Homer2000 is a newly founded NGO that aims to work with culturally endangered tribes and communities. Its objective is to develop a system to digitally document, archive, and make accessible the community’s cultural knowledge and practices. While Homer2000 is starting with a pilot community in northern Thailand, in its final stage, it aims to be an open system and will be made available to other communities and organizations that share similar objectives.

Thánh Gióng’s Statue at Phù Đổng Temple, Phù Đổng Commune, Gia Lâm District Photographer Nguyễn Trung Bình, 2009. © Vietnam Institute of Culture and Arts Studies.

Thánh Gióng’s horse at the enacted battle at Gióng Festival, Phù Đổng Commune, Gia Lâm District.\nPhotographer Xuân Át, 2005. © Vietnam Institute of Culture and Arts Studies

Phu Dong Village in Vietnam holds a traditional festival to celebrate Saint Giong from the seventh to the ninth days of the fourth lunar month every year. One of the most important figures in the festival is Hieu, the Flag Commander. It is the Flag Commander's responsibility to select young men of good character from decent families in the village to serve the saint. Those selected are honored by the local residents after taking part in the festival.\n\nThis video shows the social and religious aspects of the lives of local people who worship their local god, as well as the spiritual life of the local community reflected in the festival.

The film is about the traditional village festival in Phu Dong village that is organized annually to commemorate the Giong God from the 7th to the 9th days of the fourth lunar month. Among the Commanders, the Commander of the Flag is the most important, symbolizing the communal God. It is the task of Hieu to choose good people from decent families to serve the God. After taking part in the festival, they are honored by people in the area. The film emphasizes the social and religious aspects of the life of the local village people who worship their local god and the festival reflects the spiritual life of the community.

The traditional musical instruments of Myanmar were prominent throughout the nation’s history. The instruments were developed as early as the Pyu Era, Bagan Era and many were dominant features of music during the Innwa Era and Konbaung Era.\n\nWhile some of these instruments have been preserved and are used today, others have been lost to history.\nIn an attempt to preserve the traditional musical instruments of Myanmar, the Ministry of Culture displayed traditional instruments and distributed the books about the instruments during an exhibition in 1955. This research shows thirty-three kinds of instruments. Moreover, in a 2003 celebration of traditional instruments, the Ministry of Culture exhibited over two hundred traditional instruments at the national museum.\nWhile the instruments on display were representative of many regions and states, many instruments were not included.\nBecause of this lack of full representativeness, additional research through field studies is required. This project proposal addresses this need.\n\nTo create a preliminary basis towards developing a national ICH inventory of craftsmanship and performing arts of traditional musical instruments in Myanmar. To safeguard ICH related to the craftsmanship and performing arts of traditional musical instruments and to promote cultural diversity among multi- ethnic groups in Myanmar. To raise awareness of the Myanmar public on the importance of ICH. To expand networking and information sharing between Myanmar and Korea.

Southeast Asia ICH Video Documentary (Philippines)\n\nThe environment surrounding intangible cultural heritage (ICH) is changing rapidly in the face of waves of rapid urbanization and globalization. In the face of such changes, documenting actual scenes of ICH in video form presents one of the most effective ways of identifying trends in ongoing developments and raising the profile of ICH. However, achieving this requires robust support and coordinated efforts due to the relative inadequacy of the conditions for producing such documentary material in the Asia-Pacific region.\n\nThe International Information and Networking Centre for Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Asia-Pacific Region under the auspices of UNESCO (ICHCAP) shines a light on the ICH of Asia-Pacific and introduces its value to the public through video projects depicting ICH. ICHCAP conducts joint projects with member states to portray real-life scenes of ICH alongside experts, communities, NGOs, and other stakeholders in various countries. As a result, it has produced fifty videos on the ICH of Central Asia through the phase-one joint project on Central Asia and an additional fifty videos through the phase-two video project on the ICH of Southeast Asia. These videos are being screened through broadcasting companies and at film festivals in each country, in addition to distribution via YouTube and other\nchannels.\n\nVideos represent the most accurate method of capturing ICH as it exists in the real world, as well as being effective tools for communicating with the public. ICHCAP will endeavor to continue vividly documenting the scenes of ICH that are hidden across the Asia-Pacific region with the aim of raising the profile of ICH elements as treasures of humanity and introducing them to the public.\n\nThis collection includes 10 ICH videos produced by the NCCA in collaboration with ICHCAP.\n\nBuklog: Thanksgiving Ritual System of the Subanen\nPiña Handloom Weaving / Hab\u0002Eon Nga Piña\nThe Feast Of Our Lady Of Peñafrancia\nIfugao Mud Dyeing: The Traditional Dyeing Process Of The Ifugao In Northern Luzon\nParul Sampernandu: The Giant Lantern Tradition Of San Fernando City, Pampanga\nIgal: The Traditional Dance Of The Sama In Tawi-Tawi\nLepa: The Traditional Boat Building Of The Sama In Tawi Tawi\nPoong Nazareno: The Feast and Traslacio of The Black Nazarene Of Quiapo, Manila\nMoryonan: Penitential Ritual Of Marinduque\nMoryon: Mask Making In Marinduque

This is the history of how Yapese learned several tying patterns and techniques and about where they came from. It was read by Alukan, Bapilung, and Gaangin from the Old Age Program in Yap back in the late 1970s. The tying techniques, along with other traditional knowledge and skills, were handed down from up above, or, some may say, from heavens. The canoe was a gift from above as a means to pass knowledge and skills from heavens to humans in Yap. It is said that the canoe was lowered down on Gacham, a savannah in Tamil municipality. Native Yapese called it “canoe of knowledge” (ba m’uw i llowaen). Even today, you can still see the figure of the canoe and its outrigger that have turned into red dirt. In Yapese traditional culture, knowledge and skills are considered resources of a village. The chief of the village has the authority over the person or the village possessing the knowledge and skills. Therefore, people have to get approval from the chief of the village to learn or access such knowledge and skills. Yapese have used several old tying techniques up until today that are considered to have come from a spider. Legend has it that a nameless man from Nimar village in Weloy municipality observed and mastered all kinds of tying patterns and techniques from the spider on a canoe. These tying patterns and techniques are said to have been applied by the man to build a huge community meeting house named Wedbon in the northern part of Rull municipality. The people from Rull municipality asked this tying master from Nimar village if he could share his knowledge to help build the community meeting house, but he did not consult his chief in advance. The chief was furious that the tying master had never asked for his approval, and scolded him for not taking the proper steps. From then on, all other requests by other communities were channeled through the chief for his approval. Makiy village in Gagil municipality and Malon village in Maap’ municipality gained the approval from the chief to get the knowledge. The techniques and pattern later spread to the southern part of the island, namely Lamear and Ngariy villages in Rull municipality. Soon after, they were passed on from Ngariy to Kanif village in Dalipe Binaew municipality.

This melody was in a Tuồng play called “Phụng Nghi Đình,” and it was performed by artist Nguyễn Nho Túy—the most famous and talented Tuồng artist in Quảng Nam. He followed the Tuồng theatral profession since he was a child, and he was granted with the phó ca certificate of the Huế court. He had great merit in conserving and developing Tuồng art in central Vietnam as well as training many generations of Tuồng performers in central and northern Vietnam.

CD2_HISTORICAL RECORDINGS FROM THE 1930S OF ARNOLD BAKE VOL. II: EVERYDAY SONGS\n\nThe recordings by Dutch ethnomusicologist Arnold Adrian Bake in India in the 1930s and later are one of the earliest examples of what may be called “ethnographic” recordings. Arnold Bake and his wife Corrie spent a long time in Bengal but travelled all over India, recording the music, sounds, and other forms of intangible culture of the people. These recordings cover an immense range of music and recitations that are part of people’s everyday lives, such as work songs, devotional pieces, and ritualistic performances, and include a high number of women’s songs and cultural expressions. Bake’s first field trip was in 1925 and his last was in 1955. During that time, he travelled not only to India but also to Nepal and Sri Lanka. Collections of Bake’s recordings are held in archives in the United Kingdom, Germany, and the United States. Recordings from 1925 to 1929 were on cylinders, and those from 1938 to 1939 were recorded on a machine called Tefifon. The collection that has been digitized for this project consists of the recordings made in 1938 and 1939. \n\nThe Tefi recordings were transferred to spools and deposited in ARCE in 1982. During those two years, Bake travelled from Sindh, the Gujarat coast, to Kerala, and thus the recordings are from Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Kerala. There are also recordings made in the Maldives and Sri Lanka. Thus, the selections presented on these albums are largely from the Southwest Coast of India. These recordings were chosen because they carry great historical value yet were not easily accessible until now. NB: The titles given by Arnold Bake have been retained. However, in the notes, places and names have been changed to reflect current designations – e.g. Canarese was changed to Kannada. Place names have also been modified to follow current spelling conventions.\n\nEveryday Songs - The everyday lives of people are what make up the core of intangible cultural heritage (ICH). This selection includes rituals, work songs, devotional and religious songs, as well as common songs that express joys and sorrows. In addition to songs, some tracks include cries and noises, reflecting the wide variety of sounds that Bake recorded.

CD4_NARRATIVE TRADITIONS – ORAL EPICS AND BALLADS VOL. I: THE TULU PADDANA\n\nOral epics, ballads, and narratives form a major part of the background of rituals, storytelling, and local mythologies – all an important part of the intangible cultural heritage of India. The vast range of oral epics in India, most often sung, also contain recitation and prose that explain the text. The meters vary greatly, and they all have different definitions and terms. For instance, the meter and singing of the Alha is called Alha Chhand. A wide variety of types of performances and expression of this genre exist. Some stories are narrated with scrolls that illustrate episodes. Sometimes, they are acted out, and sometimes sung, as in the case of the paddanas, which are performed while transplanting rice. Stuart Blackburn and Joyce Flueckiger distinguish three kinds of oral epics in India: martial, sacrificial, and romantic. Some epics tell a story with multiple episodes and characters, and some are “multi-story” oral epics. Oral epics in India are very closely tied to communities, with performers, audience, and participants all belonging to the same community. Most oral epics are associated to rituals, the performance of some being the ritual itself. Caste also plays an important role in the performance or patronage of the oral epic traditions in India. \n\nThe great epics of Ramayana and Mahabharata in some cases, enter the world of these local oral epics, where the performers are considered to be reincarnations of heroes and gods from these epics. According to Komal Kothari, an eminent folklorist of India, this phenomenon happens when the impact of the oral epic spreads beyond its initial local boundaries. Though we are not able to present full performances of all the oral epics, we believe that these recordings provide a good glimpse into the variety of meters, singing styles, and contexts that exist within these traditions. Three oral epics are presented in this volume. They are all part of larger collections, and each one is contributed by an expert on the genre who has done extensive research. The paddanas were contributed by Peter Claus, the Nanda Devi jagar by William Sax, and Alha by Karine Schomer.

The genre Ru tends to perform within the familial environment, with a hypnotising nature that tends to be use to lull children.\n\nThe genre Hò originated from the working environment. The Southern part of Vietnam, where the waters are a vital element for the workers to sing on these flowing streams. Back then, the genre of hò đường thuỷ (singing on waterways) was rather popular. From traditional performing environment, hò eventually separated into different genres- hò trên cạn (hò on land) and hò dưới nước (hò on water). Based on the carrying content, reflected themes, hò continue to evolve into various genres to adapt with different forms and narratives (hò thơ, hò văn, hò tuồng, etc.) \n\nThe genre Lý is a common performance genre across all three regions of the country, although it could be the most popular in the Southern region. Pétrus Ky, a renowned Vietnamese scholar, once mentioned the saying “Southern region has lý, Huế region has hò, Northern region has thơ.” (Nam lý Huế hò Bắc thơ) as it points out how lý is a specialty of the Southern locals. In reality, lý not only has its mainstream popularity but also achieved a high level of craft and essence in traditional culture and professional life of the Southern region.\n\nThis project is sponsored by the British Council under the program Heritage of Future Past- A 2018 project which aims to conserve and cultivate the archive of Vietnamese music and film, especially focusing on the untapped values of these mediums that are under the threat of being forgotten. You can learn more about the Heritage of Future Past program via this link: https://www.britishcouncil.vn/cac-chuong-trinh/nghe-thuat/di-san-ket-noi.\n\nResearch by Mr. Le Hai Dang\nTranslated by Ms. Ha Hoang Minh Trang

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 6 is 'ICH AND MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS'.

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 28 is 'ICH and Sacred Cultural Spaces.'