ALL
labor-intensive
ICH Elements 4
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Traditional knowledge of mutual aid - ‘ashar’
Ashar is a form of mutual-help when the entire community comes together to perform a labor- and resource-intensive task such as building a house or a school, making felt carpets, cleaning canals, etc. Ashar helps to finish a large amount of work in a short time. For better efficiency, the roles are distributed among the participants based on their skills and capacities.
Kyrgyzstan -
Pangtse makhu: Extraction of Oil from Symplocos paniculata Fruits
The extraction and production of Pangtse Makhu were effectively practiced from the 1970s until 1990s, and have remained to be a part of an income source and source of oil until now to the people of Toed-Wang Gewog (block) under Punakha Dzongkhag (district). “As the plant is highly adaptable and grows naturally on barren, degraded land and dry areas but for better yield, the plant is also grown on the terraces,” said the villagers. But today it is said and observed by the grandparents in the community that because of the country’s speed of development and with advancements in technology and intellectual, the tradition of extracting Pangtse Makhu in the community has significantly declined over time due to the availability of cheaper imported refined oils in the markets. It is also said that during the olden days with abundant Pangtse Shing and with more extractors, people did not have to buy oil rather oil extracted from Toed-wang gewog was sent throughout the region. However, with an increased number of youths going to school and colleges during the harvesting and production time, and also with less market value over more hardships, it has been a challenge for the few people maintaining this practice in the locality to share the value to the younger generation. Today, the community is on verge of losing the tradition of extracting Pangtse oil because of its labor-intensive nature with a tedious and time-consuming procedure. And also, it’s because of people’s choice for the cheaper imported oil over the one that has been naturally extracted and produced which has a slightly higher price in the market. Despite the challenge, the local producers are looking forward to a government intervention in the conservation of the losing tradition.
Bhutan -
Ganchkarlik (ganch-alabaster plastering and carving)
Ganchkarlik (plastering and carving special alabaster – ganch) is one of the most ancient types of architectural-decorative arts of Uzbekistan. In the ХХ century its main centers were located in Khiva, Bukhara, Tashkent, Samarkand, Andijan, Namangan and Qoqand. Ganch carving art is indivisibly connected with architectural art than other types of applied folk art. From time immemorial, it has been used for decorating palaces, madrasahs, mosques and houses. The technique of creating a pattern on ganch surface is labor-intensive one. First, on the raw surface draft picture of the future ornamental pattern is drawn. Then, relief pattern is cut along the outline, while the background is deepened and salient parts of the pattern are finished. Also, special skill requires the work on relief pattern, because the effect of perception of the whole carved panel depends on it. As a matter of fact, Uzbek masters have developed many techniques of finishing relief patterns, which make carved panels look more dynamic, their salient and deepened parts more expressive thanks to the effect of light and shade.
Uzbekistan -
Gilamchilik (Carpet-weaving)
One of the most labor-intensive artistic crafts in Uzbekistan is carpet-making, the traditions of which go back to the ancient times. Cattle breeder has been rich for wool products and wool of sheep and camel used for carpet-making since olden time. Handmade carpet making is laborious work and it demands from the weaver great effort, taste and skill. In pre-mongolian period carpet items produced by Turkic tribes of Oghuz origin were especially popular. Later, during the epoch of Temurids, it is possible to observe active interaction of Iranian and Turkic carpet-making traditions. However, starting from the XVI century carpet items produced by Uzbeks from Dashti-qipchaq became widespread in Mawarannahr. Carpet items of Uzbekistan, in terms of execution technique, can be divided into long-piled, short-piled and pileless types. Women carpet-makers made various types of carpets. Among them it is possible to mention the following: piled carpets, which were laid under one's feet; panels called "bugdjoma", used for covering beds while moving from one house to another; carpet tapes called "kur" and "baskur", used for fixing framework of a jurt; pileless woolen rugs called "gadjari", "qokhma", "terme", "taqir gilam"; kit bags called "napramach"; saddlebags called "hurdjun", etc. Ornamental design of Uzbek carpet items reflected rich and diverse world of nomadic lifestyle. Their prevailing motifs were of cosmogonic and zoomorphic nature, and were expressed through orderly geometric lines and images.
Uzbekistan