Bangladesh and a significant part of South Asia possess a vibrant and thriving medical pluralism. Medical pluralism has been turned into an intrinsic feature of its medical system in historical and contempo-rary contexts (See, Rashid, 2017, Misra, 2010, Leslie, 1980, Banerji 1981; Sujatha 2003, Sujatha& Abraham, 2009). Multiple medical systems such as Biomedicine (the term used for allopathic medicine), Ayurvedic, Yoga, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (AYUSH), Naturopathy, Kaviraji and other folk traditions are widely practiced in this region for primary health-care. Traditional medical practices (TMPs) involving the use of different medicinal plants vary greatly from place to place, region to region and community to community, as they are influenced by factors such as economy, culture, religion, education, ethnicity and environment. The cultural phenomena of super natural belief also plays a significant role in building different perceptions among different rural and ethnic om-munities on various statuses and conditions of their health, as many of these people view their illness as possession by evil spirits. Visits to shrines or shamans (a person who acts as an intermediary between the natural and supernatural worlds, using magic to cure illness) for folk methods of healing, are still observed in many places. Research shows that whether educated or not, rich or poor; some people still use folk medicine for specific diseases.

Textile printing is the process of printing flowers, ornaments on cotton or silk fabric (chitgarlik) by hand using carved wooden stamps. This applied art has existed in Central Asia since ancient times and stems from the region’s cultural and commercial interaction. The art of textile block printing traveled along the Silk Road and flourished in the villages and towns of Central Asia.

The 2003 Convention plays a major role in safeguarding the Intangible Cultural Heritage. It is the first international legal instrument that has focused on the traditional elements of life. To date, more than 508 elements of more than 122 countries have been registered in the UNESCO nomination list of Intangible Cultural Heritage. The number has been increasing every year. It validates the value of the Intangible Cultural Heritage to the world. The Republic of Korea, which has more than fifty years of history in Intangible cultural heritage preservation, is one of the leading countries in the Intangible Cultural Heritage Preservation. This paper has intended to study one of the UNESCO nominated ICH elements of traditional dance performances i.e. Ganggangsullae of Korea and see the impacts after its nomination. Ganggangsullae has been successfully safeguarded in Korea. Its inclusion in the education curriculum has made it possible to disseminate its historical significance and values to the younger generation. Despite the effort of the state, Ganggangsullae seems to lack the interest of the people. It is an important issue to understand the reasons and find ways to revive its essence rather than being confined to the documents.

Human has made great progress beyond the speed of biological evolution by using tools. First, human used stones and wood as tools for hunting and gathering, and then invented earth-baked earthenware such as bowls for food, appropriate to farming life. The defects of woodenware and earthenware, however, were obvious. It was not able to contain liquid due to their moisture absorbency, and easily damaged. Earthenware has evolved into glazed ceramic but it required a high-tech kiln with high temperature, accompanied by a technology for metal refining as a key prerequisite. In East Asia, moisture proof and insect proof techniques to coat objects were invented much earlier. That is lacquer technique.\nProduction process of lacquer is delicate and complicated such as handling lacquer sap at the risk of skin disease, creating hot and humid environment for hardening process, etc. Nevertheless, in East Asia, people have used lacquer technique in many regions from the Neolithic Age, knowing its merits earlier on. Lacquer was used for adhesive and surface protection of leather, earthenware, ceramics and metalware. In particular, it has been inextricably linked to wooden objects. Whereas in West Asia and Europe various varnishes mixed with dry oil and resin has been used, in East Asia lacquer was used as a basic varnish in common. That shows that lacquer is great material and technique to represent the commonality of Asian culture.1) This article aims to briefly look into the origin of lacquer technique in Northeast Asia and share the information on it and its current status of transmission.

Filipinos believe in a two-dimensional world: one of the living and another in a parallel spiritual plane. When the living unintentionally disturbs the spiritual world, unexplained ailments, maladies, and misfortunes befall them. When medical science in the world of the living cannot cure unexplainable conditions, Filipinos resort to traditional methods, reaching out to the spiritual world in various ways.

Currently I am seventy years old and for more than fifty years I have practiced that what we call in our region, ‘the conspiracy’. I have not studied for that, and I consider that I received a gift which allows me, to relieve and heal other “humans and animals”. When I was young I had contact with healers or “bonesetters” of fire or blood, as they might be called. They were generally farmers or people very close to the nature. I was born, and I still live in Auvergne in the centre of France, and I come from a rural area.This is how I tried to practice, my only intention was to relieve patients suffering, and it worked. Initially, people came mainly for burns (to calm the fire) or to stop bleeding. They also came for zona (skin disease). I used my gift for forty years, with a few people coming to visit me each week. They came as a result of recommendations from friend and family, by word of mouth.The act of healing is done discreetly, whereby someone who has the ability, does not speak publicly about it or promote it. Other people would often say: “He’s a healer!”, and would sometimes add: “He is strong, and it indicates that he has other capacities that go beyond the role of “fire cutter”.

"While the artistic heritage of the Pacific is no doubt rich and representative of its cultures, it is more than merely something to be gazed upon and admired. Rather, Pacific art is both functional and symbolic of deeper meanings. Items as commonplace as bows and arrows, masks, and meeting halls are tangible expressions of the spirit of a culture. The themes in the final section seek to represent this spirit. In examining the Tongan kupesi traditions, for example, we see how the symbolism contained within the art, beyond its outer function, is reflective of the indirect nature of Tongan culture and somewhat akin to the practice of using heliaki in speaking. Likewise, in learning the complex process of building Palauan bai meeting houses, we can see that the structures stand not only as important functional spaces but also as carriers of cultural motifs and legends passed down over time. \nAll these themes attest to the art and technology of the Pacific societies as not only reflecting aesthetics but also serving a function. Traditional technological know-how allows the Pacific islanders to use available resources to their best advantage. Architectural designs, motifs, lashings, knots, stone walls, and pavement ensure that structures withstand the test of time while also carrying vital symbolic knowledge."

A lion dance was a part of the repertoire of mime artists and puppetry musicians of Bukhara until the 1940s. In the past, the lion dance was also popular among the populations of Samarkand, Khujand, Istaravshan, and Hisor. Tajik ethnographer Nizam Nurjanov gave the first complete description of the lion dance in his work Tajik Traditional Theatre (1956). He later published more details in an illustrated article arising from his fieldwork in Bukhara.

This research discussed the intangible aspect such as philosophy and local insight that lies in the traditional house of Joglo Pencu Kudus from Indonesia and Hanok from Korea. Based on the result of research found that both traditional houses have the philosophy to respect nature and can adapt to the environment around them. Hanok can adapt to two extreme seasons (harsh winter and humid-hot summer) while Joglo Pencu Kudus can adapt to two seasons (rainy and dry). \nMoreover, the materials used in both traditional houses are natural and originate from the environment. Some constructions support sustainable development and it can be developed or combined further with the recent necessity. Some of its constructions can deal with the earthquake and heavy storm. Even some local insights can be applied directly such as natural waterproof from Hanok and natural substance for the preservation of wooden houses from Joglo Pencu Kudus.

The snake often evokes strong negative images because of its appearance. However, this animal symblises positive cultural values, especially in Asia, where people consider snakes to be transmitters of good fortune. Asian snake beliefs can be traced back to ancient India from where the beliefs spread to China(where the snake evolved into a dragon) and later to Korea.

Gandharba, also written Gandharva or Gaine is one of the musician communities of Nepal. This community has their own unique culture, musical instruments, music, traditions, festivals, language, rituals and social practices perpetuated from their forefathers. Long before the postal networks and the use of electronic communications in Nepal, the musicians of this unique community would roam all over the nation to spray the news in the form of songs and music. The Gandharba were the sole entertainer and the information disseminator of the numerous isolated communities across the mountains of Nepal. Thus they are also wknown as the messenger of the nation. But due to the Modernization, Urbanization, Socio-economic challenges, limited Education and other changes seen in the society; the present status of the Gandharba community’s identity and the intangible cultural heritage is at risk. The outcome of this research have identified the major challenges of the survival of the community’s identity and possible solution and suggestion for building effective networking system among the Gandharba communities of Nepal to confront the challenges and to support, revitalize, reconstruct and safeguard their intangible cultural heritage and their identity in a long run.

“A man in Pamir, from birth to death, is accompa- nied by all sorts of family and everyday rites and customs. In many traditions, including the prepa- ration and use of food, traces of deep geographical and climatic isolation are clearly visible.The Pamir highlanders who lived in closeness with their nature had a great culture, rich in traditions, cults, customs which created humane framework of actions in relation to wildlife. Cultural values and practices re- lated to caring for nature at the same time supported the life of the mountain peoples. This culture has become the main priority for the effective,reasonable and rational use of wildlife resources.Such behavior not only contributed to the survival of the mountain population in the most severe climatic conditions, but also became the main factor in the conservation of wild fauna and flora.