Las expresiones culturales tradicionales son manifestaciones culturales tangibles o intangibles transmitidas, mantenidas y desarrolladas por pueblos o comunidades indígenas. Pueden incluir tradiciones orales, símbolos, obras artísticas, danzas, prácticas y otras expresiones evolutivas de identidad cultural.
TCEs are "intangible and tangible cultural manifestations of [Traditional Knowledge]... passed down generations, such as oral storytelling, folk dances, symbols, artwork, hunting, and medicine" (Guilbault et al. 2022, p.7). TCEs "facilitate the social and cultural identity formation of Indigenous people[s]." Furthermore, TCEs are not static; rather, they are "constantly evolving, developing and being recreated" (World Intellectual Property Organization, 2020, p.17).