Ecological Conservation' by William Jeffery, University of Guam, Guam\n3. 'Korean National Important Fisheries Heritage System for Strengthening Sustainability:' by Hyunjong Jong, Ministry of Ocean and Fisheries, Republic of Korea\n4. 'Voicing Culture after Nature : Traditional Knowledge and Marine Resource Management in the Sulawesi Islands' by Dedi Supriadi Adhuri, Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), Indonesia\n5. 'O le Va‘a Tā Palolo – The Palolo Fishing Canoe' by Galumalemana Steve Percival, Tiapapata Art Centre inc., Samoa\n6. 'Maritime Cultural Heritage of Matsushima Bay Japan:' by Alyne Delaney, Center for Northeast Asian Studies, Tohoku University, Japan\n\n\n\n

This is about the formal presentation of the tabua, whale’s tooth, to Queen Elizabeth II. This track opens with tama, a traditional acclamation reserved only for high chiefs or royalty. Men and women have different acclamations. The presenter welcomes Queen Elizabeth in a qaloqalovi ceremony. Being royalty, the Queen sits above everyone else while talking during the traditional presentation, as is customary.

This is from a welcome ceremony carried out for visitors to Waya, an island located to the west of Fiji. The entire presentation—receipt of the whale’s tooth—is made in Waya dialect.

Veiqaravi vakavanua literally means “service in the manner of the land.” This is the heart of traditional Fijian diplomacy and traditional orature, in which carefully chosen words, expressions, intonation, and even pauses all work in tandem to create the sacred atmosphere befitting some traditional occasion. It is on these occasions when the traditional orature and Fijian oral culture are highly esteemed, when good orators utter rich metaphoric expressions and sentences to welcome a high chief or esteemed guest with either yaqona roots or a whale’s tooth. This is followed by the mixture of yaqona libation in a tanoa (wooden bowl carved from the trunk of vesi, intsia bijuga). This vessel is placed in front of the honored guest at a respectful distance. Men in traditional dress are arranged around and behind the tanoa and chanting \nis carried out as the libation is mixed. Thereafter, the yaqona mix is served to the honored guest while chanting continues.

When we were young, we were told a lot of stories. Everyone hated the big, vicious, evil, and cunning animals. However, seen through grown-up eyes, there are no bad animals in the world. Animals personified in stories convey a message to the human world-that of peace and harmony. At a time when a message of peace is desperately needed, let’s enjoy some stories featuring various animals, from tigers to birds, rabbits, monkeys, and more.

As part of the Cultural Partnership Initiative of 2016, ICHCAP invited ICH professionals from Malaysia, Mongolia, Sri Lanka and Tonga. Each participant researched ICH topics of interest that relate to comparative studies, sustainable development, traditional medicine, and safeguarding organizations. These reports were compiled into a bound publication and is now made available as an online download.

2020 World Forum for Intangible Cultural Heritage

This report includes presentation papers and a discussion summary of the three sessions that took place during the conference. The first chapter, “What Is the Significance of the 2003 Convention,” includes papers on the historical meaning and current situation of the Convention. The second chapter, “How to Safeguard the Value of ICH,” reviews measures on how ICH can promote cultural diversity, sustainable development of humanity, and social development in developing countries. The last chapter, “How to Promote Better ICH for Sustainable Development,” includes country reports that outline the efforts each participating country has taken to promote and use ICH.