On Monday, October 14, 2019, the Department of Culture within the Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport (MECYS) in collaboration with the St. Maarten National Commission (NatCom) for United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) officially launched the First National Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) Inventory of St. Maarten. According to UNESCO,

• Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) are the practices, representations, expressions, knowledge, skills – as well as the instruments, objects, artefacts and cultural spaces associated therewith – that communities, groups and, in some cases, individuals recognize as part of their cultural heritage.
• ICH is transmitted from generation to generation, is constantly recreated by communities and groups in response to their environment, their interaction with nature and their history, and provides them with a sense of identity and continuity, thus promoting respect for cultural diversity and human creativity.
• Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) is made up of five domains:
  1. Oral traditions and expressions, including language as a vehicle of the intangible cultural heritage
  2. Performing Arts
  3. Social practices, rituals, and festive events
  4. Knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe
  5. Traditional Craftsmanship

Click on the below links to view the digital copy of the ICH Inventory Report and the 2019 National Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) Inventory of St. Maarten.

ICH Inventory Report 2019

National SXM ICH Inventory Your feedback is welcome and can be emailed to henrymarcellia@gmail.com