Materials
puppets
ICH Materials 101
Publications(Article)
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WATER PUPPETRY: A GLANCE FROM VILLAGE TO CITYPerformed in villages and closely attached to water rice agriculture, water puppetry is a unique performing art and is the intangible cultural heritage of the Viet people in the Northern Delta region of Vietnam. Created in the tenth century, the first historical record on water puppetry was inscribed in an ancient stele in 1121 called the Sung Dien Dien Linh in the Long Dọi Buddhist Temple of Ha Nam Province. The inscription reads that water puppetry was performed to entertain the king on the occasion of his longevity ceremony.Year2011NationSouth Korea
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Kreta Ayer Heritage Gallery: Singapore’s First ICH Community GalleryNestled in the cultural heartland of Singapore’s Chinatown, the Kreta Ayer Heritage Gallery is Singapore’s first community gallery that showcases different aspects of the intangible cultural heritage (ICH) of the Chinese community as well as ICH elements practiced by the arts and cultural groups located in Kreta Ayer.\n\nCovering a gallery space of 1,076 square feet (100 square meters), the Kreta Ayer Heritage Gallery was co-curated by the National Heritage Board in partnership with the Kreta Ayer Community Centre and officially launched on 14 July 2019. The gallery features a total of 123 artifacts, of which 68 are on loan from the community and/or arts and cultural groups operating in Chinatown.\n\nThe gallery is made up of five sections covering five ICH elements comprising Chinese opera, Chinese puppetry, Nanyin music, Chinese calligraphy, and tea appreciation. It introduces visitors to the history of the precinct and showcases the aforementioned ICH elements while tracing their evolution from the days of old Chinatown to contemporary times.\n\nThe first section on Chinese opera traces its popularity as a form of local live entertainment between the late 1800s and the 1930s and showcases the different elements of the form including costumes, music, and characters. It also covers opera houses that used to operate in Chinatown and the characteristics of different types of opera according to dialects.\n\nThe second section on Chinese puppetry explores the roots of the art form and focuses on the common types of puppetry practiced in Singapore, including hokkien glove puppetry, teochew iron-stick puppetry, hainanese rod puppetry, and henghua string puppetry. The section also features a mock-up stage where puppetry performances are given, and visitors can try their hand at operating stringed puppets.\n\nThe third section on nanyin music, meaning “music of the south,” traces the origins of the art form and features nanyin performances, instruments, and musical scores on loan from Siong Leng Musical Association. It also showcases different genres of nanyin music such as Fujian nanyin and Cantonese naam-yam.\n\nThe fourth section on Chinese calligraphy focuses on the roots of Chinese calligraphy and the Chinese calligraphy scene in Singapore. It also features the first generation of calligraphers in Singapore and explores how the cultural art form is still practiced in schools, community centers, and cultural institutions today.\n\nThe final section on tea appreciation explores the long history of Chinese tea, the establishment of tea houses and the act of brewing and drinking tea as a cultural art form. It also looks at the different types of Chinese tea and how they are typically paired with different types of cuisine.\n\nThe gallery also features interactive components that allows visitors to experience the different ICH elements on show. These components include a puppetry stage where visitors can test their skills as puppeteers, multimedia stations that allow visitors to experience playing nanyin instruments, and a Chinese calligraphy station that allows visitors to practice their calligraphy using “invisible ink.”\n\nFollowing its official opening, NHB and Kreta Ayer Community Centre is partnering with various arts and cultural groups in Chinatown to present regular programs, including Chinese opera, Chinese puppetry, and Nanyin music performances and workshops as well as calligraphy and tea appreciation classes for students and members of the public to promote greater awareness of these ICH elements and, where possible, facilitate the transmission of skills.\n\nWith the opening of the Kreta Ayer Heritage Gallery, NHB hopes to showcase the richness and diversity of the Chinese community’s “living” ICH, provide a platform for ICH practitioners and groups to showcase their skills, and create more opportunities to collaborate with community partners to showcase the heritage of specific precincts or estates as well as the history and heritage of different ethnic communities.\n\nPhoto : An interior shot of the new Kreta Ayer Heritage Gallery ⓒ National Heritage Board, SingaporeYear2019NationSingapore
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Interview with Charis Loke about Arts-ED and Integrating ICH into Non-Formal EducationOn 8 November 2018, ICHCAP’s Associate Expert B.B.P. Hosmillo interviewed Charis Loke, a teacher and artist from Malaysia, after the 2018 NGO Conference in Hue, Vietnam. Charis Loke is an artist programmer and junior trainer at Arts-ED Penang, where she designs and implements community-based arts and culture education for the youth. She also trains schoolteachers in incorporating cultural heritage into their teaching. The following is an excerpt from a two-hour interview with Charis Loke about integrating ICH into non-formal education in Penang, Malaysia.\n\nB.B.P.H.: How does your work relate to ICH?\n\nC.L.: At Arts-ED, we have facilitators, freelance cultural workers, and volunteers. We may not be able to articulate ICH in terms of how it is delineated by the UNESCO 2003 Convention as people working at Arts-ED are regular people, we have day jobs, but we know that where we are has a lot of tangible and cultural heritage. Our goal is to get the younger people to appreciate the values that ICH has. As you can see from our programs, we have some focused on transmitting art forms, where primary school children learn with master teachers. To a great extent, our master teachers reinterpret such art forms though they are still deeply connected to their roots. We are not really about continuing such forms in their original sense because our organization is founded on creative education in which reinterpretation is a viable method of teaching and learning.\n\nIf you ask what specific ICH element we are focusing on, we may perhaps refuse to pinpoint anything but rather suggest that our location, Georgetown, a multicultural place in Penang, is composed of many groups living together. When we do cultural heritage, we have to consider that these groups’ ways of life have evolved, and so the values present in Georgetown cannot be attributed to one ethnic group. We cannot say that this element or that is a Chinese cultural heritage or maybe it is Malay, so it is really hard to define and maybe locating the specificity or source of cultural heritage cannot really enrich that cultural heritage. What we do is integrate the values we know ICH has into subject contents and global issues. For example, a teacher may be asked to use shadow puppets as a tool to teach creativity and collaboration.\n\nB.B.P.H.: Your programs and activities are for free?\n\nC.L.: Yes, our students don’t have to pay.\n\nB.B.P.H.: And your students are mainly children?\n\nC.L.: Yes, but ICH practitioners in Penang are also involved. Actually, there are more people involved than we expected. For instance, some of our programs are done in a market community that’s been around for more than 120 years, so the market sellers and the market administrators can be involved, too.\n\nB.B.P.H.: Earlier this year, ICHCAP hosted an international symposium and network meeting with academics based in Asia-Pacific universities that have or will have degree programs and research initiatives concerning ICH. There has been wider efforts to integrate ICH into formal education, even the UNESCO ICH Chairs are basically entrenched within the system of universities mainly across the world. I think this is a reflection of how more visible and more pronounced the connection between ICH and formal education is. As somebody like you who is involved with integrating ICH into non-formal education, what do you want people to know about the work that you do as an agent of ICH safeguarding in the non-formal education sector?\n\nCL: Being in the non-formal education sector gives you a lot of creative freedom with how you approach the work of ICH Education. When it is not formalized, facilitators have more creativity to come up with teaching resources, and students can also have more creativity in response. This implies, of course, that even the larger community we are a part of gets to have a bigger room in our programs. Because of the freedom we get from the framework of non-formal education, we get to enjoy genuine interaction among those participating in our activities. More importantly, because there is deficiency in Malaysia’s education system, our work can also address the problems of content relevance or fill in the gaps between our culture and the present time that formalized training and schools tend to not be concerned about.\n\nphoto : Charis Loke speaking at the ICH NGO Conference ⓒ ICHCAPYear2018NationMalaysia
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Happy Bangladeshi New Year! Pahela BaishakhPahela Baishakh is the first day of the Bengali calendar. It has been celebrated within urban and rural communities since Mughal emperor Akbar inaugurated it in the fifteenth century to align with harvest season and tax collection. Irrespective of its name or origin, it has become a celebration across all faiths, castes, classes, creeds, genders, or ages, which makes it a secular identity of Bangladeshis and a way to voice against communal fundamentalism and promote unity and solidarity. The colorful procession that is an integral part of today’s Baishakh celebration is Mangal Shobhajatra.\n\nMangal Shobhajatra literally means ‘procession of well-being’. The procession is a cultural affair deeply rooted in the Bengali tradition of making clay dolls, pots, and other decorative pieces. It is said that Charupeethh, the cultural organization first organized the procession in Jessore in 1985 to celebrate the Bengali new year with puppets, masks, and music. In 1989, the students of the Faculty of Fine Arts of Dhaka University observed Mangal Shobhajatra for the first time in Dhaka and used it as to overcome their frustration with the existing military dictatorship. The people behind it were Mahabub Jamal Shamim, Moklesur Rahman, and Heronmay Chanda.\n\nThe procession usually has three themes—one set shows oppression and evil, a second theme represents people’s courage and strength to overcome the said evil, and the last theme reflects peace and solidarity of the people. This year’s (1424 Banggabda/ Bengali year) theme was to look toward light with the slogan “Anandaloke Mangalaloke Biraja Satyasundara” from Rabindranath Tagore’s line.\n\nAs in previous years, this year’s Mangal Shobhajatra drew thousands of participants from different walks of life. The participants carried colorful masks and floats of flowers, birds, animals, sun, and other motifs while the sun stood as a calling to come toward lights, shunning the darkness. The symbolic sun with its two shades—one is bright and the other is dark—represented two shades of human nature. Fish and birds on the other hand highlighted the cultural heritage of the country while the elephant symbolized prosperity. After the procession, the masks are often given away or sold as part of a charity fund drive.\n\nIn 2016, the Intergovernmental Committee on Safeguarding Cultural Heritage of UNESCO registered the Mangal Shobhajatra on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. It added a new dimension of celebration this year as the government of Bangladesh organized the procession across the country. West Bengal, India, also brought out the traditional Mangal Shobhajatra in 2017.\n\nphoto: Bangladeshi children with placard in at Pohela Boishakh celebration CC-BY-SA-4.0 Moheen ReeyadYear2017NationBangladesh
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The Angono’s Higantes Festival for San ClementeHigantes Festival is celebrated every 22 and 23 November in the city of Angono, Province of Rizal in the Philippines to honor San Clemente, the patron saint of fishermen. The festival features a parade of hundreds of higantes, papier-mâché giants. Higantes are puppets rendered as man or woman in various costumes; their face gives a commanding look, their hands on the waist. The festival’s origin can be traced back to the period of Spanish colonial rule when, as Angono was a ruled hacienda, celebrations were prohibited, except for one festival per year. The Angonos (people of Angono) used the festival as an opportunity to mock hacienda owners by making papier-mâché caricatures—an art they learned from Spanish friars.\n\nIn the present time, the Angonos build higantes to represent each barangay (smallest administrative division in the Philippines; village) for the festival’s parade. Accordingly a higante with a duck-shaped heard, for example, represents a barangay famous for fried duck and balut (boiled duck embryo eaten from its shell). The number of higantes has increased to hundreds over time, with more and more artists making higantes in various sizes and shapes. Seminars or workshops on higante-making thru government support have also contributed to keeping the festival alive.\n\nIt takes about a month to make no less than three-meter-tall higante. A higante’s head, the hardest part taking a week to create, is made up of newspaper strips while its body is made up of bamboo or rattan strips to carry it easily for hours. The handle’s height is adjusted to see its legs when it is raised by 30 cm from the ground.\n\nIn a tradition called basaan, people sprinkle water on the parade or each other for blessing. People believe that water symbolizes San Clemente, the patron saint of fishermen, which is why they shout for water on themselves. The parade also includes a band and a group of young girls called parehadores. Suited in colorful costumes, parehadores hold a sagwan (wooden boat paddle), wearing wooden slippers; such items are symbols of San Clemente devotees. The girls march together with the band, shouting “Viva San Clemente!” The band plays music, following the girls. With multiple parade teams competing with each other, Higantes Festival has become one of the most famous festivals enjoyed by people of all ages in the Philippines.\n\nphoto: unesco logo ⓒ unescoYear2017NationPhilippines
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WAYANG KLITHIK, RELUCTANT TO LIVE, BUT NOT WILLING TO DIEKlithik form wayang puppetry gets its name from the sound the puppets make—klithik–klithik—when the puppeteer (dalang) performs. The puppet bodies are carved from thin wood while their arms are made from leather. Wayang klithik performances do not use a screen, and the audience directly faces the puppeteer. Performances are accompanied by a small ensemble of gamelan orchestra instruments—namely, kendang (drums), saron, ketuk, kenong, kecer, rebab, and kempul.Year2011NationSouth Korea
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Sholapith, Reviving a Fine Craft Tradition in IndiaShola, or sholapith, is a milky-white, spongy plant matter that is shaped into objects of art and utility by the indigenous communities of West Bengal in eastern India. It is lightweight and versatile, enabling it to serve a diverse range of functional and esthetic purposes. For instance, traditional craftspeople now use shola for their intricate work since the ban on ivory use.\n\nShola, or sholapith, is a milky-white, spongy plant matter that is shaped into objects of art and utility by the indigenous communities of West Bengal in eastern India. It is lightweight and versatile, enabling it to serve a diverse range of functional and esthetic purposes. For instance, traditional craftspeople now use shola for their intricate work since the ban on ivory use.\n\nShola became hugely popular during the period of the British Empire. The ubiquitous shola topi (pith helmet) was worn in the colonies in Asia and Africa and became symbolic of the colonizers. Shola has always been essential in the Bengali Hindu cultural tradition. Shola objects like topor (bridegroom’s headgear) are a must at every wedding.\n\nIndigenous communities use shola in their rituals throughout the different districts of Bengal. The Manasar Chali is a depiction of the goddess of snakes, fertility, and wealth and is customary for the worship of Manasa all over North Bengal. A wall hanging known as Saitol is considered auspicious in wedding and childbirth rituals. String puppets are made from a shola base and a clay exterior, as shola is both light and easy to shape. Flowers are made with shola for both ritual and ornamental purposes. In modern times, various accessories and decorative items made of shola have become increasingly popular. There are now only around a score of master craftspeople who have the skills to make intricate items, though 7,000 craftspeople are associated with this craft.\n\nShola, or sholapith, is a milky-white, spongy plant matter that is shaped into objects of art and utility by the indigenous communities of West Bengal in eastern India. It is lightweight and versatile, enabling it to serve a diverse range of functional and esthetic purposes. For instance, traditional craftspeople now use shola for their intricate work since the ban on ivory use.\n\nShola became hugely popular during the period of the British Empire. The ubiquitous shola topi (pith helmet) was worn in the colonies in Asia and Africa and became symbolic of the colonizers. Shola has always been essential in the Bengali Hindu cultural tradition. Shola objects like topor (bridegroom’s headgear) are a must at every wedding.\n\nIndigenous communities use shola in their rituals throughout the different districts of Bengal. The Manasar Chali is a depiction of the goddess of snakes, fertility, and wealth and is customary for the worship of Manasa all over North Bengal. A wall hanging known as Saitol is considered auspicious in wedding and childbirth rituals. String puppets are made from a shola base and a clay exterior, as shola is both light and easy to shape. Flowers are made with shola for both ritual and ornamental purposes. In modern times, various accessories and decorative items made of shola have become increasingly popular. There are now only around a score of master craftspeople who have the skills to make intricate items, though 7,000 craftspeople are associated with this craft.\n\nThe project for the revival of shola www.sholacraft.com) by Contact Base (banglanatak.com, a social enterprise in India) is supported by the German Consulate General of Kolkata under the German government’s Cultural Preservation Program. An exhibition, Green Ivory, was held in Kolkata between 17 and 19 July 2019, showcasing exquisite shola craft products. Young visitors were especially thrilled, as for many of them, the material was a new discovery, and they had lots of fun learning some simple crafts at the workshop conducted by the artists.\n\nPhoto 1 : Shola flowersⓒBanglanatak dot com\nPhoto 2 : Shola exhibition ⓒ Banglanatak dot com\nPhoto 3 : Manasar chali ⓒ Banglanatak dot com\nPhoto 4 : Happy students ⓒ Banglanatak dot comYear2019NationIndia
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STRINGS OF REVIVALPuppets have been a metaphor in Indian literature for ages. One’s deftness in getting something done is often compared with the skills of a puppeteer. Puppets reflect the helplessness of people in situations beyond their control, like a puppet dancing to the whims of the one pulling its strings. The metaphor, incidentally, is also applicable to the lives of string puppeteers of Muragacha in the Nadia District in the eastern Indian state of West Bengal.Year2018NationSouth Korea