Materials
Kyrgyzstan
ICH Materials 537
Publications(Article)
(124)-
Beldemchi Exhibited: From the Making of Women’s Traditional Clothing into a Field of Female CreativityAn exhibition of beldemchi was launched at the Gapar Aitiev Fine Arts Museum in Bishkek on 7 June 2017. The exhibition is still ongoing through the partnership of the Kiyiz Duino Foundation and the Gapar Aitiev Fine Arts Museum, an institution named after one of the first Soviet Kyrgyz artists who became a national artist of the Kyrgyz Soviet Socialist Republic in 1954. The exhibition displays more than forty items collected from state museums and private collections. It represents all regions of the country and various embroidery styles and techniques. The event is a sign of increasing interest in beldemchi in Kyrgyz society; renowned designers are already coming up with unique beldemchi design.\n\nOne of the Kyrgyz ICH elements, beldemchi is a traditional women’s skirt worn over a dress, gown, and sometimes thin coat. Conventionally, women wear their first beldemchi after a severe stress, e.g. first labor or situations demanding warmth. When worn as postpartum clothing, beldemchi helps women correcting their posture. It also gives physical support. Historically, as Kyrgyz people led a nomadic lifestyle in inland continental climate conditions during pre-Soviet times until 1917, beldemchi was an essential part of Kyrgyz women’s traditional apparel.\n\nBeldemchi may be worn daily and in holidays or festive events. It is made up of velvet and silk adorned with embroidery. The embroidery could cover either the whole skirt or its edges. Viewed as a protective amulet against evil eye, jinxes, and other unpleasant troubles, it is also a determinant of a woman’s age, social status, region, and her artistic skills based on the composition, style, and quality of the embroidery since every woman is supposed to know how to make a beldemchi and its embroidery. The main base of beldemchi is a double-leaved swing skirt with wide and thick belt. Beldemchi has several regional differences. In the north where the winter season is cold and long, it is mainly a wraparound flared skirt from warm fabric with a thick band over the belt. In the south, beldemchi is a buttoned front open cut skirt.\n\nThe presentation of beldemchi at the exhibition displays how the making of traditional clothing for women has gradually turned into a field of rich female creativity. Notwithstanding, beldemchi has started to disappear from Kyrgyz everyday life, which may have been caused by the changing views and lifestyle. During the Soviet modernism in the 1960s, wearing beldemchi was a sign of backwardness and provincialism. Soon in the 1970s, it fell into disuse. However, elderly women in rural areas have kept wearing beldemchi until now.\n\nPhoto : Women wearing Beldemchi © Kyiz Duino FundYear2017NationKyrgyzstan
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2. Traditional games and sportsTraditional Kyrgyz games have a centuries-old history. They have been preserved and passed on to us through generations having accumulated best nomadic spiritual values and traditions. Traditional games help to develop social skills, integrity and improve physical development.YearNationKyrgyzstan
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5. Traditional social-ecological knowledgeTraditional ecological knowledge and values are important for sustainability. Traditional ecological knowledge of Kyrgyz people is an evolving body of knowledge, which has been accumulated for many centuries. It contains information about the environment and peoples' interactions within it. The desire to keep connections to nature is reflected in Kyrgyz traditions, customs and rituals such as the tradition of visiting sacred natural sites, the knowledge and skills on natural resources management, traditional medicine and veterinary, etc.YearNationKyrgyzstan
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Kyrgyz Manas Epic Visualized through Motion Comic and Mobile ApplicationManas is the largest Kyrgyz epic and the name of its main character—the hero, who united the Kyrgyz. Manas is included in the UNESCO list of masterpieces of the intangible cultural heritage of mankind, as well as in the Guinness Book of Records as the most voluminous epic in the world. The Manas epic is divided into three parts: “Manas,” “Semetey.” and “Seytek.” The main contents of the epic are the feats of Manas. The Sagymbai Orozbakov (1867–1930) and Sayakbay Karalaev (1894–1971) Manas versions are considered classics. Modern scholars have not come to a consensus about when the epic originated. Hypotheses put forward indicate that it is connected with events of the Kyrgyz people of the ninth century. Some historians believe that the historical background corresponds to conditions of the fifteenth to eighteenth centuries but that it also contains more ancient ideas. Also, many historians point out that the epic time in Manas is not mythical, but historical.\n\nLast year, there was a youth hackathon event to create multimedia contents on intangible cultural heritage. Uluu Ash, a motion comic based on Manas, was made at this event. A motion comic is one in which sound or music is added to illustrations, and some pages show moving pictures, which is different from an animation with moving pictures throughout.\n\nAk Shumkar KUT public association, a Kyrgyz NGO, implemented the motion comic project with the support of the Institute for Sustainable Development Strategy, public foundation. During the hackathon, project participants developed a demo version of the mobile application named Manas, and a script was written for the motion comic. Later, the film working group, which included animators, artists, journalists, scriptwriters, musicians, and Manas reciters, continued to work and eventually made the film.\nUluu Ash, the film’s title, is one of the most important scenes in the epic. The glorious Kyrgyz Khan Kekötöy, having reached old age, leaves a testament to his son Bokmurun with instructions on how to make a burial and how to arrange all the posthumous rites. He also bequeaths to seek advice from Manas. Having buried Kökötöy, Bokmurun prepares a memorial service for his father. Manas takes over the entire administration. Many visitors from distant countries come to the ceremony. The Kyrgyz people gathered the representatives from Asia and Europe. The more important point in this ceremony was the advice of wise men and brave warriors at the end of the commemoration, which is described in the film.\n\nDuring the hackathon, an informal platform was formed to generate ideas for promoting elements of intangible cultural heritage among young people. This platform has its further development as a club for young creative minds to enhance comprehension and promote traditional culture. One of the products of the event was a mobile application of Manas. The application is informative and educational. It has been growing with subsequent addition and expansion of its content. This epic product is being made for the first time, and hopefully will provide a good example for young people to show the possibility that spiritual and cultural heritage may even now be the most vital element determining future and development prospects.\n\nphoto 1 : Capture from the Uluu Ash motion comic ⓒ Ak Shumkar KUT Public Association\nphoto 2 : Showing the Manas mobile application ⓒ Ak Shumkar KUT Public AssociationYear2019NationKyrgyzstan
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A six-step method to guide teachersThis booklet proposes six practical steps that teachers can follow to bring living heritage into their classrooms, beginning with finding an idea then moving on to developing a lesson plan, teaching and then evaluating the results.\nThe six steps presented in this section propose a logical progression to guide you through this process. They have been tested in several pilot projects and adjusted to best fit the needs of the teachers.\nAs for most teaching approaches, there is not a one size-fit-all way to bring ICH into your school. You are welcome to adjust the process and sequence to respond to your context and needs, and to best serve your students and your learning objectives. \nThere are many possible ways of integrating living heritage into a school-based education context. You can do it alone or together with other teachers, in the classroom or as an extra- curricular activity, as a single lesson or as a series of lessons. See the context analysis template in Booklet 8: Tools and resources, to guide you through the process.Year2023NationKyrgyzstan,Cambodia,South Korea,Kazakhstan,Nepal,Thailand
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Teachers’ storiesIn Nepal, teachers collaborated closely with members of the community to develop lessons integrating local living heritage. From masters to home- makers, local people shared their knowledge to safeguard their practices. In addition to making the lessons truly engaging, the collaboration also helped shatter some social barriers.Year2023NationKyrgyzstan,Cambodia,South Korea,Kazakhstan,Nepal,Thailand
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A six-step method to guide teachers (Nepali)This booklet proposes six practical steps that teachers can follow to bring living heritage into their classrooms, beginning with finding an idea then moving on to developing a lesson plan, teaching and then evaluating the results.\nThe six steps presented in this section propose a logical progression to guide you through this process. They have been tested in several pilot projects and adjusted to best fit the needs of the teachers.\nAs for most teaching approaches, there is not a one size-fit-all way to bring ICH into your school. You are welcome to adjust the process and sequence to respond to your context and needs, and to best serve your students and your learning objectives. \nThere are many possible ways of integrating living heritage into a school-based education context. You can do it alone or together with other teachers, in the classroom or as an extra- curricular activity, as a single lesson or as a series of lessons. See the context analysis template in Booklet 8: Tools and resources, to guide you through the process.Year2023NationKyrgyzstan,Cambodia,South Korea,Kazakhstan,Nepal,Thailand
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What is living heritage? (Thai)This booklet explains what living heritage is, as well as why and how it should be safeguarded.\n\nThe “What is Living Heritage?” booklet has three parts:\n▶ What is heritage?\n▶ Communities of living heritage\n▶ Safeguarding intangible cultural heritageYear2023NationKyrgyzstan,Cambodia,South Korea,Kazakhstan,Nepal,Thailand
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The role of parents and community members (Thai)This booklet provides suggestions on how parents and community members can work with schools, teachers and their own children to support the integration of living heritage into education.\nSchools can teach about intangible cultural heritage (ICH) and with ICH. Bringing ICH (also known as living heritage) into schools makes students’ learning more connected to their unique local culture and context, helping them to become interested in their heritage and improving their learning outcomes. To find out more about living heritage and how bringing it into schools can help both to safeguard the community’s heritage and to improve the quality of education, see Booklet 1 and Booklet 2 of this Resource Kit.Year2023NationKyrgyzstan,Cambodia,South Korea,Kazakhstan,Nepal,Thailand
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Why Teach with Living Heritage? (Khmer)This booklet details the benefits of integrating living heritage into schools, and it explains the difference between teaching about ICH and teaching with ICH.\n\nThe second booklet, “Why Teach with Living Heritage?” has four parts:\n▶ Living heritage in education\n▶ Teaching and learning about living heritage\n▶ Teaching and learning with living heritage\n▶ The benefits of teaching and learning about and with living heritageYear2023NationKyrgyzstan,Cambodia,South Korea,Kazakhstan,Nepal,Thailand
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The role of policy-makers (Khmer)This booklet provides suggestions on how policy-makers can support the integration of living heritage into education.\nTo learn more about living heritage and how bringing it to schools can help to both improve quality of education and safeguard the community’s heritage, see Booklet 1 and Booklet 2 of this Resource Kit.Year2023NationIndonesia,Kyrgyzstan,Cambodia,South Korea,Kazakhstan,Thailand
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A six-step method to guide teachers (Russian)This booklet proposes six practical steps that teachers can follow to bring living heritage into their classrooms, beginning with finding an idea then moving on to developing a lesson plan, teaching and then evaluating the results.\nThe six steps presented in this section propose a logical progression to guide you through this process. They have been tested in several pilot projects and adjusted to best fit the needs of the teachers.\nAs for most teaching approaches, there is not a one size-fit-all way to bring ICH into your school. You are welcome to adjust the process and sequence to respond to your context and needs, and to best serve your students and your learning objectives. \nThere are many possible ways of integrating living heritage into a school-based education context. You can do it alone or together with other teachers, in the classroom or as an extra- curricular activity, as a single lesson or as a series of lessons. See the context analysis template in Booklet 8: Tools and resources, to guide you through the process.Year2023NationKyrgyzstan,Cambodia,South Korea,Kazakhstan,Nepal,Thailand