Four cultural manifestations inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity
Ecuador has been internationally recognized for the richness and diversity of its intangible cultural heritage. Four of its cultural manifestations have been inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. These inscriptions are a testament to the value of the living practices that Ecuadorian communities continue to pass down from generation to generation, reflecting their identities and worldviews.
The four Ecuadorian cultural manifestations inscribed are:
1. Oral heritage and cultural manifestations of the Zápara people
Inscribed in 2008 () on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity (originally proclaimed in 2001)
The Zápara people live in a part of the Amazon jungle straddling Ecuador and Peru. The Zápara developed in what is one of the most bio-diverse areas in the world and are the last representatives of an ethno-linguistic group that included many other populations before the Spanish conquest. This cultural heritage is expressed through their myths,rituals, artistic practices, and language. Their language is the depository of traditional knowledge and of oral tradition and constitutes the memory of the people and the region.
The current situation of the Zápara people is critical, and today they are in very serious danger of disappearing altogether. In 2001, their population numbered no more than 300 (200 in Ecuador and 100 in Peru), of whom only five, all aged over 70, still speak the Zápara language.
2. Traditional weaving of the Ecuadorian toquilla straw hat
Inscribed in 2012 () on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity
The toquilla straw hat is woven from fibres from a palm tree characteristic of the Ecuadorian coast. Weaving a hat can take from one day to eight months, depending on the quality and finesse. In Pile, a coastal community, weavers produce extra fine hats that require specific climatic conditions and involve an exact number of points in each row of weaving. The skills and knowledge enfold a complex and dynamic social fabric including traditional techniques of cultivation and processing, forms of social organization, and use of the hat as part of everyday clothing and in festive contexts. It is a distinctive mark of the communities perpetrating this tradition and part of their cultural heritage.
3. Marimba Music, Traditional Songs, and Dances from the Southern Pacific Region of Colombia and the Province of Esmeraldas in Ecuador
Inscribed in 2015 (10.COM) on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity
Marimba music, along with traditional songs and dances, represents musical expressions that are an integral part of the social fabric—both family and community—of the Afro-descendant population living in the southern Pacific region of Colombia and the province of Esmeraldas in Ecuador. Men and women from these communities sing narratives and poems, accompanying their performances with rhythmic body movements during various ritual, religious, or festive events to celebrate life, honor saints, or bid farewell to the deceased. Elders in the community play an essential role in transmitting oral tradition legends and narratives to younger generations, while music teachers oversee the passing down of musical knowledge.
4. Pasillo, song and poetry
Inscribed in 2021 () on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity
The pasillo is a type of music and dance that emerged in Ecuador in the nineteenth century, during the South American independence wars. It is a fusion of elements of indigenous music, such as the yaravÃ, with a complex variety of musical genres including the waltz, the minuet and the Spanish bolero. Usually accompanied by guitars and the requinto, a high-pitched guitar, it is essentially a musicalized poem, with lyrics relating to love, heartbreak, life, death, family, homeland and the daily life of the people. To Ecuadorians, the pasillo is an identity marker and a symbol of their connection with the homeland, and with time, has become a form of collective expression.
