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Intellectual Cultural Heritage
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Recognizing the necessity to safeguard, promote
and perpetuate the intellectual cultural heritage,
the Ministry of Culture therefore designated 25 items
in four domains as Thailand’s intellectual cultural
heritage in 2010, namely:
1. In the performing arts domain, 6 items
in 2 categories;
2. In the traditional craftsmanship domain,
3 items in 2 categories;
3. In the folk literature domain, 15 items in
3 categories;
4. In the folk sports, games and martial arts
domain, 1 item in 1 category.
The Ministry of Culture will foster and support the
exchange of knowledge and learning about, as well as
the transmission of, the ICH-designated items through
various means as appropriate.
Rationale for the Designation of Thailand’s
Intellectual Cultural Heritage
An intellectual cultural heritage is a precious legacy
from the ancestors, who created, accumulated,
perpetuated and passed it on to the next generation.
An intellectual heritage means the knowledge,
thought, skill, and expertise expressed through
language, literature, the performing arts, customs
and traditions, rites and rituals, traditional crafts,
and cosmological knowledge.
In today’s fast-changing world, the intellectual
cultural heritage of the nation is threatened by the
spread of foreign cultures, the appropriation and
misuse of the intellectual cultural heritage in
Designation of Thailand’s Intellectual Cultural Heritage in 2010
an unfairly manner. Dominated by these factors, the
affected groups of people unknowingly lose their
self-image and their body of knowledge that forms
their wisdom.
While no legal measure is available to protect
Thailand’s ICH, the designation of the national
ICH might provide one way of safeguarding, and
an important evidence of Thailand’s ownership
of, the ICH in various domains. Moreover, in the
future, if Thailand shall join the other 136 countries
as a state party to UNESCO’s Convention for the
Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage,
it will be a good opportunity to make known to the
world community of Thailand’s prestige.