ICH is an integral part of the indigenous population of Fiji known as the iTaukei. Borne of a rich oral tradition that spanned migration from Southeast Asia into the Pacific from 3,500 B.C., the iTaukei people of Fiji share many similarities with their island neighbors of Melanesia and Polynesia. ICH has manifested itself in many elements—from oral traditions, social practices, knowledge of nature, traditional craftsmanship, and performing arts. These elements exist in a rich interplay of reciprocal social systems in which the pinnacle is the chief, the physical embodiment of the ancestral spirits. Practice of the various elements legitimizes and enforces the status quo in traditional iTaukei life.

More than 60% of Uganda’s population depends on traditional medi-cine because it is accessible, affordable and culturally familiar. With an estimated traditional health practitioner for every 200-400 Ugandans (compared to 1 western-trained doctor per 10,000) , herbal medicine has long been used to manage a range of common conditions, including malaria, digestive and respiratory problems, toothaches, skin diseases, and childbirth complications. This document examines the relationship between Uganda’s Ministry of Health and a traditional herbalist, in relation to its strengths, challenges and the implications for future policy. The Cross-Cultural Foundation of Uganda worked with the Natural Chemotherapeutics Research Laboratory (NRCL) and a herbalist, Hajji Zakariya Nyanzi, to prepare this paper. NCRL identified Hajji Nyanzi, a farmer and traditional health prac-titioner in Mubende district, as exemplary because of his experience, willingness to share information and his long standing collaboration with NCRL, the AIDS Support Organisation (TASO) and the Traditional and Modern Health Practitioners Together against AIDS and other dis-eases (THETA).

Hue city was home to the Nguyen Dynasty as the final imperial capital of Vietnam (1802–1945). It boasts many cultural heritage elements, both tangible and intangible. Recent years have witnessed a growing urbanization, making unfavorable impacts on Hue’s ICH safeguarding and promotion.\nNo comprehensive inventory of the ICH of Hue city had previously been conducted, until a new inventory project started in late 2021. In March 2022, I visited and studied the Tuy Ly residence (Phủ), located on Nguyen Sinh Cung Street, Hue city. This is one of the most salient and complete examples of Nguyen Dynasty residences, having the typical values of buildings of that period. Originally, the Nguyen kings ordered the construction of the Tuy Ly residence so princes and princesses could live independently once they turned 18 years old. It is situated in a dry, high location and is close to the local communities, but also adjacent to the river to offer access to boats as a means of transport.

Samoa is an independent nation that is homogeneous in language and ethnicity and is part of a broadly defined group of islands that make up the “many isles” of Polynesia. The vast majority of Samoans identify with some form of Christianity and there are estimated to be at least twice as many Samoans living abroad, in countries like Australia, New Zealand, and the US, as there are in Samoa.\nDespite foreign influences and globalization, the ICH of the people of Samoa remains rich and distinctive. At the foundation of the ICH of Samoa is the spoken word. It has only been in the last two centuries that Samoans have shifted from living in an oral culture to a society in which the written word has gained ascendency. The work of early missionaries to translate the Holy Bible into Samoan not only produced the scriptures in the vernacular but also created the look-to model for written Samoan that endures to this day. If the spoken word lies at the bedrock of ICH, capturing the language in a written format has helped ensure its continued use and transmission from one generation to the next, both in Samoa and throughout the Samoan diaspora.

People around the world have a natural fondness for stories. Many cultures use storytelling as a way to pass on information, traditions, and knowledge to the younger generations. Most of these stories are transmitted via word of mouth. Kathmandu Valley is filled with many stories, which are told in homes, villages, and during rituals. Humans don’t always play a central role in these tales. Many of the animals in the stories are normal animals found in our environment, although some are mythical. Many of these animals are even given the status of deities and are worshipped by the people. The origin of the Kathmandu Valley itself has an interesting story. Thousands of years back when the valley was filled with water, making it a huge lake, a bodhisattva named Manjushree arrived from Tibet and saw a light in the middle of the lake emanating from a lotus. In order to get to the lotus, he used his sword to cut a gorge into one of the hills, which people believe is the southern hill named Chovar, thus allowing the water to drain out of the valley. The temple Swyambhu was built on the spot where the lotus came to rest.

At present, there are 23 nationally designated urushi lacquerware production sites4) in Japan. Most of these regions are known for making everyday household items such as dishware. Urushi production sites exist all across the country, and have developed region-specific techniques that are adapted to the local environment and lifestyles. These techniques have been passed down by artisans.\nOn the other hand, urushi is also used in many traditional buildings. The urushi production sites involved in architectural applications are not limited to the abovementioned 23 areas. In recent years, there have been many instances of urushi reapplication during repair and restoration of buildings that are over 100 years old and nationally recognized as important cultural properties. This paper will summarize the current state of urushi application in repairing important cultural properties, and offer context to the issues raised in Japan’s domestic lacquer industry and supporting systems of production.

The use of plant remedies in the treatment of ailments and diseases has been practiced by indigenous peoples for generations. In Timor-Leste, there are many plants commonly used as folk medicine such as papaya (known as ai-dila in the local language. It is a small, bushy tree with a hollow trunk, large palmate leaves, and oblong smooth-skinned fruits). In traditional practice, the most popular among Timorese communities is papaya as medicine to prevent various types of diseases. Medical papaya plants are potentially valuable medicine concerns on health reasons for both indigenous and modern communities in Timor-Leste. Therefore, it is crucial to protect its natural habitat. Realizing the importance of medical plant conservation has been ongoing for ages by the indigenous communities as intangible cultural heritage. This article focuses on the importance of conserving local practices (knowledge) about the role of papaya leaves as local medicine to prevent various types of illnesses.

The kalukor fishing method or beach seine was practiced in the 1970s by fisherfolks that live along a stretch of the Lingayen Gulf in Pangasinan, Philippines. It started with only two units of fisherfolks who introduced it in the coastal area. The livelihood available in this coastal community has always been fishing and the production of related fish products that are prepared traditionally. The fishermen and their able family members that mostly include their kin and fisherfolk neighbors embark each day at 2:00 a.m. to undertake a traditional seine fishing method locally called kalukor. \n\nA boat will cast out connected ropes and nets off shore and set a V-shaped seine one-hectare area in the sea. The net is pulled down vertically with weights attached to its bottom while objects are placed on the net’s top edge to let it float. The seine net ends are pulled strategically by two groups holding ropes until seine reaches the shore, bringing in a fish catch. The duration of this process, with guidance of a boatman who signals the group when to pull increasingly to achieve balance to contain fish and other marine varieties, takes three to four hours to see net pouch with the fish catch reaching the shoreline. Presently, there are more than ten beach seines taking turns, lining up the stretch of the gulf in a day of fishing. The nature of Lingayen Gulf having a soft-bottom bed makes near shore seine fishing more\nappropriate. The fishing infrastructure that fisherfolks employ is a safer method and regulated by the municipal office to preserve marine ecological niches.

Traditional Kyrgyz cusine has been evolving for centuries and adapting to new conditions. Traditional recipes, ways of cooking and storing food are intrinsically linked to lifestyles change, many customs and traditions remain unchanged in local communities.

The Dusun people of Brunei Darussalam, amounting to roughly 10,000 people, are traditionally swidden rice cultivators. They used to live in longhouses called alai gayo (big house) that could accommodate three to four generations of bilateral family members, each administered by a council of elders known as tetuwo. The tetuwo were composed of both male elders (usually shaman and medicine men) and female elders called balian (Dusun religious priestesses) who are responsible for Dusun religious ceremonies referred to as temarok. Nowadays, they live in single houses distributed into small clusters of hamlets, due to the erosion of the traditional administrative system as a result of British colonialism in Brunei beginning in 1906.

Laos, having existed for thousands of years, is among the most ancient nations of the world. Chinese historical documents indicate that the original settlement of the Lao nation was in the region of the Ai-Lao Mountains along the River Mekong in what is now called Sichuan County. The region where Ai-Lao tribe lived was called Kao Long. This name was later changed to Kio Long Kieng, which means the river of nine Nagas—the territory of the nine snakes who were known as the authentic and original family of the Lao nation. Therefore, due to their origins, Ai-Lao people widely admired or worshipped the Naga in many important rites and tattooed Naga symbols on their arms and body. In Luang Prabang, the people refer to the Naga in the local dialect as ngeuak, which means ‘water snake’.

Since ancient times, Syrians have practised traditional medicine just as many eastern and western civilizations have, where common natu-ral ingredients—such as tea and opium in the east and tobacco, coffee and wine in the west—were used in traditional methods for healing ailments and diseases. Traditional therapies used in Syria include plant- and animal-based therapies, leech therapy, cupping, cauteriza-tion and others.\nToday, traditional medicine is practised by all Syrian communities, where traditions and beliefs vary among different governorates and areas. There are literally hundreds of traditional healing methods still practiced in Syria today.