Materials
folk music instruments
ICH Materials 44
Publications(Article)
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Mongolian Culture and HeritageThe culture of the Central Asian steppes expresses itself vividly in the lifestyle of traditional nomadic practices. Mongolian culture has been in practice in the nomadic life and the traditions surrounding the nomad’s home (ger). And it is present in religious celebrations, national festivals, art and crafts, music and dance, language and literature, which form the backbone of Mongolian intangible cultural heritage of Mongolia. Mongolia is filled with valuable cultural properties and intangible cultural heritage of humanity that have been kept or practiced for thousands of years.\n\nGer, Mongolian Traditional Dwelling\nThe traditional architecture of the Mongols differed strongly from that of the settled peoples of Asia and other continents. Centuries ago, there the ger, also known as a yurt, appeared. It still offers shelter to nomads in particular places in Central Asia. Its development and fundamental principles are determined by the specific features of the way of life of Mongol tribes, which made it necessary to evolve a light and collapsible structure to be used as a dwelling or for public functions.\n\nMongolian Language and Literature\nMongolian is the language of most of the Mongolian population and inner Mongolia. By origin, Mongolian is one of the Altaic family of languages, and the history of the Mongolian language is long and complicated. Significant literary work of early Mongolia includes The Secret History of the Mongols, which was published in 1228).\n\nMongolian Religion and Beliefs\nThe Mongols have practiced several religions, of which Shamanism and Buddhism were the most common. The faith in Mongolia is Buddhism, though the state and religion were separated during the socialist period, but with the transition to the parliamentary republic in the 1990s, there has been a general revival of faiths across the country\n\nMongolian Art and Crafts\nMongolian arts and crafts have been passed down across generations from the Paleolithic times to today, leaving behind deep impressions on all facets of life and conscious, aesthetic, and philosophical thinking. Highly developed Mongolian arts and crafts come from the second millennium BCE. The works included sculptured heads of wild animals with exaggerated features. Other items include knives, daggers, and other items of practical and religious use.\n\nMongolian Music and Dance\nMusic is an integral part of Mongolian culture. Among Mongolia’s unique contributions to the world’s musical culture are the long songs, overtone singing, and morin khuur (the horse-headed fiddle). The music of Mongolia is also rich with varieties related to the various ethnic groups of the country. Among the most popular forms of modern music in Mongolia are Western pop and rock genres and the mass songs written by contemporary authors in the form of folk songs.\n\nHorse Culture of Mongolia\nIt is famously known that horses play a large role in the Mongols’ daily and national lives. Common sayings are, “A Mongol without a horse is like a bird without wings,” and “Mongols are born on horseback” these are arguably true words. Even today, horse-based culture is still practiced by nomadic Mongolians.\n\nVisit https://www.toursmongolia.com/tours for additional information about Mongolian culture.\n\nPhoto 1 : Prairie meadow grass inner Mongolia traditional clothing © Batzaya Choijiljav\nPhoto 2~7 : © Batzaya ChoijiljavYear2020NationMongolia
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Kobyz: Kazakh Traditional Musical InstrumentKobyz (kyl-kobyz) is a sacred instrument embodying the spiritual world of a nomad. It is perhaps the most magical traditional musical instrument of Kazakh people. From being a sacred solo-instrument that sounded at the hands of nomads to moving to orchestras in large concert halls, kobyz went through a long journey onto the big stage.\n\nKobyz is made of a whole piece of wood, which is one of the most ancient ways of making musical instruments. It is an ancient belief that the living soul of a tree that is projected into the instrument is preserved only in the whole piece of wood. Kobyz is not a factory instrument, so it is always made by craftsmen. Making a high-quality kobyz is an extremely laborious process that requires considerable knowledge and skills. Many musicians admit that Kobyz is very selective and does not match with everyone. According to the local ethno-designers, kobyz might stop producing a proper sound if a person with negative energy is around it.\n\nKobyz Heritage: Importance of Revitalization\nMany valuable and interesting thoughts are contained in the ancient sounds and memories that come to life through the traditional musical instruments. As such, it contains morals about mutual respect, loyalty, justice, love for the motherland, and caring attitude towards elders. Therefore, it is necessary to carefully study and use those knowledge, traditions and customs in our lives today. Korkyt-ata himself, who is creator of kobyz and a legendary historical figure in Turkic world, became a symbol of national revival, the personification of high ideals of spirituality, morality, and love for the motherland.\n\nIt is believed that kobyz has a beneficial and healing effect to its surroundings. Traditionally, kobyz melodies were believed to have an ability to banish evil spirits, sicknesses and death. Sometimes the sound of a kobyz resembles a person’s speech coming from the depths of the soul. It is capable of transmitting the sounds of the wind, the voices of birds and animals, as well as the modern acoustics of the cities. However, the main point is a person’s feelings and soul hidden behind the melody. Having heard a kobyz play once, it is hard to forget its sound.\n\nSafeguarding and Popularization of Kobyz in Modern Musical Culture\n\nAncient ‘kyl-kobyz’ underwent several improvements, and the ‘kobyz-prima’ was born in the bowels of the orchestra. Like many folk instruments, kobyz defended its right to be placed among the popular classic instruments in an orchestra and has demonstrated its ability to adapt to any musical situation. the 20th century became a turning point for many ethnic groups with a predominant vector towards the tendency to rethink folklore within the framework of new aesthetic views. There was a transition from old traditions of solo performance to polyphonic orchestral sounding, which allowed the entrance into the big stage and entailed the improvements of Kazakh folk musical instruments.\n\nRevitalization of kobyz in the 20th century was contradictory: the pursuit of original traditions in national music was accompanied by the intensification of research in the field of folklore ethnography. However, people do not think of adaptation of traditional kobyz to contemporary time as a negative influence, rather they look at it with gratitude that this is how kobyz did not completely extinct as many other instruments. In fact, contemporary kobyz was constantly brought closer to the violin, which made it possible to present the instrument to the whole world, gain international recognition and move on to a new era – the era of reviving the “original ” traditional kyl-kobyz in the 21st century.\n\nphoto 1 : © Jean-Plerre Dalbera\nphoto 2 : “Playing on Kobyz-prima at friend’s wedding celebration” © Zhansulu Issayeva\nphoto 3 : “Kobyz-prima” © Zhansulu IssayevaYear2021NationKazakhstan
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3.24. Promoting Ethnic Music for Social Inclusion in NepalThe Music Museum of Nepal was started in 1995. Nepali Folk Musical Instrument Museum (NFMIM) was registered as a charity with the Nepal Government in 1997. The Museum holds a collection of 650 distinct Nepali folk musical instruments. Over the years, they have broadened the scope to encompass the rediscovery, conservation and promotion of the entire spectrum of Nepal’s traditional musical heritage. Their primary aim is to keep up the authentic Nepali music alive among the people.Year2017NationNepal
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Music from Pakistan’s Far North: Performing ICH for Sustainable Development in Gilgit-Baltistan and ChitralMusic occupies a significant position as intangible cultural heritage. In fact, 56 out of 470 cultural practices and expressions on the UNESCO Lists from 2008 to 2017 can be categorized as music; it should be noted as well that many elements on the Lists are performed with musical accompaniment, such as folk dances and traditional games. Music has helped generations circulate traditional knowledge not only for continuity but also for social cohesion and intergenerational solidarity.\n\nThe power of music lies on its capacity to enthrall, connect people, and emphasize—from a sense of shared belonging and repetitive participation—a community or a group of people not to be mistaken as homogenous but rather compelled by various thoughts and inclined to music-related activities for different purposes. This is particularly true for the Leif Larsen Music Centre, one of the flagship programs of Ciqam, a project of the Aga Khan Cultural Services Pakistan. Ciqam (a Burushaski word meaning “prosperity”) was established in Hunza district to provide income-generating opportunities to empower people, more specifically women and the youth, in Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral, the northern region of Pakistan. Formerly known as Community Music Centre, Leif Larsen Music Centre is named after a Norwegian ambassador, Leif Holger Larsen, who was supposed to visit the facility in May 2015, but regrettably the plane he was boarded on crashed on the way. He was a key figure in the process of realizing the initiative.\n\nAt present, there are thirty-five musicians at the Centre; twelve are considered the core team or those whose knowledge on music from the region is sufficient to train others; all of them are young people. Two common attributes among the young musicians are (1) their interest in producing and disseminating local music culture and (2) their experience of economic marginalization. While the Centre provides free informal music education, and through that and other related activities safeguards intangible cultural heritage, it also supports the musicians’ annual tuition fees in their respective formal school, books, and uniform. The Centre’s humanitarian aim, particularly to find ways for people in this region to overcome poverty and gain livelihoods, is strongly commendable because at the same time central to it is valuation of heritage.\n\nUnlike in other postcolonial countries, music in Pakistan remains to be resistant to Western influences. People generally appreciate locally produced music, nostalgic songs that find their roots in the time and imagination before the rupture of the Indian subcontinent, i.e. separation of India and Pakistan. This strong enthusiasm for the local is reflected in the kind of music created and transmitted at the Leif Larsen Music Centre. Through the efforts of women working at Ciqam, they produce their own traditional musical instruments such as rubab, sitar, chaarda, zigini, tumbak, and daf. Furthermore, their musicians’ repertoire is based on local languages such as Burushaski, Wakhi, Shina, Khuwar, and Balti. This is meaningful in terms of symbolically enabling the people of Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral, considering that their safeguarding efforts are situated in a challenging time. Nevertheless, the musicians and cultural managers at the Centre and largely at Ciqam continuously work in pursuit of gender equality, affirmative action, and poverty alleviation. Their laudable grassroots effort is a strong testament to the possibility of intangible cultural heritage as a vehicle for sustainable development.\n\nTo connect with the Leif Larsen Music Centre, please contact Aqeela Bano, Manager of Ciqam, at +92 3445 001234 or +92 5813 457345 or via e-mail (aqeela.bano@ciqam.com.pk).\n\nPhoto : CONTRIBUTED BY B.B.P. HOSMILLOYear2018NationPakistan
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12. Mizhavu — The Sacred Percussion Instrument of KutiyattamMizhavu, the main percussion instrument of Kutiyattam has a history of more than 2000 years. Kutiyattam is a Sanskrit theatre embracing classical as well as folk traditions of Kerala. Kutiyattam was inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. This ancient artform is an exquisite combination of acting, percussion, and gestures. The performers are Chakyars and Nangyars and its percussionists are Nambiars. Kutiyattam is based on four acting principles: angika, vachika, sathvika and aharya. \n\nBharathamuni music instruments are classified into four categories:\n1) Avanaddhavadya\n2) Tatvadhya\n3) Ghanvadhya\n4) SushiravadhyaYear2021NationIndonesia