IJIH

IJIH volumes Vol.11

Forward

Author : Jingi Cheon

IJIH volumes Vol.11

Editorial

Author : Alissandra Cummins

IJIH volumes Vol.11

Zhao Mu: The Presence of the Past in the Meaning(s) of Space in Confucius’ Graveyard

Author : Zongjie Wu & Bailan Qin

The idea of heritage in China has been dominated by the Authorised Heritage Discourse, in which the authenticity of material tends to be over-emphasised in the management of heritage sites. This paper seeks to elaborate the intangible ‘sense of space’ as an alternative form of heritage by blurring the boundaries between intangibility and physicality. We explore the space in the Cemetery of Confucius, a World Heritage Site, to demonstrate how Confucian values are perpetuated in the
spatial intersection between past and present, the living and the dead, the tangible and the intangible. Spatial meanings are embedded in the form of mounds, stone tablets, and clusters of tombs (Zhao Mu) and are ritually observed to adapt to ongoing changes in kinship relationships and the political context, and to nurture the virtues of filial piety and loyalty. Today, the ways of managing space can still be traced back to the time of Confucius, although material forms have changed with the course of nature and the changing life of the Kong clan. But this heritage practice is now being challenged by modern discourses about heritage. We argue that the ancient meanings that are constantly negotiated within the present context are the core values that need to be interpreted, understood and preserved in the conservation of this heritage site.

IJIH volumes Vol.11

Classical Horsemanship and the Dangers of the Emergent Intangible Cultural Heritage Authorised Discourse

Author : Sarah Sargent

Tensions remain as to the place that heritage elements with elite European origins should have in intangible cultural heritage. Intangible cultural heritage (ICH) makes a definitive break from understandings about heritage as material, monumental and European. The creation of an ICH regime was meant to counteract bias against non-European elements then occurring in recognition of tangible heritage elements. But whether heritage elements with elite European origins should be accepted as intangible heritage, and on what terms, remains unsettled. Additionally, whether a discourse has emerged that is separate from that of tangible heritage has been the source of a great deal of debate and examination. This article considers the nominations of France and Austria to inscribe their respective heritage elements of classical horsemanship. Classical horsemanship has elite European origins. Through this discussion, there is an examination of the extent to which ICH has established its own counter-narrative, and what the implications of such a narrative will be for heritage generally. This article argues that exclusion of elements from ICH inscription on the basis of elite European origins should not be
regarded as a positive development. Instead, this would simply repeat the mistakes of bias, rather than allowing for an evaluation of the heritage element in its own right.

IJIH volumes Vol.11

Sanctuary of the Spirits: Okwu-muo, Ori Oke and ‘Mammy Water’ in the Veneration of Sacred Natural Sites in Southern Nigeria

Author : Temitope Israel Borokini

The worship and veneration of sacred trees, groves, mountains and surface waters is very common in Yoruba traditional religion and culture, to the extent that almost all communities have designated sacred natural sites. Information for this study was gathered from the author’s visits to different sacred sites, from folklore, and through open-ended interviews with elderly people in South-western Nigeria between September 2012 and April 2013. Additional information was also acquired through the study of relevant published papers in 2014. Findings include a list of existing sacred trees, groves, mountains and surface waters in South-west Nigeria and beyond that are still venerated and worshipped. The importance of these sacred natural sites to environmental sustainability, and the threats they face, are discussed. Three-pronged recommendations on the effective conservation of these sacred sites are also put forward.

IJIH volumes Vol.11

The Spirit of the Convention – Interlocking Principles and Ethics for Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Author : Marc Jacobs

Since December 2015, a set of twelve Ethical Principles for
Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage enriches the
paradigm of the 2003 UNESCO Convention. At the meeting of its
Intergovernmental Committee at Windhoek where those
principles were endorsed, and where a whole chapter of new
operational directives was fine-tuned in order to respond to the
2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (UN General
Assembly, 25 September 2015), the UNESCO Secretariat was
instructed to build an on-line platform with a toolkit about
ethics and safeguarding intangible heritage. Accredited NGOs
were also finally invited to collaborate and play a role in
developing and updating the 2003 UNESCO Convention and its
operational directives. This is a major breakthrough. In this article we trace and discuss this ‘hop’ (1999), ‘skip’ (2012-2015) and ‘jump’ process (2016 onwards) in the emerging paradigm of safeguarding ICH. Why twelve principles and not a supermodel code of ethics for (safeguarding) intangible heritage?
How do innovations like ‘sustained free and informed consent’ or ‘benefit sharing’ open new doors? What do anthropology, folklore studies and museology have to offer? Is the online platform a good idea, in the light of recent developments in
international conventions on biodiversity, bioethics or the work of WIPO and other organisations ?

IJIH volumes Vol.11

Mystical Music: Safeguarding Sufiana Mausiqi - a Vanishing Art Form of Kashmir

Author : Shabir Ahmad Mir

Music has always been a significant part of the lives of the people of Jammu and Kashmir in India. Since ancient times, Kashmir has been influenced by major cultures such as that of India, the near East, central Asia, and the West; the blending of different cultures (indigenous and foreign) has given Kashmiri music a rich and distinctive form. Sufiana Mausiqi is the classical Sufi ensemble music
of the Kashmir region of the State of Jammu and Kashmir. This musical form developed through the Indo/Central Asian cultural exchange that took place after the arrival of Islam and Sufism in the region during the 14th century. The processes of globalisation and socioeconomic change, as well as the current volatile situation of the troubled region, have diminished and marginalised this glorious tradition and it is currently on the brink of extinction. The deplorable condition of this endangered art form is evident from the fact that there are at present only a few surviving artists struggling hard to keep the tradition alive. This paper highlights the current situation of Sufiana Mausiqi and suggests the necessary safeguarding measures that are needed to preserve and propagate it.

IJIH volumes Vol.11

‘All Hands on Deck’: the ‘Sailing’ Landships as unique Cultural Icons of Barbados

Author : Allison O. Ramsay

This article explores Barbados’ intangible cultural heritage through the lens of the Landships of Barbados. Landships are cultural organisations which are complex. Embedded within their histories and origins are British traditions, with an emphasis on the Royal Navy, and Afro-Barbadian cultural practices. A black working class movement, the article highlights two renowned Landships, the BLS Iron Duke1 and the BLS Director that operated in twentieth century Barbados. Emphasis is placed on traditional knowledge in performance by explaining a specific selection of the drills/manoeuvres that contribute to the defining and acknowledgement of Landships in public spaces and in the funerary practices of the 1970s to 1990s. These Landships are unique cultural icons, exemplifying the cultures and peoples that have shaped Barbadian society and represent Barbadian cultural identity and heritage.

IJIH volumes Vol.11

Masquerade as Memory: Conflict as Heritage in Lavras do Abade, Brazil

Author : Diogo Menezes Costa

This article presents a discussion about the memory of an environmental conflict that occurred in the mining village of Lavras do Abade in mid-western Brazil at the end of the nineteenth century. I introduce a study of the phenomenon called Mascarados, part of the religious festival of the present-day town, and its relationship to the previous conflict in the neighbourhood. I report several interviews I conducted about this historical disagreement with the oldest residents in the present-day town of Pirenópolis, an old rival village formerly called Meia Ponte. Finally, I discuss theories about the individual and group implications of this ‘masked memory’ and its impact on the community's archaeological, historical and environmental heritage.

IJIH volumes Vol.11

Ụzọ mma: Pathway to Intangible Cultural Heritage in Otobo Ugwu Dunoka Lejja, South-eastern Nigeria

Author : Christian Chukwuma Opata & Apex Anselm Apeh

Heritage sites and their management remain an issue in Nigeria in general, and in South-eastern Nigeria in particular. These stem largely from the spate of wanton
destruction of cultural heritage in Igboland, Eastern Nigeria by some Christian fundamentalists. Otobo Ugwu Dunoka Lejja, South-eastern Nigeria, is an open public square which serves as the traditional parliamentary, judicial and ritual
square for the thirty-three villages in the Lejja community. It was also an iron smelting site and has the highest concentration of iron slag blocks in sub-Saharan Africa. Divided into four sections by rows of iron slag blocks, the square is full of monuments connected with iron smelting and community history. These monuments are linked to the rules and ethical values which form the intangible cultural heritage associated with iron smelting in the community. The approach in this study is multi- and interdisciplinary, as recourse is made to sociology, ethno-history, political
economy, anthropology and the interface between these complementary disciplines. Based on extensive field work in the community, the researchers interrogate the meaning and essence of some of the values attached to the square
and the monuments therein. These traditional values could help address the problems created by iconoclasts who pride themselves on destroying cultural heritage in Igboland, ostensibly in the name of Christianity.

IJIH volumes Vol.11

The Name of the Game: Oware as Men’s Social Space from Caribbean Slavery to Post-Colonial Times

Author : Richard W. Stoffle & Mamadou A. Baro

In Europe, North America and the Caribbean many museums have acquired Oware (Warri), which are elaborately carved wooden game boards. As museum objects, they represent a curiosity of a place, time, and art form, but Oware boards have never before this analysis been considered as a central component of male agency
during slavery and under colonial rule. This paper illustrates how overlooked or misunderstood aspects of Caribbean material culture can be studied to re/position
slave activities into contemporary heritage dialogues.1 In this case, we argue that when males played Oware they collectively engaged their African cultures and organised themselves in opposition to the slave plantation and colonial systems in Barbados and elsewhere in the Caribbean. The study uses documents and contemporary ethnographic interviews to argue that slave plantations and the colonial suppression of male activities and interactions were circumvented when men played an apparently innocuous game of Oware. When men played this game, they were re/creating the activities and structures of important African male groups, and thus facilitated the production of male creole social space. For more than 200 years Barbados was among the most controlling of Caribbean slave societies, and from 1834 to 1966 Barbadian society continued to be harshly dominated by English epistemologies, this therefore is an appropriate case by which to better understand the use of Oware for male agency building and the subsequent persistence and cultural importance of Oware into the 20th century.

IJIH volumes Vol.11

Hot Stones and Cool Digitals: Sustainable Contact Zones for Intangible Cultural Heritage in Finland

Author : Samir Bhowmik & Lily Díaz

A combination of community participation and ICT (Information and Communications Technology) could be an effective way of promoting communities as on-site contexts for intangible cultural heritage (ICH). James Clifford’s Museums as Contact Zones (1997) serves as a theoretical and practical basis for this approach. Two community-based museum projects were conducted in Finland between 2012
and 2014: a community-based digitisation project with the Gallen-Kallela Museum in Espoo, and a museum installation in the Hakaniemi Market Square in Helsinki to which members of the local community were the major contributors. Both projects demonstrated that it is possible for a community to foster ICH through participation,
collaboration, borrowing from museum practices and by the application of emerging digital technologies.

IJIH volumes Vol.11

Chuskor: Traditional Water Mills of the Dirang Monpas of Arunachal Pradesh

Author : Rashmirekha Sarma

The indigenous knowledge of any community covers the relationship of that community with nature as well as the social, cultural and economic practices of the community. This knowledge is the product of centuries of experience acquired and developed into a spectrum of information, skills and technology. The traditional water mill system is one such skill and technology that was developed by indigenous people interacting with nature. This paper explores the nature of the traditional water mill system, locally known as chuskor, of the Dirang Monpa group of West Kameng district, and its existence and sustainability for the near future. Will this traditional technology disappear with time’s flow or regenerate itself in a new form?

IJIH volumes Vol.11

The Fiesta of the Patios: Intangible Cultural Heritage and Tourism in Cordoba, Spain

Author : Tomás López-Guzmán & Francisco Gonzalez Santa Cruz

The inscription of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) by UNESCO has a broad reflection on the cultural and tourism industry, and it occasionally involves a significant economic development in the area that houses that heritage. In this
paper we present a study of the Fiesta of the Patios (Festival of the Courtyards) in Cordoba, Spain, recognised as ICH by UNESCO, and its relationship to tourism development in the city. The methodology used in this research involved conducting a survey of tourists who attended the Festival in order to know their profile, knowledge thereof, their rating on it and degree of satisfaction. This research shows the significant economic impact of this ICH in the city, mostly
related to cultural heritage and tourism. The study highlights the relationship between culture and tourism, the significant economic impact, the positive opinion of the tourists surveyed with the Fiesta of the Patios and the high level of
satisfaction of the visitors.

IJIH volumes Vol.11

UNESCO on the Ground: Local Perspectives on Intangible Cultural Heritage, Michael Dylan Foster & Lisa Gilman, (eds.),[Indiana University Press, 2015]

Author : Roger L. Janelli

IJIH volumes Vol.11

Brief biographies of the Authors

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IJIH volumes Vol.11

Instructions to contributors

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Volume 11

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