Indonesia Has 1,239 Intangible Cultural Heritages

The Ministry of Education and Culture (Kemendikbud) recorded 1,239 intangible cultural heritages of Indonesia by 2020. Intangible cultural heritage includes performing arts, oral traditions and expressions, social practices, rituals, festive events, knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe, and traditional craftsmanship.

In detail, there were 444 intangible cultural heritages recorded from 2013-2016, 150 in 2017, 225 in 2018, 267 in 2019, and 153 in 2020.

The most numerous category of recorded intangible cultural heritage in Indonesia by 2020 was performing arts, with 378 heritages. This was followed by social practices, rituals, and festive events with 354 heritages.

Next, traditional craftsmanship and skills accounted for 281 heritages, oral traditions and expressions for 167, and knowledge and practices concerning the universe for 59.

According to the National Literacy Movement (GLN) of Kemendikbud, cultural heritage encompasses all cultural legacies of significant historical, scientific, technological, or artistic value. Intangible cultural heritage is non-material (intangible/abstract), such as concepts and technologies; its nature is transient and can disappear over time with the advancement of the era, including language, music, dance, ceremonies, and other structured behaviors.

By province, the highest number of intangible cultural heritages by 2020 was in Yogyakarta Special Region, with 104 heritages. Conversely, Central Kalimantan had the fewest, with only 7.