IJIH

IJIH volumes Vol.14

Foreword

Author : Yoon Sung-Yong, Director-General, National Folk Museum of Korea

IJIH volumes Vol.14

Editorial

Author : Alissandra Cummins, Editor-in-Chief, Editorial Board

IJIH volumes Vol.14

Living site, living values: the Matendera festival as practice in community conservation

Author : Njabulo Chipangura, Robert T. Nyamushosho, Takudzwa B. Pasipanodya

The Matendera festival is a ceremony conducted annually
to celebrate the intangible heritage of the Shona people
of Buhera in eastern Zimbabwe, popularly known as the
Vahera, through their native dances, traditional music
and cuisine, and a marathon. The ceremony is hosted
annually at Matendera, a spectacular dry-stone-walled
Iron Age site whose builders are historically connected
to the Vahera. Through co-ordinating the efforts of
the National Museums and Monuments of Zimbabwe
(NMMZ), the Buhera Rural District Council (BRDC) and
other secondary stakeholders, the Vahera community
gathers at Matendera to showcase their traditional foods,
dances and games as part of their efforts to celebrate
and experience Hera history and culture in relation to
the tangible aspects of Matendera, a former abode of
their ancestors. In this paper, we show how we used
archaeological ethnography as a methodology for engaging
the communities in conversations about the intangible
meanings and importance of this festival. We illustrate
how the circulation of knowledge in a festival is different
from that in a traditional museum, by presenting aspects of
intangible heritage that manifest in the form of traditional
dances, foods, songs and social games. Ultimately, the
fact that the history and archaeology of Matendera is
largely enshrined within its monumental architecture
enables the use of archaeological ethnography as a tool
for understanding the contemporary social context of the
site. Thus, we argue that Matendera cannot be divorced
from the intangible practices that are showcased there
during the festival.

IJIH volumes Vol.14

Wangkarra: communication and the verbal arts of Australia’s Western Desert

Author : Inge Kral, Jennifer Green, Elizabeth Marrkilyi Ellis

In this paper we situate the verbal arts of the Ngaanyatjarra
people of the Western Desert of Australia within the
discourse surrounding the UNESCO concept of Intangible
Cultural Heritage. We describe the rich heritage of oral
traditions that exist in the Ngaanyatjarra region, how they
emerged, how they are being sustained and the forces
of change that reveal their fragile state today. We give
an account of the Western Desert Verbal Arts Project, a
documentation project that has, since 2010, collected,
recorded and archived a spectrum of practices including
oral narratives, sand storytelling, alternate sign language
and special speech styles. These practices are embedded
in a speech community where the everyday indigenous
spoken language is also considered endangered. We
consider ways to not only safeguard these rarefied and
extremely fragile verbal arts traditions, but also to bring
them to the fore as an integral aspect of the living heritage
of the Ngaanyatjarra people.

IJIH volumes Vol.14

Aligning tradition and creativity: preserving pansori in South Korea

Author : Anna Yates-Lu

In 2016, the South Korean government implemented the
Act on the Safeguarding and Promotion of Intangible
Cultural Properties (Muhyeong munhwajae bojeon mit
jinheung e gwanhan beomnyul), thus entering a new
stage in the preservation of intangible cultural heritage.
Through tracing the development of the preservation of
pansori, a sung storytelling art form which was amongst
the first to be designated as intangible cultural heritage
in Korea in 1964, I discuss how patterns of preservation
strategies have emerged, as well as how these are being
targeted by the new legislation. Although it is still too
early to observe the lasting effects of the new legislation,
an analysis of the critiques of the previous system, as well
as the hopes pinned on the future, will indicate potential
future trends.

IJIH volumes Vol.14

Intangible heritage in the United States: a history of separate initiatives

Author : William Chapman

This paper examines the history of the United States’
forays into the recognition and protection of elements
of intangible heritage. It traces the beginnings of US
initiatives to programmes of the Library of Congress in
the late 1920s through several Smithsonian Institution
Programmes from the 1930s on, notably the Smithsonian
Folklife Festival, begun in 1967 and more recently, the
NEA National Heritage Fellowship Programmes. It
further examines the work of the National Park Service
and Tribal Preservation Programmes, as well as the
more recent Pacific Island Programmes. A final section
examines regional and citywide efforts to identify and
conserve aspects of intangible heritage. Although the US
has officially withdrawn from participation in the work
of UNESCO it is consoling to recognise the important
strides the US has made in the effort to promote and
protect traditional modes of cultural expression and the
diversity of US approaches, which is in fact in line with the
objectives of the organisation’s international Convention
for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

IJIH volumes Vol.14

Safeguarding memory as intangible heritage: experiences and stories of life on Hong Kong’s social housing estates

Author : Jonathan Paquette, Di Wang, Won Min Seo

Public housing is an important facet of social life in Hong
Kong. Nearly half the population benefits from living in a
publicly subsidised unit. In recent years, strategies have
been put in place to preserve the architectural heritage of
public housing in Hong Kong. Similarly, other strategies
targeted the safeguarding, the valuation, and promotion of
life in the public estates in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s as
a manifestation of intangible heritage, and symbol of Hong
Kong’s identity. Memories of public housing contribute to
preserving and promoting a form of intangible heritage
that is remembered across Hong Kong’s various heritage
institutions. Over the last decade, many projects have
attempted to engage with the ethos of life in public
estates through different ambitious exhibitions and site
redevelopment projects. After reviewing the different
strategies put in place to engage with the intangible
heritage of early life in public housing, this paper reviews
the technical challenges and the ethical dimensions
associated with the preservation and valuation of this type
of intangible heritage.

IJIH volumes Vol.14

Dovetailing: safeguarding traditional craftsmanship using virtual reality

Author : Ingeborg Goll Rossau, Milo Marsfeldt Skovfoged, Jedrzej Jacek Czapla, Miroslav Kalinov Sokolov, Kasper Rodil

This article focuses on the dialogue between Intangible
Cultural Heritage (ICH) and technology, specifically
within the domain of traditional craftsmanship. We begin
by establishing the current methods of safeguarding
traditional crafts, as described in previous issues of this
journal, and the benefits and limitations of these. This is
followed by an introduction to the concept of digitisation
and the Tripartite Digitisation Model (TDM) for capturing,
representing and disseminating ICH through digital
means. Through a case study of digitising a traditional
joinery technique, we explore different methods for
capturing data about ICH and reflect on their use for
digitisation. The ICH is represented through 3D models,
video clips and audio voice-over, and disseminated in an
interactive VR simulation. After evaluating the simulation
with the people whose ICH we were trying to safeguard,
we discuss the benefits and limitations of moving the ICH
from its original context into a digital one.

IJIH volumes Vol.14

Beyond the intangible/tangible binary: an analysis of historic built environments in Valencia, Spain.

Author : Juan García-Esparza

This paper is a theoretical reflection aiming to understand
how specific assets of intangible heritage are affected
by contemporary discourse. This approach focuses on
understanding the protection, preservation and reenactment
of the intangible heritage found in Spanish
rural landscapes. By an analysis of the global, national
and regional laws, the paper addresses the need to
approach the intangible, understanding the peculiarities
of places that shape the scenery. The places and ‘Assets
of Cultural Interest’ analysed in this paper are defined
as geographic areas associated with a historic event,
activity, or people, which exhibit cultural and aesthetic
values. Following this definition, these landscapes are
experiential cultural spaces, involving a complex set of
elements, fixed, semi-fixed and unfixed. The way in which
these traditions are viewed and experienced by locals and
foreigners plays a central role in many intangible heritage
studies, as does the way in which it reflects integrity,
authenticity, attachment and a sense of identity, and how
it anchors collective memory. It is the intention of this paper
to emphasise the need to transfer the phenomenon of
intangible heritage from the realm of a lived experience
to the world of living places. In doing so some questions
arise: Is the intangible cultural heritage contained in
rural landscapes authentic? Is it simply the materiality,
the past act or the past cultural process, or is it the way
the intangible cultural heritage has been managed until
today? Are we applying critical considerations to inner and
outer perceptions, appropriations and transmigrations
when managing cultural heritage?

IJIH volumes Vol.14

Cross-cultural understanding of Chinese traditional puppetry: integrating digital technology to enhance audience engagement

Author : Shichao Zhao, David Kirk, Simon Bowen, Peter Wright

The digital heritage sector has become a highly
significant part of the development of cultural heritage.
Cultural organisations are increasingly using interactive
technology to support the understanding of cultural
heritage. This research aims to provide an approach
for digital cultural heritage researchers and digital
museologists to establish an appropriate position within
digital cultural heritage. In this paper, the authors
have undertaken a qualitative evaluation of data based
on interviews, workshops and fieldwork focusing on
potential transcultural audiences, and Chinese/non-
Chinese puppetry stakeholders. From these findings, the
authors have presented several design suggestions for
cultural preservation to surmount transcultural barriers.

IJIH volumes Vol.14

Gastronomic heritage elements at UNESCO: problems, reflections and interpretations on a new heritage category

Author : Marco Romagnoli

The 2003 UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of
the Intangible Cultural Heritage paved the way as the
first international and binding instrument to safeguard
‘intangible cultural heritage’. ICH is a relatively newlydefined
concept by UNESCO, differentiated from the
category of UNESCO World Heritage related to the 1972
Convention. This shift of paradigm – from tangible to
intangible, from ‘cultural objects’ to ‘cultural processes’,
and from protecting to safeguarding – constitutes a
renewal of the definition and management of immaterial
manifestations as well as their inscription on the
UNESCO ICH Lists. In 2010, the Traditional Mexican
Cuisine, the Mediterranean diet and the Gastronomic
Meal of the French were inscribed on the Representative
List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
These inscriptions represented a step forward in
UNESCO’s recognition of new heritage categories and,
more specifically, the consideration of gastronomy with
regard to its symbolic, identity and ritual role in societies.
From 2010, more gastronomic elements made it to the
List. Nevertheless, academic research on food heritage
mainly analysed case studies about cuisine and food
instead of providing theoretical perspectives, and the
effects of food heritagisation on the UNESCO List are
far from having been thoroughly studied and evaluated
through fieldwork. The aim of this paper is to explore
the ways in which heritage is constructed 1) starting by
defining cultural heritage, Intangible Cultural Heritage
and gastronomic heritages, 2) continuing to challenge
the actual feasibility of heritagising gastronomy and the
social practices associated therewith, via UNESCO, and 3)
ending with some reflections on the reasons for the great
interest in inscribing food heritage with UNESCO.

IJIH volumes Vol.14

(Co-)curating the rural traditions and material culture of villages: a case study in Wanju, Korea

Author : Seong-mi Jeong

This study discusses the need to preserve and protect
the value of material culture related to the rural lives
of the villagers of the Wanju area in the south-eastern
part of Korea. It starts with the following questions. Does
the museum and cultural property protection policy in
Korea actually protect cultural resources? What about
the marginalised cultures of rural villages and their
material culture? Will they all disappear? And because
these cultural resources are relatively modern, are we
neglecting their safeguarding because they are not old
enough? In this article, I examine the current status and
characteristics of material culture that have been found
through studies of residents living in the rural villages
of the Wanju area, and consider how they acquire value
as heritage. In particular, I seek to find a connection
between tangible and intangible cultural heritage through
links between various cultural resources. Fieldwork and
interviews with the villagers enable them to uncover
the history of villages and their residents, and to curate
their own experiences and settings, an important way to
facilitate an integrated approach to identifying material
culture in rural areas and rescuing these undervalued
cultural resources.

IJIH volumes Vol.14

Christmas cribs: traditions of szopka art and craft in Cracow

Author : Samanta Kowalska

Intangible cultural heritage plays an immeasurable
role in the existence, continuation and development of
communities. Intergenerational transmission helps to
strengthen the bond between people. The first legally
binding act of international law concerning this issue is
the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible
Cultural Heritage of 2003. This article discusses the role
and the significance of Cracovian nativity scenes for
the local community, for whom they represent a ‘living’
tradition. Cracovian nativity scenes, inscribed on the
UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural
Heritage of Humanity in 2018, are the first Polish entry on
the List. The issues discussed include perspectives on the
principle of sustainable development in the cultural sector
and present the challenges of safeguarding intangible
heritage in the context of increasing commercialisation
and globalisation.

IJIH volumes Vol.14

The Participation in the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage: The role of Communities, Groups and Individuals 2018.

Author : Rachel Watson

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IJIH volumes Vol.14

The African Roots of Marijuana, 2019.

Author : Richard Stoffle

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IJIH volumes Vol.14

BIOGRAPHIES OF THE AUTHORS

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IJIH volumes Vol.14

INSTRUCTIONS TO AUTHORS

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IJIH

Volume 14

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