ABSTRACT
For five centuries the Malacca Portuguese community have maintained a unique intangible cultural heritage comprising oral traditions, expressions, arts, social practices, rituals, festivities, and knowledge regarding nature. However, at present, most of the traditional culture is vanishing at an unprecedented rate and is on the brink of being lost.
Worldwide, globalization is triggering a cultural change that trails a loss of indigenous identity. Locally, the absence of interaction between Portugal and Malacca, the depopulation, the land grant, and reclamation issues have been fading sociocultural share and exchange. The term “extinction” sums up the foreseeable fate of the Malay Portuguese community.
It is imperative to set up a structure to protect the immaterial heritage. Cultural mapping can achieve that by interacting, recording, exposing, revitalizing, and promoting traditional knowledge. This includes the insertion of information into databases and the processing of information on computer-based systems like GIS.
This paper introduces the Malacca Portuguese intangible cultural heritage and associated issues, and highlights the importance of mapping this. The goal is to establish a guideline for future studies that will be vital for the preservation of Malacca cultural heritage diversity and economy.
