Storytelling is an integral part of many cultures and social practices. It is also a way of transmitting knowledge from one generation to another. There is an undeniable change in the ways people across cultures practice storytelling due largely to the advent of technology. People in the past, as televisions, computers, internet, and even electricity were nonexistent, used to gather and share stories, even life events were narrated in the form of a story.\n\nOld people still recall gathering near a fireplace during winter and telling stories in Nepal. Slowly this traditional conduct of storytelling is being replaced by new media, so young people have little to no chance of experiencing storytelling as a form of social bonding and interpersonal interaction. With the aim of reviving the traditional form of storytelling as well as documenting these stories relating cultural heritage and social practices in the public space, a group of young people engaged in heritage conservation started a storytelling program known as Baakhan Nyane waa (literally: let’s listen to the stories).\n\nThe first edition of Baakhan Nyane waa started on 8 September 2018 with a storytelling session about the Gunla Festival celebrated by the Newar Buddhist in Kathmandu Valley. Gunla Festival is held in the September. The venue for the event was a courtyard known as pinganani in Kathmandu of the Tamrakar community, and the storyteller was Mr. Swatantra Bahadur Tamrakar, a retired professor of physics and one of the gurus of Tamrakar Gunla Baajan Khala, the traditional musical group of the Tamrakar community.\n\nThe latest storytelling series (fifth edition) was done on 19 January 2019 in Kirtipur city in front of Uma Maheshwor temple with the theme, “Name of the places.” Since the first edition, the event has been taking place in the different historic cities around the Valley, and stories related to the history and culture of the place have been shared. The chosen storyteller is somebody who has a deep knowledge about the community where the storytelling session is held, including the community’s history, culture, and rituals. The participants of the event are locals as well as people from other places, since the event information is disseminated via a Facebook event page. Live streaming of the event is done through Facebook live for the people who are not able to attend physically. One of the interesting parts of this event is after the storytelling session the organizer distributes popcorn or nuts, traditionally known as baakha paa, which used to be distributed traditionally after every storytelling session. The small snacks after the stories used to be a motivational factor to come and listen to the stories for many as joyfully remembered by older community members.\n\nThis is a new initiative by young people to safeguard oral traditions. Those engaged in this program contribute their free time, expertise, and even resources. More details about this event can be found at https://www.facebook.com/baakhannyanewaa/ .\n\nPhoto : A Scene of Baakhan Nyane Waa ⓒ Baakhan Nyane Waa

POLIMA (or PO-5 = 5 PO) is an expression containing five universal values: 1) PO-maamaasiaka, 2) PO-piapiara, 3) PO-maemaeaka, 4) PO-angkaangkataka, and 5) PO-bincibinciki kuli. These values or principles fall within the ICH domain of customs and traditions. The philosophical basis in found in the SARAPAANGUNA (Laws of the Buton Sultanate).\n\nThese are messages from the Founding Fathers of the Buton community as guidance in social life interaction They are given to create a peaceful, stable, and conducive atmosphere among the people. It is in such a way that government, development, and social life may go on smoothly in a way that is more effective and successful.\n\nThe understanding of these five values may be elaborated as follows:\n\nPO-maamaasiaka (root word maasi, meaning affection or love): understanding mutual love and affection,\nPO-piapiara (root word piara, meaning to maintain): understanding mutual maintaining, mutual protection, and mutual nursing.\nPO-maemaeaka (root word: maea, meaning shame): understanding mutual feelings of shame. The meaning is that if we do something scandalous or improper, we will surely feel ashamed. In our hearts we must be conscious, and feelings must be cultivated so that it is not just ourselves alone who feel shame, but also our parents, our family, our ethnic community, and the school or university where we studied—all will feel contamination and shame for the improper act that we have done. Therefore, we should not dare commit scandalous or shameful acts in any form.\nPO-angka-angkataka (the root word is angka, meaning to lift): understanding to mutually lift up, mutual appreciation, and mutual respect. The day to day implementation of this principle is in the form of politeness, good character in the form of speech, behavior and action that are the measure of a person’s personality.\nPO-binci-binciki kuli (the root word is binci meaning to pinch, and kuli meaning skin.) Thus binciki kuli means to pinch the skin) This is a figurative expression for an action that causes pain. We certainly don’t like to be pinched. So, therefore, we should not pinch other. Whatever action that causes pain to others and that we don’t like, we should not do to others. If we don’t like being the object of a hoax, we should not pull a hoax on others. If we don’t like to be the object of false accusations, then we should not target false accusations towards others. If we don’t like being cheated, we should not cheat others. In short, actions that we do not like when done to us, we should not do to others. Everything should be evaluated honestly in our deepest heart.\nThe word “PO” is a prefix meaning “mutual”, or “a reciprocal action”. This implies the principles of equality, equanimity, honesty, and mutual justice.\n\nThe relevance of the application of POLIMO principles is quite broad, for example upliftment of peoples’ mentality, and it has been elaborated in a book POLIMA Gema Pancasila dari Baubau (Polima, the Echo of Pancasila from Baubau), now in its second edition.\n\nPhotos 1~2 : Dr. H. AS. Tamrin MH, Mayor of Baubau City, SE Sulawesi, Indonesia © Gaura Mancacaritadipura

The recent 2018 inscriptions of intangible cultural heritage (ICH) on UNESCO Lists has raised again global awareness in variations of masked dance in Southeast Asia, which retell the story of Rama, the god-reincarnated king who defeats the demon king Ravana.\n\nIn the last week of November 2018, UNESCO announced the inscription of Thailand’s and Cambodia’s masked dance known as Khon and Lkhon Khol, which unfortunately drew ire from some people in both countries who are immersed in historical hostility.\n\nQuestions have come from many directions, in particular, on why these lists can inscribe similar traditions and which ones deserve better recognition. Indeed, such inquiries have been made within other contexts of heritage protection, which have no relevance to intangible cultural heritage.\n\nMost people are familiar with the concept of World Heritage, which concerns built heritage, from archaeological sites, ancient cities to cultural and natural landscapes. The outstanding universal value of World Heritage properties can be defined by one of ten criteria, such as being unique evidence of human ingenuity, manifestation of important historical events, last reserve of distinctive biodiversity, etc. The realization of these characteristics comes from scientific and historical backing. Such an analytical process requires comparison among different properties to demonstrate each site’s importance in its national and international context.\n\nHowever, these criteria of physical comparison cannot be used to judge the value of intangible heritage, which includes oral traditions; performing arts; traditional artisanship; local wisdom about nature and the universe; and different aspects of social practices, festivals, rituals, food cultures, and sports. Being immaterial in appearance and living in nature, the value of intangible heritage is defined by communities, groups, or individuals who have practiced it as part of their tradition and constantly transmit and recreate its forms and meanings in the ever-changing environment.\n\nThe UNESCO 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage governs the List of ICH in Need of Urgent Safeguarding, the Representative List of ICH of Humanity, and the Register of Good Safeguarding Practices, with ICH inscriptions decided by an intergovernmental committee. What is often overlooked is that the Convention goes beyond the lists and register. It highlights the role of communities, groups, and individuals concerned as key players in identifying and transmitting ICH vital to their way of life. It requests each country to take actions to ensure that ICH present in its territory is safeguarded, whether they are on the lists, and to respect the widest participation of local stakeholders especially in identifying, inventorying, and safeguarding their ICH.\n\nThat said, what is the most interesting in the value of masked dance about Ramayana is not how beautiful they are as art forms, or how they are made prize possessions of countries in the nomination process. Instead, they are most interesting as local traditions that are still viable to many different communities across the region, so all of them practice and pass on the skills and passion to the next generation. These masked dance variations have survived until today, thanks to the stewardship of local communities. This safeguarding success is something that state ownership of the culture cannot achieve.\n\nLast year, at the intergovernmental committee meeting, two variations of masked dance for Ramayana were inscribed. The first one is Lkhon Khol Wat Svay Andet, practiced at a community near Phnom Penh. The aim of the dance is to appease guardian spirits for protection and prosperity for the community’s people. Transmitted orally within the community for generations, Lkhon Khol Wat Svay Andet has only recently been documented by monks and local youth. Considering surrounding threats to this meaningful tradition from war to poverty and migration, the community has worked with the government to include it in the List of ICH in Need of Urgent Safeguarding. This will enable international assistance for the Wat Svay Andet community to encourage the initiative to safeguard their Lkhon Khol.\n\nThe recent 2018 inscriptions of intangible cultural heritage (ICH) on UNESCO Lists has raised again global awareness in variations of masked dance in Southeast Asia, which retell the story of Rama, the god-reincarnated king who defeats the demon king Ravana.\n\nIn the last week of November 2018, UNESCO announced the inscription of Thailand’s and Cambodia’s masked dance known as Khon and Lkhon Khol, which unfortunately drew ire from some people in both countries who are immersed in historical hostility.\n\nQuestions have come from many directions, in particular, on why these lists can inscribe similar traditions and which ones deserve better recognition. Indeed, such inquiries have been made within other contexts of heritage protection, which have no relevance to intangible cultural heritage.\n\nMost people are familiar with the concept of World Heritage, which concerns built heritage, from archaeological sites, ancient cities to cultural and natural landscapes. The outstanding universal value of World Heritage properties can be defined by one of ten criteria, such as being unique evidence of human ingenuity, manifestation of important historical events, last reserve of distinctive biodiversity, etc. The realization of these characteristics comes from scientific and historical backing. Such an analytical process requires comparison among different properties to demonstrate each site’s importance in its national and international context.\n\nHowever, these criteria of physical comparison cannot be used to judge the value of intangible heritage, which includes oral traditions; performing arts; traditional artisanship; local wisdom about nature and the universe; and different aspects of social practices, festivals, rituals, food cultures, and sports. Being immaterial in appearance and living in nature, the value of intangible heritage is defined by communities, groups, or individuals who have practiced it as part of their tradition and constantly transmit and recreate its forms and meanings in the ever-changing environment.\n\nThe UNESCO 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage governs the List of ICH in Need of Urgent Safeguarding, the Representative List of ICH of Humanity, and the Register of Good Safeguarding Practices, with ICH inscriptions decided by an intergovernmental committee. What is often overlooked is that the Convention goes beyond the lists and register. It highlights the role of communities, groups, and individuals concerned as key players in identifying and transmitting ICH vital to their way of life. It requests each country to take actions to ensure that ICH present in its territory is safeguarded, whether they are on the lists, and to respect the widest participation of local stakeholders especially in identifying, inventorying, and safeguarding their ICH.\n\nThat said, what is the most interesting in the value of masked dance about Ramayana is not how beautiful they are as art forms, or how they are made prize possessions of countries in the nomination process. Instead, they are most interesting as local traditions that are still viable to many different communities across the region, so all of them practice and pass on the skills and passion to the next generation. These masked dance variations have survived until today, thanks to the stewardship of local communities. This safeguarding success is something that state ownership of the culture cannot achieve.\n\n\nLkhon Khol Wat Svay Andet ⓒ Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts of Cambodia\nLast year, at the intergovernmental committee meeting, two variations of masked dance for Ramayana were inscribed. The first one is Lkhon Khol Wat Svay Andet, practiced at a community near Phnom Penh. The aim of the dance is to appease guardian spirits for protection and prosperity for the community’s people. Transmitted orally within the community for generations, Lkhon Khol Wat Svay Andet has only recently been documented by monks and local youth. Considering surrounding threats to this meaningful tradition from war to poverty and migration, the community has worked with the government to include it in the List of ICH in Need of Urgent Safeguarding. This will enable international assistance for the Wat Svay Andet community to encourage the initiative to safeguard their Lkhon Khol.\n\nAt the same intergovernmental committee meeting, Khon, masked dance drama in Thailand, was inscribed to the Representative List of ICH of Humanity. This List contains the majority of ICH being nominated globally, aiming to increase the awareness of the traditions’ importance and need for a safeguarding plan to ensure that it stays viable in concerned communities. For Thailand, this is the first successful nomination since it ratified the Convention in 2016. At a country level, this recognition will enable wider public support to Khon practitioners and more sustainable transmission of knowledge and skills.\n\nIndeed, Lkhon Khol Wat Svay Andet is not the first masked dance nomination from Cambodia. In 2008, Cambodia nominated its royal ballet to the Representative List. The masked dance portrays the story of Rama through characters existing also in episodes of Khon. After the war, the ballet faced difficulty from the lack of funding and performing spaces, as well as being overtly adjusted for tourism. The nomination at that time aimed to help create awareness about practitioners’ livelihoods under threat from commercialization.\n\nTo boot, it is not the first time that Ramayana masked dances were concurrently nominated. The year 2008 also saw Ramlila, the traditional performance of the Ramayana in India, being nominated alongside the Cambodian Royal Ballet. Ramlila recounts episodes of Ramayana through series of performances lasting from ten days to one month. The tradition is organized by hundreds of villages during the Dussehra season to celebrate the legend of Rama’s return.\nThere are many other expressions rooted in the Ramayana in South and Southeast Asia. India, as the birthplace of Ramayana epic, also in 2010 nominated Chhau masked dance from eastern India that blends the Mahabharata and Ramayana epics with local folklore. Cambodia further showed that Ramayana does not have to be portrayed only through masked dance, when it nominated Sbek Thom, Khmer shadow theatre, in 2008.\n\nThere are many more variations not yet nominated that, nonetheless, have proven to bear immense value to the practicing communities. Phra Lak Phra Ram in Lao PDR and Hikayat Seri Rama in Malaysia and Southern Thailand, for instance, are oral traditions that have influenced numerous festivals and dances that fuse local cultures and beliefs to the Hindi origin of the story.\n\nRecollecting masked dance and many more throughout the history of UNESCO ICH listing, we can see that the emphasis of these lists is not to show which one is the best or deserves higher recognition. The lists welcome nominations of similar traditions and encouragement to prepare joint nominations proves their function as cultural maps rather than ranking lists. In this case, they map how masked dance for Ramayana, as a collective art form by diverse groups of people sharing beliefs and appreciation, can extensively represent the great diversity of the intangible heritage of the humanity.\n\n*Edited by Duong Bich Hanh, originally published in The Bangkok Post and by UNESCO Bangkok.\n\nPhoto 1 : Khon, masked dance drama in Thailand ⓒ Department of Cultural Promotion\nPhoto 2 : Lkhon Khol Wat Svay Andet ⓒ Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts of Cambodia\nPhoto 3 : Ramlila, the traditional performance of Ramayana ⓒ Sangeet Natak Akademi, New Delhi

The Festival of Colors adorns the season of spring in north, east, and west India, and Nepal. While it is generally called Holi, and is a public holiday, it is celebrated as Basanta Utsav, or Dol, in the eastern Indian state of West Bengal. This is the biggest festival in the entire Indian sub-continent, transcending castes, communities, and religions to celebrate friendship and harmony. Incidentally, Mughal Emperor Akbar (1542 to 1605 CE) was the first Muslim ruler of India to play Holi with his Hindu subjects, striking a deep bond of faith and friendship with them.\n\nPeople smear each other, even strangers, with different colors and sprinkle colored water, with pink, red, green, and yellow being the favorites. This results in villages, towns, and whole cities turning into a canvas of bright colors during the festivities. In many parts of north India, the celebrations, including religious rituals, begin a week ahead of the first full moon in the Hindu calendar month of Phalgun. The main festival, though, is on the full moon day.\n\nBasanta Utsav has its own unique traditional charm with songs and dances playing a key role. It is one of the two main festivals celebrated at Visva Bharati University in Santiniketan, founded by poet-philosopher-educationist Rabindranath Tagore, India’s first Nobel laureate. During spring, with red Palash flowers in full bloom, the entire plateau landscape of Purulia acquires a bright red hue, casting an earthy romantic spell all around. The local communities traditionally celebrate the full moon night of Holi with songs and dance.\n\nPhoto : A scene during the Festival of Colours Celebrating Harmony © Banglanatak dot com

Made up of hand-woven rice straw, gundri is used as a sleeping bed and sitting mat and for drying pulses and grains, especially in the countryside. People, peasants in particular, fold gundri into a vertical circle where they store rice and grains; it is called vakari. Giving gundri as a wedding gift is also a practice in Nepalese culture. In performing cultural and religious activities, chokho gundri (pure mattress or newly made mattress) is used.\n\nOnly the Nepalese with special knowledge and skill can make gundri. In October and November after rice is harvested, they save long and flexible rice straw to make gundri. Women start making gundri from November to February. A rectangular wooden framework with a rope, known as taan, is needed to make gundri. A long horizontal wooden frame with a rope called hataso is used to combine and tighten the straw. Normally, it takes three to four days to complete one gundri. However, the size of gundri determines the time to make it.\n\nSelling gundri is also a source of income for Nepalese women in the countryside. They normally sell it within the range of NPR 400 to 500, depending on the size, and it can last for three to four years. The increasing urban lifestyle of the Nepalese and the preponderance of mass-produced mattress make it difficult for handmade gundri to compete in the market, which has resulted in diminishing interest making and using this traditional Nepali mattress. Consequently, during the major festival season (October to December), some NGOs based in Nepal run gundri-making workshops and exhibitions to increase public attention to revitalize traditional knowledge of gundri and empower women, the major producers of the mattress.\n\nPhoto : Making gundri

Jeju Island or Jeju Do was formed from volcanic eruptions that lasted from 1.8 million to a few thousand years ago. The island has a diverse and unique volcanic landform, earning its nickname as “a museum of volcanoes.” It is a repository of biological resources, as it is home to 2,000 plant and 5,000 animal species on Mt. Halla and in other areas. Jeju’s environmental value was globally acknowledged when it was listed as a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site in 2007. The island is now “a treasure island of environmental assets” for the whole world to appreciate and protect.\n\nUNESCO designates places of “Outstanding Universal Value” as World Heritage. The 2007 listing for Jeju Island was the first such site in Korea and is listed under the official title “Jeju Volcanic Island and Lava Tubes.” Among four natural criteria for selection (scenic value, geological features, biodiversity, and ecological value), Jeju was acknowledged for its significant scenic value (vii) and significant geological value (viii). The designated sites are Hallasan Natural Reserve, Seongsan Ilchulbong Tuff Cone, and the Geomun Oreum Lava Tube System, covering a total area of 188.45 square kilometers (Core Zone 94.75, Buffer Zone 93.70), accounting for about 10 percent of the island.\n\nMt. Halla\nMt. Halla is the symbol of Jeju Island and the central peak of a shield volcano rising 1,950 meters above sea level. It was designated as Natural Monument No.182 in 1966 and a national park in 1970. The mountain has various volcanic landforms, including the Baengnokdam Crater Lake at the summit, the steep cliffs of Yeongsil Giam, many oreums, and a network of lava tubes. Mt. Halla is a habitat for various species. In particular, the forest of the Korean fir (Abies koreana), at an altitude of 1,400 meters, or higher is uniquely valuable as the only pure forest in the world.\n\nSeongsan Ilchulbong Tuff Cone\nSeongsan Ilchulbong Tuff Cone was formed when hot magma rose to the surface and interacted explosively with water 5,000 years ago. This 180-meter-high tuff cone has a crater about 600 meters in diameter, and as a result of thousands of years of erosion, it has the shape of crown. For such reasons, Seongsan Ilchulbong Tuff Cone has a well-preserved volcanic edifice since the hydromagmatic volcanic eruption, clearly displaying the sedimentary layers of volcanic ash. For a long time, it has been the first of the ten most famous scenic views at sunrise, drawing millions of tourists every year.\n\nGeomun Oreum Lava Tube System\nGeomun Oreum Lava Tube System refers to a series of lava tubes that were formed by the flow of lava from a small volcano called Geomun Oreum to the beach in the northeast direction (for about 14km). Among the caves, Bengdwigul, Manjanggul, Gimnyeonggul, Yongcheondonggul, and Dangcheomuldonggul were designated as World Natural Heritage Sites. The caves have significant scientific value due to the excellent preservation of its internal structure and topographical features, given its age of formation hundreds of thousands of years ago. In particular, Yongcheondonggul and Dangcheomuldonggul are recognized as the most beautiful lava tubes in the world, as they boast a magnificent view with carbonate speleothems, which are common in limestone caves.\n\nphoto : Four seasons of Hallasan ©Jeju World Natural Heritage Center

The traditional carpet weaving takes a special place in the material culture of the Kyrgyz people, nomads and pastoralists of Central Asia. Its centuries-old history, customs and traditions has developed in various forms and techniques and is in demand on the market to this day. In the harsh and minimalistic conditions of nomadic lifestyle, textiles, including woven carpets, were an important part of a girl’s dowry. According to the local customs, when the bride initially arrives at her husband’s house, she decorates her new home’s interior with beautiful textiles given to her as a dowry. Different types of carpets and covers protected people from the cold, gave the home a cozy look and even functioned as furniture. They were created by the Kyrgyz women in different techniques and forms: embroidered wall panels, felted floor covers, woven lint-free and pile carpets.\n\nKyrgyz woven carpets can be divided into two types:\n1. taar or terme-taar is assembled from patterned stripes woven separately and then sewn together in the form of a bedspread or carpet. The stripes bo are woven by one craftswoman on a primitive loom using the terme or kajary techniques. The length of the patterned stripes reaches up to 20 – 25 meters; the width varies from 4 – 70 centemeters, depending on their purpose. Bo is also used to fasten together different parts of the yurt, a portable dwelling of nomadic peoples, assembled from a wooden frame and felt covers.\n\n2. The Batken, Osh and Jalal-Abad regions in the south part of Kyrgyzstan, located in the Fergana Valley of Central Asia, are considered to be the birthplace of the Kyrgyz woven traditional carpets – kilems. The main business of women to this day in Margun village in Leilek district of Batken region is carpet weaving. In the villages Kulundu, Samarkandek, Toguz Bulak, Aibikeh, Chimgent, Andarak, Kok Tash, Patkhoz, Bulak Bashy, carpet weaving is also developed and practiced by local women. Usually, women weave big size carpets, which can reach 2,5x4m or 2,5x5m, on horizontal looms – duken. Woven carpets with nap – zhule kilem, lint-free – arabi kilem and mixed – pombarkyt kilem.\n\nThe preparation of yarn using an archaic spindle – iyik is the most labor intensive and time consuming action. For different types of weaving, yarn is produced of varying degrees of twist and thickness in accordance with the specific requirements. Cotton, camel and goat wool is used for the base of the carpet, where is local sheep wool is mostly used for weaving. The pile knots are nailed with a wooden comb with teeth; the pile thread is cut off with a knife, and trimmed with scissors. In the traditional Kyrgyz carpets there are 80-90 thousands knots per 1 square meter. Pile height is 6-8 mm. A large carpet is woven by several women collectively. Approximately 3-5 women can complete a big arabi-kilem in 7-8 days, jule and pombarkyt – in about 15 days.\n\nPredominant colors: all shades of red combined with blue or black. Yellow, orange, pink, green, white and brown colors are used in limited quantities. For coloring, vegetable dyes made of local plants as onion and nut peels were previously used; since the end of the 19th century – aniline. Carpets are decorated with geometric, floral and horn-like patterns. The main ornamental motifs are: kaykalak – curl, tai tuyak – foal’s hoof, bychak uchu – knife tip, it taman – dog’s paw, ala monchok – variegated bead, boru gozu – wolf eye, jyldyz – star, etc.\n\nBy the beginning of the 21st century, weaving crafts in Kyrgyzstan almost had disappeared. Cheap machine-made synthetic carpets mostly imported from China and Turkey had practically ousted labor-intensive and expensive traditional carpets and strips made locally of natural raw materials. Nevertheless, hand-made carpets are still sold in the markets of Isfana, Batken and Kulundu villages. The main consumers are the locals of the Ferghana Valley, who appreciate them for traditional aesthetics. Prices for the dowry carpets at the market vary: 180-200 USD – for arabi, and 600 USD – for jule. The interest among local population to the traditional woven carpets increased due to the shyrdak, traditional Kyrgyz felt carpet, becoming the most successful craft product at the local touristic and export markets. In 2012 shyrdak was inscribed into the UNESCO List of ICH under the danger of disappearance.\n\nThe Crafts Council of Kyrgyzstan with the support of local administration is training of various traditional weaving technologies to the young generation of weavers in rural areas of the Kyrgyz Republic. International organizations support rural craft communities and cooperatives to create new working places, buy necessary equipment and train in both business management and marketing. This helps Kyrgyzstan to reach the UN goals of Millennium: to decrease poverty and safeguard traditional culture.\n\nPicture 1: A piled floor carpet in “jule” technique, size: 2.5x5m. Materials: sheep wool, goat wool (for the base); natural dyes: moraine, indigo, walnut. 1950s. Kulundu village, Batken region, Kyrgyz Republic. © Dinara Chochun\nPicture 2: A wall cover made of the woven patterned stripes in “kajary” technique. 1990s. Jalal-Abad region, Kyrgyz Republic. © Dinara Chochun\nPicture 3: A craftswoman weaves a patterned stripes using the “terme” technique, in the circle of a rural community on summer pastures. 1990s. Alai district, Osh region, Kyrgyz Republic. © Dinara Chochun

Nepal boasts an abundance of temples, monasteries (or viharas), and other socio-cultural places where various ICH practices are performed. Here, various forms of religious and non-religious activities take place on a daily basis; but during special festivals and occasions, they are transformed into workshops of ICH practice. This article will touch upon the annual activities at the Buddhist viharas of Kathmandu Valley during the holy month of Gunla (August–September).

Alisher Ikramov reviews information collected through a survey funded by ICHCAP. While his work primarily reviews ICH festivals, he is also able to gain insights into ways that networks can promote ICH along the Silk Roads. Looking at the importance of local communities and the popularity of such festivals locally, there is concern about a lack of a network to encourage larger tourist attendance. However, there are feelings that festivals do not authentically represent local traditions and products. Therefore, this could lead to an undesirable level of commoditization and as a result lower the quality of the event.

Vernacular martial arts (VMA) occupy a special niche within the diverse phenomena classified as martial arts. Cross-culturally, “Martial arts can be defined as systematic bodies of knowledge, belief, and practice that are associated with methods of attack and defense against … adversaries” (Green and Svinth, 2010, p. 331). On close examination, we learn that the behaviors we attempt to gather under this umbrella term are quite diverse, ranging from life-and-death struggles through rule-governed sporting contests to expressive forms, from globalized combat sports to localized martial culture. The systems that fall on the latter end of this spectrum I have applied the VMA label to, and among the various martial expressions these are the ones that most clearly qualify as intangible cultural heritage (ICH). The following distinctions are useful for the current discussion.

In the context of maritime realm, when people hear about Sulawesi Islands, they might directly think of Coral Triangle Ecoregions (CTE). This is because since the declaration of Coral Triangle Initiative, a multilateral cooperation of six nations (Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam, the Philippines, Timor Leste and Solomon Islands) to save guarding the productivity and sustainability of the Coral Triangle Ecoregions in 2009, these regions have attracted worldwide attention on its coral reef and associated ecosystem bio-diversity. Sulawesi Islands sit at the center of the regions (Figure 1). As the name implies, CORAL Triangle ECOREGIONS, people’s focus of attention is coral reef and associated ecosystems. Or, to put it in different words, the focus of attention is the natural ecosystem. Thus, the mainstream narratives about CTE is about bio-diversity, conservation and the ecosystem services to human being (see for example The Nature Conservancy 2008, CTI brochure). \n\nNonetheless, there is a serious concern on the sustainability of the regions. International institutions such as the World Ocean Council notes ‘as a global center for marine biodiversity, the CT is a major conservation priority. The CT’s environmental diversity and economic value are threatened by climate change, urbanization, overfishing, and other impacts. With these threats affecting six countries in the region, leaders created the Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI). Officially titled the Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries and Food Security (World Ocean Council 2016).

Gijisi tug‐of‐war is one among many traditional Korean tug‐of‐war games. \nPlaying Gijisi tug‐of‐war forms a temporary community as well as a trans-mission community. In exploring the formed community, this article will discuss how the communities are formed, the features they have, and the meaning such temporary communities have. In addition, this article will examine how continuous and conventional communities enable the Gijisi tug‐of‐war event to take place. While doing so, different features of the tug‐of‐war communities will be discussed by comparing the characteristics of the Gijisi tug‐of‐war community with the Jul Nanjang, a special market held for the tug-of-war. Although different and both have changed, the characteristics of contemporary traditional transmission commu-nity will be clarified. Such comparative research might give Gijisi tug‐of‐war to find its unique position among traditional tug‐of‐war games.\nBased on the name, Gijisi tug‐of‐war, one may assume that the people who create such a spectacular would be residents in Gijisi‐ri or even residents of Dangjin, which includes Gijisi‐ri. However, participation in the tug‐of‐war is not restricted and is open to visitors from the whole country as well as foreigners. As such, a community for playing tug‐of‐war is temporarily formed. In other words, it is a temporary com-munity that is formed in a specific time and space.