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communities
ICH Elements 41
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Traditional knowledge related to the technique of leather work and leather products manufacturing
Historically, livestock herding has been one of the main livelihoods of the Kyrgyz people. That is why leather crafting has become an important craft and many household items are made out of leather. The skin of such domestic and wild animals as cows, horses, camels, yaks, sheep, goats, foxes, otters, mountain goats and deer is used for leathercraft. Sheep and goat skin is most widely used due to their accessibility. Sheep leather is used for making shoes and cloths. In the context of nomadic and pastoral lifestyle, dishes made out of leather are still popular. The vessels for milk products such as sabaa, kookor, konok, konochok were made out of processed camel of cow skin. The vessels are smoked with juniper or pine branches before use. Cattle skin is used to make leather for some household items such as wooden chests for dishes and utensils, horse tack (stirrups, various strips, reigns and whips), etc. Both women and men are engaged in leather work. At the same time there is a clear separation in labor. E.g. only men slaughter and skin animals. Men also process leather for horse tack and other large things. Women process skin of smaller animals such as sheep and goats. Women make such household items as vessels for milk products, various bags, sacks and cup-holders. Kyrgyz people tried to decorate leather items just like any other household item. There were many ways to decorate leather items. E.g. cup-holders were decorated with silver clips or patterns were craved right on the surface of leather. Leather items were made in different shapes. E.g. kookor, a vessel for kymyz, was made in a shape of an anchor, cup holders were cylindrical or semi-spherical. Carving or stamping patterns on the leather surface looks very good because it livens up the monotonous surface and makes it more pleasing to eye.
Kyrgyzstan -
Bongai
Bongai is not an unfamiliar music in Negeri Sembilan; can be categorised as a traditional song especially for the state’s community. This music is very popular in merriment events that involve weddings. The word Bongai was created from two words that are “Bong” means “a respected person”, and the word “Aye” means “me”. Bongai songs are always performed in exchange of quatrains form by individuals or duet, or in groups. Among the popular songs are Cantik Manis, Kapeh, Irama Budu Landai, Donak Donai and Anak Bocek. The musical instruments that always accompany this music performance are the caklempong, accordion, gong, hand-held drummette, and clarinet.
Malaysia -
Mongolian traditional practices of the worshipping of sacred sites
Mongolian worship ceremonies are performed at sacred sites to invoke assistance from nature deities: in the summer for timely rain and abundant pastures, and in the autumn for the protection of humans and livestock from a harsh winter. The tradition maintains a variety of forms of intangible cultural heritage, and builds a sense of community and solidarity among the people, while strengthening awareness of the importance of protecting the environment. On a set out day, all the participants gather early in the morning at the site of the worshipping. Everyone comes in their ceremonial clothes along with the offerings to the deities.
Mongolia -
Nongak, community band music, dance and rituals in the Republic of Korea
Inscribed in 2014 (9.COM) on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity Nongak is a fusion performing art genre that combines a percussion ensemble (with occasional use of wind instruments), parading, dancing, drama, and acrobatic feats. It has been practiced for various purposes, such as appeasing gods, chasing evil spirits and seeking blessings, praying for a rich harvest in spring, celebrating the harvest at autumn festivals, fund-raising for community projects, and professional entertainment. Any joyful community event was never complete without uproarious music and dance performed by the local band clad in colorful costumes. The resultant ecstatic excitement (sinmyeong) is often defined as a preeminent emotional characteristic of Korean people. The music frequently uses uneven beats of complex structures like simple three-time, compound time, and simple and compound time. Small hand-held gongs and hourglass drums, with their metal and leather sounds, play the main beats, while large gongs and barrel drums create simple rhythmic accents. The small hand-held drum players focus more on dancing than playing music. Dancing includes individual skill demonstrations, choreographic formations, and streamer dances. Actors wearing masks and peculiar outfits perform funny skits. Acrobatics include dish spinning and miming antics by child dancers carried on the shoulders of adult performers. Nongak was most often performed and enjoyed by grassroots people, but there were also professional groups putting on entertainment shows. In recent years, professional repertoires have evolved into the percussion quartet “Samul Nori” and the non-verbal theatrical show “Nanta,” dramatically emphasizing the music element and thereby appealing to broader audiences at home and from abroad.
South Korea 2014
ICH Materials 88
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Main Puteri
Main Puteri (the play of the spirits) is a ritualistic healing ceremony in which Tok Puteri—a Malay Shaman serves as an intermediary between the inhabitants of the real and the nether worlds. In this ceremony, the puteri (spirits) are able tone act a play to treat the patients who usually need to revitalise their psychic energy (angin) and spirit (semangat). Many Kelantanese believe that illnesses purportedly due to ghost, evil spirits or witchcraft are the ones that are most susceptible to this ceremony. Patient of these illness commonly lack soul substance and are manifested by their state of depression and general withdrawal. Auditory hallucinations are taken to be evidence of ghost possession.\nThis ceremony employs the performance elements of traditional musical ensembles, dance movements and dramatic dialogue during the process of healing. The musical ensemble resembles those of a Mak Yong musical ensemble: rebab, a pair of gendang, and a pair of gongs. Additional instruments such as serunai, gedombak, geduk, canang from the Wayang Kulit performance are also used in some ceremonies. These musicians play to accompany the chanting, singing and the movements of the Tok Minduk and Tok Puteri. Tok Minduk—nwho can also be the Rebab player—is Tok Puteri’s partner and sounding board tone gage and guide Tok Puteri to the relevant spirits.
Malaysia -
Arkan tartmay, Kyrchyn gorge, Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan
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Water Puppet Theater of Hong Phong
The water puppet theater troupe of Hong Phong formed in Bo Duong Village, about 60 km east of Hanoi. Hong Phong water puppet theater is believed to have begun in the late seventeenth century-the shapes of the puppets used in this art were found carved on the pillars of the village temple. The troupe performs for visitors to the village's traditional festivals, recounting various stories about farmers' lives and the village through puppetry accompanied by music.\n\nThis video demonstrates the connection between the puppet theater and communal worship, in addition to the significance of the performance in Hong Phong Commune.
Viet Nam 2019 -
Water Puppetry of Hong Phong(KOR)
The traditional village troupe performs the puppet shows in countryside at the traditional village festival and for tourists. The puppeteers manipulate the puppets by hand with string. The puppet shows with music and story tell about the farmer’s life and countryside activities. The film demonstrates the connection between the puppetry and the worship of the communal god that the show is an important performance at the traditional village festival.
Viet Nam 2019
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Effects of Covid-19 on the Continuity of FestivalsKathmandu Valley, the land of festivals, rituals, and celebrations all around the year, has its fair share during the spring as well. The festival of colors signifies the arrival spring and warm weather. It is celebrated on the full-moon day, which normally falls in the month of March depending on the lunar calendar. Also, several festivals and chariot processions follow afterwards and are specific to cities and towns within the valley. These festivals have continued since their inception, even when the devastating earthquake hit Kathmandu Valley in 2015.\n\nBut this year the global coronavirus pandemic threaten many festivals, which have been halted or celebrated with few participants. Holi, which used to be celebrated in huge groups were celebrated with just families and in smaller groups. The rituals associated with Holi, like raising and falling of chir—a long wooden pole with multicolor clothes hanging on it as umbrella were performed. This year Holi was celebrated on 9 March in Kathmandu Valley, and with threat of spreading Corona Virus, the government of Nepal issued notice not to have a mass gathering. So the festival of color was celebrated with just families and was not in a celebratory mode like in previous years.\n\nAfter that, most of the festival that followed were not held this year, limiting to just formal rituals. Pachare, one of the major festivals of Kathmandu, saw just family rituals and celebrations within families. The celebration with gatherings of different localities with the mother goddess in palanquins was halted. During the same time, the Nepal army used to hold a horseracing festival in Tudikhel (a large open space within Kathmandu), which also gave the festival name Ghode Jatra for the non-Newa community. This public event used to be attended by high-profile people of the country including the President and Prime Minister. This year just few days ahead of the event, the Nepal army canceled it.\n\nSimilarly, with the stress of the rapid spreading of the coronavirus all over the world, the other festivals are also being cancelled. The organizing committee of chariot procession of Seto Machindranath held a meeting and cancelled the yearly procession. Every year the festival chariot procession takes place in March or April for four days in Kathmandu with huge fanfare. This year it was supposed to take place from 30 March to 2 April.\n\nFollowing Kathmandu, the major festival of Bhaktapur “Biska Jatra,” which is celebrated for eight to nine days depending on lunar calendar was also cancelled this year. This year the festival was supposed to take place from 9 to 17 April, with the events like chariot procession, raising wooden pole called yosi, several other rituals, and so on. During this event, there used to be a mass gathering, people participating as well as spectators even from the neighboring cities. After meeting with the local government, municipalities, community leaders, and Guthi members, the decision was made not to continue the festival this year. Like in other places, the community decided to go ahead with just formal rituals.\n\nThe festivals in Nepal are not just for public gatherings, music, and dances but also for the extended family members to get together and strengthen the family ties. This is the first time that these major festivals were discontinued as people are advised to keep social distancing and in lockdown. The effect of Covid-19 also was seen in the small community rituals of Guthi. The social association used to have many community specific rituals in the springtime.\n\nPhoto : Chir which signifies the Holi festival in front of Gaddi Baithak in Kathmandu © Monalisa MaharjanYear2020NationNepal
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Mapping Out Singapore’s Hawker Centers with GoogleIn March 2019 Singapore submitted its nomination to inscribe its hawker culture onto the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Hawker culture in Singapore comprises hawker centers (community dining rooms), hawkers, and hawker food. It is a living heritage shared by those who prepare hawker food and those who dine and mingle over hawker food in hawker centers.\n\nAs part of the Singapore government’s ongoing efforts to safeguard Singapore’s hawker culture for future generations, the National Heritage Board (NHB), the National Environment Agency (NEA), and the Federation of Merchants’ Associations, Singapore (FMAS) have partnered with Google to document Singapore’s beloved hawker centers on Google Maps to make them discoverable to anyone looking for quality and affordable hawker food.\n\nThrough this public–private partnership, the parties involved hope to bring Singapore’s hawker culture into the digital age and help hawkers in Singapore establish their presence online through Google Maps and Search. The joint project also hopes to attract more customers and drive footfall to Singapore’s hawker centers, enabling the rest of the world to learn more about Singapore’s hawker culture.\n\nThe project comprises a collection of 360-degree imagery of Singapore’s hawker centers using Google Maps’ Street View that allows visitors to explore each hawker center to capture more accurate information about individual hawker stalls, such as name, stall number, and photographs. In addition, each hawker stall will receive a separate pin on Google Maps, showing its exact location within the hawker center, thereby allowing both local and visiting fans of Singapore’s hawker food to find their favorite stalls more easily.\n\nAccording to Mr. Lim Gek Meng, Vice-President of FMAS and Chairman of the Chinatown Complex Hawkers’ Association: “Finding your way through a hawker center can be confusing, especially at bigger centers such as Chinatown Market. This project is beneficial to the hawker community as it will help customers locate hawker stalls with ease. Hawkers will also be able to personalize their online presence to reach out to more customers, at no cost and with little effort.”\n\nAs these hawker centers are located all over Singapore, from downtown to residential estates, a team of Google operators will travel to every hawker center and use the new Street View Trekker to capture the required imagery. Mounted on a wearable backpack, the new trekker comprises a state-of-the-art 360-degree camera system that captures and produces high-resolution panoramic images every two seconds.\n\nGoogle’s team of operators will collect indoor imagery of all 114 hawker centers in Singapore, including Chinatown Complex, Geylang Serai Market, Tekka Market, Maxwell Food Centre, and Golden Mile Food Centre. The collection of imagery will be carried out in phases, and it is expected to be completed and launched on Google Maps by early 2020.\n\nPhoto : An operator carrying a Google Street View Trekker ⓒ Google, SingaporeYear2019NationSingapore
Open Archive 3
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T'nalak weaving
T'nalak weaving is one of the most celebrated traditions of the T'boli communities in the Philippines. It is indeed a living tradition as masters and older community members are very keen to teach the younger generation this traditional craftsmanship of the dream weavers.
Philippines -
Burning incense
Burning incense has been a shared practice of many communities in the whole world. This particular photo shows the burning incense outside a Buddhist temple in Vietnam. This practice is most usually related to the religion and beliefs of many people.
Viet Nam -
Punnuk, Tugging Rituals and Games of the Philippines (Hungduan, Ifugao)
The photos were taken at Hungduan, Ifugao, Philippines during 8 to 12 August, 2019 In three communities of Hapao, Baang, and Nungulunan of Hungduan, distinct harvest rituals called Houwah are being practiced by the Tuwali group. These are the baki, inum and the Punnuk. The rituals, particularly Punnuk determine which group will have a bountiful harvest, and to express appreciation to the deities of the communities. Punnuk is inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity with Cambodia, Republic of Korea, and Vietnam.
Philippines