The tug-of-war is one of the most well-known intangible cultural heritage elements that represent the Republic of Korea. Tug-of-war games were widely enjoyed by people across the country before the 1930s and 1940s. During the 1960s, the tug-of-war came under the protection of the Cultural Heritage Conservation Policy and has been appointed and is being managed by local and national governments. Locally, eight tug-of-war traditions have been inscribed on the national inventory list. Moreover, compared to other ICH element studies, of the element has been significantly researched.\n\nTug-of-war is a cultural heritage element of many East Asian nations, and these nations are preparing to nominate the element to the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. In this context, the goal of this paper is to discover universal traits in tug-of-war traditions in East Asia. However, besides the Republic of Korea and Japan, there is insufficient research on tug-of-war traditions in the region, which limits the scope of this presentation. In case of China, despite the existence of various records on tug-of-war in literature, the tradition as it exists in China today seems to be more of a sports match than a ritual event. I would also like to mention that this paper is a draft based on document records, the Internet, and the academic symposium hosted by Gijisi Tug-of-War Conservation Institute.

"To the Pacific islanders, the waters that separate them are also a factor that connects them. Bearing this in mind, the four themes in this section offer a glimpse into the need to hold mastery over the sea for survival—for the fish that sustain the people and for the creation of pathways to connect them. Through extensive interisland trade, the ocean pathways maintain and sustain relationships for political, social, educational, economic, and most of all, spiritual benefits. \nIn “Palauan Knowledge of the Sea,” for example, we see how extensive methods and nuances of fishing and oceanic knowledge are part of both the livelihood and identity of Palauans. Similarly, by examining the Yapese knowledge related to canoes and ocean voyaging, we can see the effects and importance of inherited know-how on the connected lives of Micronesians through the ages and today. In these and all the themes in this section, we see how expressions by custodians of cultural know-how and development of sophisticated navigational systems have allowed Pacific islanders to travel safely and interact with the ocean and each other. Pacific navigation is perhaps one of the most singular human achievements of humanity. "

"In a region as geographically immense and culturally diverse as the Pacific, intangible cultural heritage must be seen in terms of diverse worldviews, each with its own knowledge system and philosophy of life that structures and informs. This section addresses how intangible cultural heritage is reflected through specific cultural worldviews. As specific and unique as they are, however, each Pacific worldview can be seen as having a commonality structured by three dimensions: the spiritual, the physical, and the afterlife or ancestral realm. \nDespite their commonalities, the themes in this section still represent Pacific elements of knowing, philosophy, governance, and wisdom that sculpt life from vastly unique perspectives. The Tongan concept of heliaki, for instance, is not just a knowledge of language and prose, but rather a construct through which the Tongans build views about themselves and their interactions as well as the hierarchy within their society. In a similar way, Palauan place names are much more than words to mark locations; they are capsules of knowledge, events, and history that help the Palauan people identify themselves and their connections to one another. In these and the other themes in this section, the included values incorporate how the Pacific peoples perceive reality and interconnectedness and how their knowledge has shaped their worlds."

Co-orgarnized by ICHCAP and Hue Monuments Conservation Centre (HMCC), this year’s Asia-Pacific ICH NGO Conference was held in Hue, Vietnam under the theme of ICH NGOs towards Sustainable Development of Communities.

Intangible cultural heritage (ICH) provides a continuous link between the past, present and future. Every country flourishes with distinct ICH elements which needed to be safeguarded and transmitted from one generation to another. Weaving is one of the ICH elements that has thrived and intertwined knowledge systems, creativities, customs and belief systems of different cultures around the world. Communities identify their cultures through their traditional costumes which were handwoven using ancient weaving techniques.

This ancient theatre form created by Malaysia’s Malay communities combines acting, vocal and instrumental music, gestures and elaborate costumes. Specific to the villages of Kelantan in northwest Malaysia, where the tradition originated, Mak Yong is performed mainly as entertainment or for ritual purposes related to healing practices.

We all need space to fully immerse ourselves in our work, whether it’s an office, a research lab, a café, or a transmission space. Only when we have secured an area in which we can focus on work, we produce a high quality of work. To this end, we select such spaces by ranking them according to criteria such as the floating population, demand, rent, condition, and infrastructure. An artist I know established a studio in the vicinity of Hongik University in Seoul, since it is a bustling downtown area with a large floating population of people involved in art and culture. One pottery artist launched a workshop in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, since Icheon has close historic ties with pottery to the point that there is a village consisting entirely of pottery workshops and factories. The space in which a person takes root for months—or even decades—can reveal much about their life and personality, while allowing visitors to discern what they are about to see. That is the true power of a space.

The Republic of Korea has undertaken systematic efforts to safeguard intangible cultural heritage since enactment of the Cultural Heritage Protection Act in 1962 and implementation of the 2003 UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2005. Korea has a long history of institutions for cultural heritage safeguarding. Korean ICH assets are basically protected under three government organizations known as Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA), Intangible Cultural Heritage Division of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and National Intangible Heritage Centre (NIHC) of Korea.A variety of national institutions have taken charge of transmission, promotion, education documenting and archiving ICH elements in consideration of their domains and characteristics. Those organizations are working collaboratively with each and many other ICH stake holders such as government and non-governmental organizations, education institutions, ICH holders and community people as well as foreign countries and international organizations in the safeguarding process of traditional music and dancing.

As it happens, Skaņumāja, a small non-governmental organization, has emerged as the current leader in submissions to the Latvian National Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage. Despite the extensive work that has been invested in writing these submissions, this was never the organization’s goal. It was rather our members’ interest in the practice of folklore and traditional music that gradually led to the evolution of deeper interest in Latvia’s waning instrumental musical traditions. This has now become our organization’s most important goal—what was once a hobby has become our principal mission. These non-classical instrumental traditions offer a wealth of material capable of diversifying the cultural landscape while also serving as resources for a range of cultural, extra-curricular, special, and lifelong educational, social work, and leisure and tourism-related production, all the while averting the loss of unique musical instruments, repertoires, and techniques.

On identifying and researching the intangible cultural heritage of Ukraine together with local communities, local and regional cultural organizations, Development Centre “Democracy through Culture,” as an NGO accredited to UNESCO for ICH issues and engaged in ICH safeguarding, has found that music and singing traditions are inherent in all regions and localities of Ukraine as one of the most important national ICH manifestations. Among the different types of these arts (including one inscribed into the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding, Cossack Songs of Dnipropetrovsk Region) there is one common and popular elsewhere, reflecting the past, present, and provisional future of Ukrainian culture. \n\nWhat is referred to as music and singing art is related to bandura. A bandura (Ukrainian: бандура) is more than a traditional music instrument in Ukrainian culture—it represents the entire social and cultural complex combining such integral parts as bandura making, bandura \nplaying, and bandura singing, writing texts of special poetical forms (dumas), performing, leading a certain lifestyle of travelling performer or travelling philosopher. Bandurysts, musicians who play the bandura have had a profound impact on Ukrainian folk culture as bearers of special knowledge and skills, even as magicians and prophets.

Mizhavu, the main percussion instrument of Kutiyattam has a history of more than 2000 years. Kutiyattam is a Sanskrit theatre embracing classical as well as folk traditions of Kerala. Kutiyattam was inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. This ancient artform is an exquisite combination of acting, percussion, and gestures. The performers are Chakyars and Nangyars and its percussionists are Nambiars. Kutiyattam is based on four acting principles: angika, vachika, sathvika and aharya. \n\nBharathamuni music instruments are classified into four categories:\n1) Avanaddhavadya\n2) Tatvadhya\n3) Ghanvadhya\n4) Sushiravadhya

Colombian cultural diversity is marked by its triethnic influence from European, indigenous, and African traditions, added to a strong regional division due to the geographical differences throughout its territory. One of those regions is found on the eastern side, called Llanos Orientales(eastern plains), whose traditions are also shared with Venezuela, with four main departments: Arauca, Casanare, Meta, and Vichada. The llano folklore is undoubtedly the main element that culturally identifies the Casanare department, and from this phenomenon is where the idiosyncrasy and feelings of the llanero people come. \n\nHowever, as is the case with all cultural phenomenon, it is not static and immutable. It is on the other hand, variable and mutable. Thus through time and from different economic, political, geographical, and religious circumstances, among others, the musical traditions have been presenting a series of changes and transformations that have been visible in each period of the region's history. In this historical process, specific stages can be identified where some musical instruments are presented as the soul of the llanos musical tradition, reaching what we commercially know today as the Llanero ensemble, namely: harp, cuatro, maracas, and bass. However, these instruments have not been the same throughout history.