axpert on intangible cultural heritage

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Rumah Angklung, with the slogan “When Culture Becomes a Pride,” works for the preservation and development of angklung (traditional Indonesian bamboo instrument) communities. By targeting different groups, level-based community classes are offered to many Indonesian people, but Rumah Angklung also tries to make stages for performing in terms of raising awareness.

The Indonesian Heritage Society (“IHS”) is a non-profit organization, established in 1970, by Indonesian and expat volunteers. From the initial group of 17 volunteers, today the organization has grown to include hundreds of individuals. Volunteers form the heart of IHS, organizing all events and operations.

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The angklung is an Indonesian musical instrument found in records since 1704. It consists of two to four tuned bamboo tubes tied in a rectangular, partitioned frame made of white bamboo, which is tightly bound with rattan cord. The angklung is traditionally played on important events and ceremonies during periods of rice planting, harvest, and circumcision. Angklung culture was transmitted through non-formal education within each family, but has since been incorporated into the formal education curriculum. The shape of the angklung has both symbolic and philosophical values: the tubes of varying sizes symbolize the duty of the strong and powerful to protect the weak and vulnerable.

Saman is a traditional dance of the Gayo people, which can be traced back to the fourteenth century. The dance is performed in a religious space called mersah with an odd number of male dancers sitting in neat lines who dance to verses and fall into a trance-like state as the tempo quickens.\n\nThis dance, which incorporates thousands of hands, shows the Gayo tribe's sense of solidarity and ancestral wisdom toward life. Saman has maintained its value as a source of vitality for the community in accepting innovation and change with flexibility, while simultaneously preserving the identify of the Gayo.

As a UNESCO category 2 center, ICHCAP organized the youth ICH storytelling contest with the aim to support ICH safeguarding activities of young practitioners. Youth practitioners play an essential role, as ICH relies on direct transmission among community members. Their activities and involvement will hopefully contribute to raising awareness of ICH worth protecting.\n\nThis exhibition displays the twenty-nine winning works of the contest organized by ICHCAP. The winners came from ten countries in the Asia-Pacific region, including India, Vietnam, Nepal, China, and Bangladesh. The contest was held in two categories (Young Practitioners and General Youth) for Asia-Pacific youth aged between 18 and 35. The winners shared their own stories as young practitioners in the form of an interview or essay or told stories about ICH they met in their everyday lives or on their travels. The entries were submitted in the form of photo essays or videos, and the descriptions are available both in Korean and English. Videos are provided with English subtitles.\n\nThis online exhibition covers various ICH elements, including traditional dance, crafts, art, music, martial arts, medical practices, and native languages. And instead of simply explaining such heritage, the youth reflected their insights, voices and passion in their stories about the history and culture of the people and communities they met and the safeguarding and transmission of ICH.\n\nMoushumi Choudhury, the Grand Prize winner in the Young Practitioners category, shared her story of becoming the first female Chau dancer by breaking the glass ceiling in the predominantly male dance genre in India. Saurabh Narang, the Excellence Prize winner in the General Youth category, was fascinated by the Siddis in India, which is an ethnic group of African origin, after he first heard of their existence from a man he came across while travelling. Maya Rai (Nepal), who learned about crafts and education from her two mothers, is now working at the Nepal Knotcraft Centre. Tiancheng Xu (China), who learned acupuncture from his father who was an acupuncturist, is currently studying how to introduce robotics and digital technology to acupuncture at university. Their stories will help the viewers have bright expectations about the roles and possibilities of the future generation for ICH safeguarding and sustainable development.\n

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

Ladakh lies in the high mountains of the Himalayas, in Jammu and Kashmir, northwest India. Although many roads are being built, it still remains one of the most isolated regions in the world. As Ladakh differs greatly from the rest of India in all aspects—history, ethnic makeup, religion, and culture—the people of Ladakh will never say call themselves Indians.\n\nThe people of Ladakh farm wheat using water from the melting snowcaps of the high mountains. They lead a simple life, farming and raising livestock in the fields. They sing while working in the fields, just like Korean people used to in the past. In autumn, you can hear songs sung while cutting grass, harvesting wheat, and plowing the fields. In nomadic regions, there are songs sung to call livestock and while processing dairy. Ladakh was where I was able to hear the most work songs during this trip to collect the sounds of Asia.\n\nMost Ladakhis practice Lama Buddhism from Tibet. They are a very pious people, whose faith can be seen not just in the numerous monasteries and stone pagodas but in the songs they sing. Praise of Buddha and revered monks can often be found in their work songs.\nOn the other hand, the center of the Zanskar Valley, just south of Ladakh, is occupied by Muslims. In this region, folk songs are difficult to come by.

This book contains ten good practices from five Asia-Pacific countries (Nepal, Vietnam, Uzbekistan, India, and Kyrgyzstan) selected through an international contest in 2022. Through this publication, the authors highlight the status of traditional crafts in their respective countries and showcase how traditional crafts contribute to sustainable development within communities, focusing on policies, programs, and activities such as marketing, consulting, and capacity development.\n\nPreviously overshadowed by mass-produced crafts in the market, traditional crafts have gained new importance today in the context of sustainable development, including ecosystem conservation, climate change, job creation, and economic growth. They are now acknowledged as a promising foundation, forming the basis of a new economic model based on well-being and contentment, extending beyond the realms of community sustenance and economic expansion.\n\nICHCAP aims to raise awareness of the significance of traditional crafts in this context and strengthen the network of craft experts and institutions. Moreover, the publication seeks to explore ways in which traditional crafts can be passed down in a modernized manner. Furthermore, the good practices featured in this publication can be linked to various programs of domestic and international craft-related institutions, aiming to enhance awareness of traditional crafts.

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 8 is 'ICH AND TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE AS AN OCCUPATIONAL LIVING.'