National Intangible Cultural Heritage

National Intangible Cultural Heritage
Name	National Intangible Cultural Heritage

National Intangible Cultural Heritage

National Intangible Cultural Heritage denotes practices, expressions, knowledge, and skills that communities, groups, and sometimes individuals recognize as part of their cultural heritage; it encompasses oral traditions, performing arts, social practices, rituals, festive events, traditional craftsmanship, and knowledge linked to nature and the universe. International bodies, national ministries, cultural institutions, and municipal authorities frequently interact in inventories and inscription processes, producing lists that influence cultural policy, tourism strategies, and funding decisions. The designation often intersects with heritage listing regimes maintained by organizations, courts, academies, and legislative bodies across states and transnational institutions.

Definition and Scope

Definitions of national intangible cultural heritage vary among states, supranational entities, and advisory bodies such as United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Committee, Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, Council of Europe, and national ministries like the Ministry of Culture (France), Ministry of Culture (China), National Endowment for the Arts, and Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. Scope decisions determine whether items like Kabuki, Flamenco, Samba, Peking opera, Noh, Fado, Tango, Mariachi, Reggae and local craftsmanship such as Japanese lacquerware, Venetian glass, Batik, Kente cloth, Māori haka, Gagaku, Taiko drumming are eligible. Inventories may prioritize community-defined values or state-curated narratives, affecting recognition of minority practices tied to groups such as the Sámi people, Aymara, Zulu, Basque people, Romani people and diasporic networks linked to African diaspora traditions.

Legal Frameworks and Recognition Processes

Legal frameworks arise from constitutions, cultural heritage laws, and decrees in countries like China, Japan, France, South Korea, India, Mexico, Colombia, Peru, Italy, and Spain. Processes often emulate models from landmark texts such as the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage and use mechanisms from national institutes such as the Smithsonian Institution, Institut national du patrimoine (France), State Administration of Cultural Heritage (China), National Institute of Anthropology and History (Mexico), and National Commission for Culture and the Arts (Philippines). Nomination procedures typically require documentation by community organizations, endorsements by local authorities like municipal councils, review panels including scholars from institutions like Harvard University, University of Oxford, University of Tokyo, and final approval by ministers or parliaments, with appeals sometimes brought before courts such as the Constitutional Court of Colombia or administrative tribunals.

Categories and Examples

Categories used by states and bodies mirror those in the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage: oral traditions, performing arts, social practices, rituals, festive events, knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe, and traditional craftsmanship. Examples include performing arts such as Kathakali, Kathak, Carnatic music, Dhrupad, Balinese dance, Wayang kulit, and folk repertoires like Celtic music, Bluegrass music, Klezmer, Maqam, Gagaku and Throat singing traditions of Tuvan people. Social practices include rites associated with Day of the Dead, Nowruz, Diwali, Eid al-Fitr, Obon, and Semana Santa processions. Crafts include Kintsugi, Delftware, Gundruk, Moorcroft pottery, Navajo weaving, Papier-mâché masks of Oaxaca, and Korowai bark cloth production. Ritual specialists and bearers range from masters listed in registries like Living National Treasures (Japan), South Korea's Important Intangible Cultural Properties, and Mexico's Patrimonio Cultural Intangible.

Safeguarding and Preservation Measures

Safeguarding strategies combine documentation, transmission, community workshops, apprenticeships, festivals, and transmission through educational bodies such as conservatories, folk schools, and universities like Juilliard School, Royal College of Music, School of Oriental and African Studies and regional museums like the National Museum of Anthropology (Mexico), British Museum, National Museum of Korea. Measures also include legal protections under laws akin to the Law for the Protection of Cultural Properties (Japan), emergency safeguarding funds used after disasters like the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, and digitization projects undertaken by institutions such as the Library of Congress, Europeana, and national archives. Public-private partnerships with foundations such as the Ford Foundation, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and corporate sponsors help finance apprenticeships, while tourism promotion involves agencies like UNWTO, municipal tourist boards, and heritage routes.

Institutional Roles and Governance

Multiple institutions play roles: ministries of culture, national heritage councils, academic research centers, indigenous organizations, UNESCO liaison offices, and NGOs such as International Council on Monuments and Sites, Smithsonian Folklife Festival organizers, and Network of Experts on the Intangible Cultural Heritage. Governance involves balancing expert committees from universities like University of Cambridge and cultural rights advocates from entities such as Human Rights Watch and national ombudspersons. Coordination among bodies like the European Commission, ASEAN Secretariat, African Union Commission, and bilateral cultural institutes such as the British Council, Goethe-Institut, Confucius Institute, and Alliance Française influences cross-border safeguarding and exchange programs.

Contemporary Challenges and Criticism

Challenges include commercialization raised by commentators at venues like the World Economic Forum, cultural appropriation litigated in courts such as the European Court of Human Rights, and tensions between state-led lists and community autonomy seen in cases involving the Sámi Council, Assembly of First Nations, and National Congress of American Indians. Critics cite uneven funding, bureaucratic gatekeeping, and the risk of ossifying living traditions into museumified displays, as debated in forums hosted by UNESCO, International Council of Museums, and academic conferences at American Anthropological Association. Globalization, climate change events like Hurricane Katrina and Cyclone Idai, and digital platforms run by corporations such as Google and Facebook reshape transmission while prompting policy responses from institutions including the World Intellectual Property Organization and national patent agencies.

Category:Intangible cultural heritage