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ICH Materials 16
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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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History of Sawahlunto Mining Town: World Heritage SiteHistory of Sawahlunto Mining Town\nBased on the Van Lien report released in 1917, in the interior of West Sumatra along the Ombilin River at Sawahlunto, the Sijantang and Pamuatan people had collected coal that appeared on the surface on the river banks to use for cooking and had even sold the mineral to coastal areas along the course of the river, long before the Dutch came and conducted research on energy sources for the industrial revolution.\n\nThis activity of the people surely became a reference and the first information for the Dutch geologists to come and conduct research on the coal reserves of Ranah Minang (West Sumatra). C. De Groot Van Embden conducted preliminary research beginning in 1858 and continuing for nine years, carried on by the geologist W.H. De Greve, who finally discovered coal in the Ombilling basin in 1868 and reported the results of his research to the Dutch Government in 1870. Subsequent research by R.D.M. Verbeek succeeded in detailing the results of the discovery by revealing the quality of the coal, which was as high as 7,000 calories with an estimated reserve of 200 million tons, distributed around the areas of Parambahan, Sigalut, Lurah Gadang, Sungai Durian, and Lembah Segar.\n\nDevelopment of an Integrated Megaproject\nThe potency of energy sources for the industrial revolution found in Sawahlunto were hotly discussed in the Dutch parliament. The officials thought hard how the black coal reserves could be extracted and used for expansion of the area controlled by the Dutch colonialists in Southeast Asia. After debate and more research over the next twenty years, the Dutch government finally designed an integrated project called “Three in One”. The project focused on (1) developing mining infrastructure and then of a mining town at Sawahlunto; (2) developing a rail network, beginning from Pulau Aer Station in Padang, and then in stages up to Sawahlunto; (3) developing Emmahaven Port, which included coal bunker facilities, from where the coal would be shipped to Europe.\n\nWe can still see this “Three in One” project, first in the form of the coal mining site and the mining town of Sawahlunto, including the open mining area and the deep mining network and facilities for processing the coal, with supporting facilities of the town built at Sawahlunto. Second, the railway infrastructure and technical facilities including a rack and pinion railway system in the highlands with bridges and tunnels connecting the mining area with the port over 155 kilometers through the mountains. Third, the coal bunker facilities at Emmahaven Port located on the western coast of Sumatra. This was for storing the coal before it was shipped out by sea.\n\nSawahlunto Mining Town at This Moment\nFor over a century, the product of mining in Sawahlunto contributed to moving the wheels of development of infrastructure in various areas of Indonesia, especially in West Sumatra. Besides this, the technical achievement in deep mining and integrated infrastructure development provided a model for development of mining activities in various regions of the world. Although the mining activities no longer go on, yet the results of the development that took place in the form of heritage buildings and experience (in the form of cultural traditions) gained can still be felt by the people even now. Sawahlunto is proof of the effect of the industrial revolution that had taken place. The mining has ceased. Yet the footprints of the mining town are safeguarded as an attraction of West Sumatra.\n\nPhoto 1 : Office of the old coal mine at Sawahlunto, now part of the World Heritage Site © Deri Asta\nPhoto 2 : Coal processing facilities from the old mine at Sawalunto, now an industrial cultural heritage site © Deri Asta\nPhoto 3 : Old Photo of Batang Ombilin Ranuh River at Sawahlunto © Deri AstaYear2021NationIndonesia
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How Asia Celebrates Buddha’s BirthdayFor Buddhists all over the world, Vesak (Vaisakha, Buddha’s Birthday or Buddha Day) is the holiest day of year. It commemorates the birth, enlightenment, and death of Siddhartha Gautama, or the Buddha. It is celebrated on different days in many countries, mostly on the first full moon day of May or 8 April of the lunar calendar.\n\nWhile cultural influences have characterized various differences with regards to the treatment of celebrations, a common thread binds them together, making this unbroken 2500-year-old tradition one of the world’s oldest birthdays.\n\nOfferings of prayers, joss sticks, and incense, as well as giving food to the needy and making donations reflect the more traditional aspects of the occasion, whereas the popular festivities that accompany them, such as parades and processions of vibrantly decorated floats add a contemporary flavor to one of the world’s longest standing birthday celebrations.\n\nPlace of Birth, Where Buddhist Pilgrims Gather (Nepal)\nNepal is the birthplace of the historical Buddha in the fifth or sixth Century BCE. Jammed packed with festivities, Buddha Jayanti (Buddha’s Birthday) observances in Nepal, commemorate not only his birth but also his enlightenment and demise and runs for a single day. At the Maya Devi temple in Lumbini, where Queen Maya Devi, the mother of the Buddha, gave birth, large numbers of national and international monks, including pilgrims from different cultures and religions, make the journey to offer prayers and to soak up the carnivalesque atmosphere resulting from the temple’s World Heritage status.\n\nIn Kathmandu, thousands flock to ancient Buddhist sites such as Swayambhunath temple, the oldest temple in Nepal, and the Boudhanath, the biggest stupa in Nepal, to join the colorful processions of musicians and dancers while prayers and offerings are made by Tibetan monks in much the same way as when it was part of a trade route between Lhasa and Kathmandu. Full moons are always auspicious occasions, but lighting butter lamps, spinning prayer wheels, and chanting mantras on this particular one is considered extra special.\n\nKasone Festival, Watering of the Bodhi Tree (Myanmar)\nIn Myanmar, Buddha’s birthday celebration is known as the full moon Kasone Festival. In the festival, water is a dominant feature, with devotees pouring water on Bodhi trees, the same species under which the Buddha gained enlightenment in Bodh Gaya, India, more than 2,500 years ago.\n\nPouring water on statues is a regular ritual in Myanmar, particularly on full moon days, and symbolizes purification, goodwill, and good luck. Kasone is an exceptional full moon, with religious verses recited at temples or pagodas throughout the country. Particular reverence is observed at the Golden Pagoda (Shwedagon Zedi Daw, the most sacred Buddhist pagoda in Myanmar) in Yangon, where devotees dressed in white chant mantras and circumambulate the pagoda clockwise while pouring water on the statue according to one’s day of birth.\n\nIn keeping with the water theme, fish are also released into cooler waters of lakes and rivers during the dry season, with the nearby Kandawgyi Lake and Inya Lake in Yangon being the most popular spots to observe this ritual.\n\nYeon Deung Hoe, Lantern Festival (Republic of Korea)\nIn the Republic of Korea, the most popularly celebrated event honoring Buddha’s Birthday, is the Yeon Deung Hoe (Flower Lantern Festival). Generally held on a Saturday night a week before the nationwide public holiday, the main artery of downtown Seoul is illuminated by vividly decorated lanterns in all shapes and sizes in a parade, drawing a crowd of enthralled onlookers.\n\nThis annual tradition is listed on their national intangible cultural heritage inventory. These days, this has become one of the country’s most popular festivals, pulsating with an eclectic blend of traditional and contemporary Korean culture.\n\nIn the days leading up to the public holiday, devotees hang colorful lanterns containing their heartfelt wishes in local temples. The piece of paper attached to the base of the lantern usually contains one’s wishes for good health, or prosperity, or for academic achievement.\n\nOn the day itself, which falls on 3 May in 2017, devotees visit local temples to make offerings of flowers, incense, and candles. Interpreted symbolically as radiating warmth into darkness, here the Buddha becomes a manifestation of the lantern light.\n\nPhoto : Buddhist monks march through downtown Seoul during a celebration for Buddha's birthdayYear2017NationSouth Korea,Myanmar ,Nepal
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Chariot Festival of Janabaha Dhyo in KathmanduChariot festivals are interesting events in Kathmandu Valley where various communities come together to worship and celebrate; Janabaha Dhyo Jatra (as known locally) or Seto Machindranth Jatrar of Kathmandu is one such festival. The festival starts on Chaitra Sukla Asthami according to the lunar calendar. This year, a three-day festival will be celebrated from 26 to 28 March 2018.\n\nSurrounded by various stupas and statues of gods and goddesses in Janabaha Temple is a statue of Janabaha Dhyo, one of the eighteen chief Vihara of Kathmandu. The deity is worshiped as a form of Aryavalokitesvara and worshiped both by Hindus and Buddhists. The divine white face and feet are only the visible part of the statue while the rest is covered in cloth and jewelry. The Buddhist priest community looks over the deity, temple, and rituals all year round.\n\nDuring the festival, Buddhist priests put the statue in a palanquin and carry the deity from the temple to a place near Sanskrit College in Jamal. Once there, the deity is placed on the wooden chariot that the farmer community in Jamal would have constructed days before the procession. The wooden chariot is believed to be the where a potter found the deity while digging for clay. Assembled without using any nails but ropes made up of beda plant, the chariot is about ten meters high with four huge wheels with a long wooden pole in the front. The wooden chariot is built using almost three hundred pieces of wood, and the construction technique gives it flexibility while the devotees pull the chariot with the help of the rope. The chariot is in a sikhara style; gajura is placed on top. The chariot is decorated with juniper leaves.\n\nThe chariot procession takes place with all its fanfare. Gurjuya Paltan, the traditional army band, also joins the procession, including traditional musical groups from various quarters of the city and belonging to different castes. The procession follows a narrow path from the Tindhara Pathasala and enters the dense city through the Bhotahity (entry point of the ancient city). The chariot journey ends a ta place called Lagan. From there, the deity is carried back to the temple in a palanquin.\n\nVarious activities are held during the chariot procession; devotees come to pull the chariot while crowds stand in the street to watch. With vibrant colors, the chariot seemingly provides euphoria everywhere it passes. Devotees also come to worship the deity and light butter lamps in the morning and at night when the chariot is at rest. After the procession, the chariot is dismantled and the wood is saved for the next year.\n\nPhoto : Statue of Seto Machchhindra CC BY-SA 3.0 Krish DulalYear2018NationNepal
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Traditional Pottery Makers of Kathmandu ValleyIn many traditional ceremonies and rituals, the use of baked clay pots and objects in Nepal is common. Even for everyday uses, these potteries include those for cooling water, cooking, flowers, curd, and many more. Until a few decades back, these potteries were more commonly used in everyday life. Pots for storing water and grains, for steaming, for carrying water, and even for washing clothes were made of various potteries. Today, many of these traditional potteries have been replaced by durable modern materials, such as plastics.\n\nBecause of the extensive use of the pottery in daily life, there used to be quarters in the cities and villages within Kathmandu Valley dedicated to pottery making. Now there are only a few places within the valley that have continued to make pottery using ancient techniques. These places are now famous due to the influx of tourists.\n\nOne of the most famous quarters for pottery in the valley is pottery square in Bhaktapur that is known to locals as Kumha Twa. Kumha are pottery makers, and twa is the quarters. Walking through this quarter we can see people making shapes out of clay on pottery wheels. Some giving finishing touches while some are busy drying pottery goods in the sun. This quarter also has communal kiln for baking. This quarter seem like an open-air museum for the pottery making, which has been continued for several generations.\n\nMr. Krishna Shyam Prajapati, 44 years old, is one of the pottery makers of the square. He has worked in this profession since the age of 13 or 14. He learned pottery-making skills from his father and his father learned from his father. This continuity has been going on for generations. According to Mr. Prajapati in the old days, they used to make pottery hand-operated wheels that had to be with the help of pole. Now, most pottery makers use electric motor wheels.\n\nThe pottery is made from the black clay, which is abundant in the valley. The clay from the field is smashed and smoothed with the help of feet. When it is smooth enough, it is ready for making pots and other things. Now machines have taken over much of the manual work. After the pottery is shaped, it is sundried and later baked in a kiln. In old days, hay was used to make fire, but now the kilns are fueled with wood. These kilns are communal, people take turns baking their pottery.\n\nWith the arrival of tourism, pottery makers shifted from the traditional pottery to products targeting tourists. The souvenirs like bells, candle stands, miniature animals, and many wares are commonplace. But with the pandemic, the lack of tourist has hampered the pottery business, so pottery makers like Mr. Prajapati have shifted back to traditional products. He has been sustaining his business in the pandemic by making piggy banks commonly known as khutruke.\n\nThe pottery-making business has been directly and indirectly affected by modernization. Consumers prefer to use plastic products instead of clay ones due to durability and economic circumstances. Also the massive growth in the city is creating difficulty for the pottery makers to get the required clay.\n\nThough tourism has given a boost in business and pottery square has contributed to tourism in the city, there is a need to recognize and value the traditional profession by state and contribute in the future sustainability.\n\nPhotos 1~4 : Pottery souvenirs displayed in shops. © Monalisa MaharjanYear2021NationNepal