Materials
literature
ICH Materials 144
Publications(Article)
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BAI CHOI FOLK ART OF VIETNAM AND SIMILAR ART FORMS AROUND THE WORLDThe Vietnamese Institute for Musicology and the Binh Dinh Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism have jointly organized Bai choi Folk Art of Vietnam and Similar Art Forms around the World, an international conference held on 13 and 14 January 2015 in Qui Nhon City, Binh Dinh Province, Vietnam.Year2015NationSouth Korea
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The Many Faces of Ramayana through the Lens of Benoy K. BehlBenoy K. Behl is described as one of the great art historians of India by various media platforms. He has a record of taking more than 35, 000 photographs and producing more than 100 documentaries. It is possible to draw forth a comprehensive visual imagery of Buddhist art in India and other parts of Asia through his outputs over the years; a subject that is beautifully explored in his work.\n\nWith the support of the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, Benoy K. Behl has created another landmark project: a documentary on Ramayana as staged in India and beyond. Entitled Ramayana: The Great Epic of South and Southeast Asia, Behl’s most recent documentary had its world premiere at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco, California on 3 December 2016.1. The documentary is generally a montage that presents Ramayana performances from nine countries such as Bhutan, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Nepal, Singapore, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. It decisively attests to the claim that there was indeed a close historical cultural contact between Hindu India and Asia; this is among other things crucial to say about the documentary.\n\nAs current discourse on contemporary cultural production tends to emphasize the importance of transnational and diasporic tendencies, it should be noted that Behl’s documentary reflects previous studies on Ramayana, specifically the account of it being seriously regarded outside India. For example, Santosh N. Desai, in the essay Ramayana—An Instrument of Historical Contact and Cultural Transmission between India and Asia2., provides a useful cartography about how Ramayana travelled from North and Northwest Asia to Southeast Asia. In addition, Desai states some important details about how Ramayana was recreated into a text once taken from its geographic and anthropological origins, deviating from the Valmiki original version.\n\nBehl’s documentary on Ramayana gives a capacious effort to bridge the cultural gap between understanding Ramayana as a literary text and appropriating it as a performance text. It speaks of how literature can be a medium of exchange, surviving ancient stories which in some ways have shaped taste and perception across lands and generations. More importantly, it captures the evolution of an old and transcendental text as it is staged and performed in many Asian countries. As each country featured in the documentary showcases an appropriation of Ramayana different from the rest in terms of theatrical elements, Behl’s documentary shows that performing arts can be a vehicle to share cultural differences.\n\nDocumenting the movement of a text that has always been a part of tradition—from how it was once told to how it is received in the present—is itself an act of preservation. It immortalizes the journey of inheritance and reinforces the ways in which individuals appreciate their cultural roots.\n\nPhoto : The Battle at Lanka, Ramayana © SahibdinYear2017NationIndia
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Tò he: Folk toys capture the heart of children and adults in Hà NộiWhen strolling the pedestrian zone around Hoàn Kiếm Lake in Hà Nội, one may be attracted by a man sitting behind a small wooden box filled with colorful figurines. With only a small bamboo stick in his hands, the man can create beautiful roses, lively dragons and legendary generals in their elaborate costumes. It takes only ten minutes for him to complete the creation of a figurine. This man is a tò he maker.\n\nTò he, as briefly described, are figurine toys popular in Hà Nội and some other provinces in the Red River Delta of Vietnam. Traditionally, the common figurines depicted flowers, animals, historical figures and characters in folk tales. Nowadays, a diversity of new figurines can be made, adapting from famous cartoon and movie characters whom children adore. They range from Doraemon, Sailor Moon to Elsa Princess.\n\nThe about-10-centimeter figurines seem to be simple at the first sight but what make them really stand out are the sophisticate craftsmanship and great passion of their makers. The first step of making tò he is to prepare the dough by pouring fresh water into a mixture of glutinous and regular rice powder. The dough then is dropped into the boiling water for about one hour. The final step of making the dough is to divide it into different portions and dye them with food colors. There are seven basic colors used in tò he figurines: green, pink, red, violet, yellow, white and black. The dough must be carefully prepared to ensure the edibleness of tò he, which is a unique characteristic of these folk toys.\n\nThe creation of tò he figurines requires another great amount of patience and skillfulness. Every small detail is kneaded by hand, and different colors are applied without never staining one another. Therefore, seeing a favorite character coming to his/her life on the hand of the tò he maker is like watching a magic trick for many children.\n\nWith several anecdotal evidence, the history of tò he is said to date back to the 17th century. Xuân La, a suburban village in Hà Nội, is the home of most active tò he craftsmen. Every day, tò he makers from Xuân La spread out to different corners of Hà Nội to sell their craftworks.\n\nIn the past, tò he figurines were only sold during Tết (Vietnamese New Year) and Trung Thu (Mid-Autumn Festival). Therefore, getting these figurine toys from their parents could bring immense joy for children who had waited for them for such a long time. These days, tò he can be found almost every day at several major parks and tourist attractions in Hà Nội, such as the walking streets around Hoàn Kiếm Lake, Văn Miếu (The Temple of Literature) and the Museum of Ethnology. Tò he craftsmen are also present at many cultural events in different parts of Vietnam.\n\nFor many people in today’s Vietnam, tò he can evoke their beautiful childhood memories. And for children, tò he can bring them into a colorful world of creativity and imagination. While tò he, as such, currently enjoys considerable vitality despite the invasion of children’s modern toys and games, more efforts are required to make in order to keep this folk art continuously alive and flourishing. Making new figurines that are closer to children’s daily life is one of the directions almost tò he makers have been following. In addition to that, tò he craftsmen and those who love tò he have organized several tò he making classes where children and adults can learn about the history of this folk art and get hands-on experience of tò he making.\n\nphoto 1 : Dragons and roses are two among the most common tò he figurines. ⓒ Nguyễn Phú Đức\nphoto 2 : A craftsman is kneading a rose-shaped tò he. ⓒ Nguyễn Phú ĐứcYear2022NationViet Nam
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Thanaka: A Traditional Beauty Commodity in MyanmarThe cosmetic value of thanaka is nationally recognized in Myanmar. Extracted from trees, thanaka holds a high level of public trust due to its connection to the traditional life of Burmese people. In the past, thanakha was worn as a natural cosmetic concoction during the period of Myanmar kingdoms. During the monarchy period, lighter and more fragrant thanakha was used for royal families, and it was added with tiny gold powder while commoners used the pollen of flowers named gant gaw (Mesua ferrea). In addition to it being considered a beauty product, thanaka is also used by farmers and sun-exposed workers for sun protection.\n\nSince Myanmar is in a tropical climate zone, thanakha can give cool sensations and heal sunburns. When thanakha is applied on the face, it becomes a moisturizing treatment that primarily soothes the skin. It also has antibacterial properties that help clear the skin of pimples. As a result, thanaka paste is an essential part of our beauty routine. The glorification of thanaka is well-reflected in Myanmar’s idealization of beauty, particularly female beauty. The ideal woman is perceived to have a long hair, wearing Myanmar’s traditional attire, and using thanaka. This idealization is portrayed in media culture of the country, as well as in folk literature.\n\nPeople make thanaka throughout the Myanmar. Following simple traditional procedures, it is taken from thanaka tree (Limonia acidissma Linn). Ten-year-old thanaka trees are downed and made logs about fifteen centimeters long. Thanakha paste is extracted from the bark by grinding it with a bit of water on a stone slab called kyauk pyin, until it becomes a yellow paste. The yellow paste, thanaka, is kept in a small container for daily use.\n\nIn recent times, Myanmar has seen the proliferation of foreign cosmetic brands in the country, specifically in urban areas. Despite this, thanaka is still used by many and promoted by concerned associations, as it represents Myanmar culture. Although people in the countryside faithfully use thanaka, the collective perception of people about it as a cultural component of ideal beauty should not be missed in understanding the intangible heritage of Myanmar.\n\nPhoto 1 : Mother and son with thanakha ⓒ Pisi (U2 Photo Studio) photography\nPhoto 2 : Lady with thanakha at a five-day market in Hsi Hseng , Shan State ⓒ Mg Chit Pan (Taunggyi) photography\nPhoto 3 : Little boy with thanakha applied ⓒ Sai Moon (tgi) photographyYear2018NationMyanmar
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Traditional Tug-of-War as Shared Intangible Cultural Heritage in East AsiaThe 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.Year2019NationJapan,Cambodia,South Korea,Philippines,Ukraine,Viet Nam
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Parameters of Collecting Data for ICH Information SystemsMeasures taken in identifying the initial Philippine nomination to UNESCO on the first proclamation of Masterpieces of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity were based on the contingency and the availability of comprehensive information. Subsequent formulations on the collection of data were based principally on the identification of ICH that is evolving and/or devolving but still viable. Focus is made on the ICH processes that are still viable within the culture of the practicing societies. This is made possible by the fact that domestic and political institutional structures maintain much of what were in traditional cultural heritage, that were not affected by the introduction of world religions that have altered beliefs and values systems. The complication is that there are more than eighty ethno-linguistic groups in the country from which inventories will emanate.Finally, the manner by which the collection of information is organised along the lines of the structure of Philippine societies, from the municipal level uploaded to the provincial level, then to the relevant national cultural agencies; and finally to the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, that will maintain the national registry. Both literature search and primary field research will constitute the methods in data collection.To manifest the processes of identifying and collecting data for ICH inventory undertaking by the Philippines since the year 2000 is best described by\n\n:i)the initial emergency measures taken by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) in identifying the initial nominations of ICH to UNESCO by the Philippines in the year 2000; \nii)from the initial experience above, the formulation of the subsequent action plan for the ICH programme of identification and collection; and\niii) the methodology of identification and collection.Year2012NationSouth Korea
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Integrating the Circles of Academia and ICH PractitionersChonbuk National University established the Center for Intangible Cultural Heritage Studies in 2012. The Center started its initial mission for researches on ICH with collecting and inventorying ICH on the domestic level. The Center’s work has increasingly expanded to study various issues regarding safeguarding, policy-making and revitalization of ICH. On the basis of it, we were able to open an introductory course for graduate students starting in the fall of 2014. In the next semester, spring of 2015, we opened another seminar on “tangible and intangible cultural heritage.” As the next step, our university established the Department of Intangible Heritage and Information, opening its graduate program for ICH studies in March of 2016. \n\nInterdisciplinary Curriculum \nICH is a new field of academia in Korea. We have courses related to ICH such as folklore, anthropology, oral literature, and traditional arts. ICH area should cover diverse fields and subjects from everyday life to arts, from the secular to the sacred and from research to practice. We have specified in curriculum to clarify course descriptions and pedagogic principles in order to distinguish the ICH field. There are five fields of the subjects, such as ideology, methodology, management and policy making, education and policy. Each field consists of its corresponding sub-fields with which specific courses are offered. Our graduate program systematically arranges each level from introductory through intermediary up to advanced courses for graduate students.Year2018NationSouth Korea
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Oral Tradition of Maldharis of Banni Grasslands, IndiaKutch is a frontier district in the state of Gujarat, India, situated near the border of India and Pakistan. It is surrounded by Great and Little Rann of Kutch on the North, South and East and the Arabian Sea on the West. In the beginning of the twelfth century, Kutch was ruled by Chavda, Sama, Sanghar, Kathi and Solanki dynasties. Banni grasslands of Kutch, comprising of around 3000 sq.km area, is one of the biggest grasslands of Asia. This grassland acts as breeding and nesting ground for more than 250 bird species, including resident, winter migratory birds.\n\nGujharat is a culturally significant and unique oral tradition of the maldharis or pastoralist community of Banni grasslands in Kutch, which are folk riddles spoken in Sindhi language and are based on the seven traditional folk tales of Sindhi literature. These riddles include descriptions of the local flora and fauna, various elements of the surrounding landscape such as water, grasses, mountains, land etc, and also words related to activities associated with animal breeding. It originated around 1010AD and was practiced widely during the Sumra dynasty.\n\nGujharat is spoken in a poetic form and hides within itself a hidden words or paya or thip. When a maldhari composes a gujharat, he hides within it at least 2 to 10 payas. In order to decode a gujharat, the audience has to first guess the hidden words. The coded word is generally a common noun such as animal, man, woman, city, soil, wood, water etc. and the aim is to decode the proper noun for that common noun. Once the audience finds the hidden words, they have to start naming all the words related to that particular paya (common noun). Both wit and linguistic skill of the maldharis is tested while decoding the gujharat. Once the noun has been decoded, the narrator of the Gujharat concedes defeat and cries mari vai which means the gujharat is now dead. He then decodes the entire message in the poetic form. This poetic explanation of the Gujharat is called Sail.\n\nThe hidden meaning in a Gujharat is called Jhorni. Once the riddle has been broken, the one who narrated the gujharat speaks jhorni in a poetic form. Jhorni has to be spoken in a specific tone so that the sentiments and emotions of the Gujharat are conveyed to the audience.\n\nTraditionally, the maldharis or pastoralists of Banni grasslands would spend their evenings in the choupals (public gathering areas) and have sessions of performing gujharat, while the audience would have fun by decoding them. When the maldharis would gather while their cattle herds grazed in the grasslands at night, the gujharat sessions would go on all night long, with all the villagers participating enthusiastically. Rehan is a place of public gathering where male members of the community would originally gather to conduct Gujharat sessions. Nowadays, such gatherings also take place in Otaq, a room for male guests located adjunct to the main household. Special Mach Kacheri, a performing session of Gujharat is often organized in the Otaq. Mach Kacheri is also organized around a bonfire on a wintery night in open spaces in the village or forest. Maldharis often organize picnics called tola in the forest as well as near tad or sources of water, where singing of Sufi Kalam along with Gujharat takes place.\n\nGujharat are a unique oral tradition in the sense that they are one of a kind in the world. The whole process of constructing and solving the riddles is, in itself, a means of recreation and entertainment for the local pastoralists. However, the original objective of this oral tradition has deeper roots. The main aim of this oral tradition was to educate the local maldharis about the different elements and resources found in the cultural landscape of Sindh. The riddle decoding process would require the audience to speak out all the different names for the natural resources or animals in their region, which would make the riddle interesting while at the same time educate the audience regarding the flora, fauna, traditional knowledge systems and other resources of Banni. Since most of the maldharis did not receive any formal education, the mode of communication had to be oral, and in a way that would be easily accessible and understandable to the general public.\n\nGujharat has immensely helped in oral transmission of Sindhi folk tales to the newer generation. All the various aspects of heritage, be it natural or cultural, have been widely expressed through language, specially through the riddles in Gujharat. Due to intergenerational transmission over the years, gujharats have also been able to preserve oral histories, folk tales and have also recorded significant historical events in the region. The names of any extinct species of birds of animals are also preserved In the memory of the locals, through Gujharat. It is due to this reason that this type of oral tradition is considered unique and one of its kind in the world.\n\nPicture 1: A typical Gujharat Session in Banni © Aanchal Mehta\nPicture 2: Kambh: The traditional pose of sitting for Gujharat session © Aanchal MehtaYear2022NationIndia
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Epic Tradition and Epic Novel 'Alpomish'Learning oral epic traditions means learning people’s lifestyle, traditions, customs and history, their present and future, their way of thinking and their spirit. Specifically, it means understanding the originality of a nation, its qualities, wishes, way of living and outlook or, in other words, learning the oral traditions of a nation means to study the nation itself. The process of modernising our present morals depends on how we have studied literary heritage, including the originality and degree of mythology in oral epic traditions. For this, initially we need to learn, investigate and research ancient mythological imaginations of our people and their oral narrative traditions, which are the base for art and literature. Oral epic works present the literary history of any nation.Year2015NationSouth Korea
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CHALLENGES OF INTANGIBLE CULTURAL HERITAGE SAFEGUARDING IN INDIAIndia is the repository of an astounding wealth of intangible heritage with distinctive qualities of its own. The variety of geophysical features of India reflects its cultural diversity, from the Himalayan peaks to the sea coast, river-fed plains, marshlands, and deserts, all of which has helped shape its intangible culture in consonance with nature. India is a pluralistic society that combines different religions, faiths, racial communities, languages, and cultures. It has a wide range of artistic activities, traditional knowledge systems, folklore, performing arts and festivals, with about eight hundred dialects, and more than twenty officially recognized languages, several faiths, various styles of art, architecture, literature, music, dance, and lifestyle patterns from the urban and rural to the tribal.Year2009NationIndia
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Interview about Beijing’s Regulations for Safeguarding ICHNew regulations to safeguard intangible cultural heritage (ICH) in Beijing were approved last month by the Beijing Municipal People’s Congress. According to Chinese media such as Xinhua, CGTN, and Beijing Qianlong, these regulations are scheduled to be implemented in June this year. By the end of June, last year, Beijing registered over twelve thousand ICH items, including Kunqu Opera and Peking Opera. To get information about how these new legal measures would change the topography of ICH safeguarding in Beijing as well as in China, Jinhee Oh, an ICHCAP staff member, interviewed Zhu Gang, an associate research fellow at the Institute of Ethnic Literature, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.\n\nJinhee Oh: Could you explain what it means for Beijing making local regulations for safeguarding ICH?\n\nZhu Gang: The recently approved Beijing Municipal Regulations of ICH sets up a landmark for implementing the UNESCO 2003 Convention in China. In accordance with the spirit of the Convention as well as with that of ICH law of the People’s Republic of China that was put into force in 2011, the current regulations aim to ensure the transmission and enhancement of Chinese traditional culture through safeguarding ICH presented in Beijing and neighboring areas.\n\nJinhee Oh: How are the regulations organized and on what were they founded?\n\nZhu Gang: The regulations follow the general principles and ideas of the national law of China. For example, its aims, ICH domains, chapter structure, and defined legal responsibilities are in line with existing national ICH law. However, it would be inaccurate to conclude that the current regulation is simply another local duplicate of the national law. As suggested by the 2017 annual report of ICH in China released by the National Center for the Safeguarding of ICH, the national law passed in 2011 provides a legal scheme for safeguarding ICH in China, but it is also necessary and important to elaborate an instrument to more concretely implement the law for better ICH safeguarding and sustainable development at the national level. Therefore, the emergence of the regulations is timely and should be considered a concrete implementation of the national law.\nJinhee Oh: What do you think is the most significant feature of the regulations?\n\nZhu Gang: The regulations define the general principles and related mechanisms for recognizing representative bearers at the local level. Moreover, the concept of a representative bearer covers not only individuals but also groups. It is the first time in China that a legal instrument mentions the concerned groups who could be identified as representative bearers. Following the spirit of the 2003 Convention, which places communities, groups, and individuals as its central focus, the current regulations pay great attention to ICH practitioners and provide them with both legal rights and obligations for transmitting ICH.\n\nJinhee Oh: Could you tell us more about something new or different in the regulations in comparison to the national law? Moreover, how do you think the regulations may influence the Chinese ICH safeguarding environment at local and national levels in the future?\n\nZhu Gang: The regulations mention the monitoring of the implementation of safeguarding plans proposed by various bodies. This regulation will have great effects for safeguarding ICH at the municipal and district levels. Relevant mechanisms for evaluating the implementation of safeguarding measures would be established. According to the regulations, if illegal behavior is confirmed through serious evaluation, the included elements could be removed from the representative list or the already identified representative bearers could lose their official titles. This is also something new and different from the national Law.\n\nIn general, Beijing Municipal Regulations of Intangible Cultural Heritage are believed to serve as a solid legal framework for safeguarding ICH in Beijing. Comparing to the national law, it follows the basic principles but is more concrete. In the long run, implementing the regulations would provide valuable lessons for China to elaborate its own version of the 2003 Convention’s Operational Directives.\n\nPhoto 1 : Beijing Opera ⓒ 2009 by Zhao Yiping Beijing Bureau of Culture via UNESCO\nPhoto 2 : Kun Qu opera © Chinese Academy of Arts via UNESCOYear2019NationChina
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Oral Folklore in Uzbekistan: Focusing on Narrative ArtThe people inhabiting the present territory of Uzbekistan have their rich folklore, like any other nation on the earth. Dastans are special among the genres of folklore epics in terms of volume and variety of the means of expression. Like other major genres of folk art, they arise on the basis of archaic folklore and ancient national history and incorporate both ancient cultural traditions and the memory of the formation of the people, their spiritual world and historical destinies, their civil, moral and aesthetic ideals. Dastan (in Persian داستان), means ‘story’. It is the epic folklore and literature of the Middle East and Southeast Asia. Dastans are either folklore or literary interpretations of heroic myths, legends and fairy stories.Year2015NationSouth Korea