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Museums, Tangible and Intangible Heritage
Museology and Typology of the Intangible Cultural and Natural Heritage. Challenges
to Museums in the Future.
Introduction
ICOFOM, the International Committee for Museology chose already for its Annual Meeting
2000 the topic “Museology and Intangible Heritage”. The papers represent in a scientific way
on the one hand cultural identity and diversity and on the other hand cultural approach. In the
context of museology questions concerning inspiration,
spiritual and cultural heritage, the eventuality of a cyber-world, the association between
musealisation and visualisation as well as modes of the philosophy in different countries and
regions arose.
Additional articles were treating with museums of particular importance concerning the
heritage in contrast to the traditional museum. An up-to-date facet was put by a contribution
related to dialogue between museum and school concerning history, art and culture, nature
and techniques. .
Several authors emphasised particularly on the contemporary approach. They tried on the
one hand to define the interrelationship between intangible heritage and contemporary art,
on the ether hand possible methods of treatment concerning both "depressing heritage" relics of the totalitarian past in 20th century - and the remembrance-culture of our society.
Tangible and Intangible Heritage – the Museum
In this concern shall be pointed out in what extent intangible/immaterial heritage is closely
connected to tangible heritage, as well as traditions of communities (festive events),
economic traditions (tradition al craft, skills), national customs - as e.g. in correlation with
objects, artefacts, instruments, performances, cultural spaces. In this context ethnological
museums and "Museums of World Cultures" play, on my view, a particularly important role
because they are to be seen in the context of an international evaluation.
Individual and common, cultural, social and creative terms of expression - independent tram
any physical form as e.g. language, literature, oral tradition, dance, songs and non-written
music, but also the knowledge of long-established practices - shape a particular group.
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Symbolic and metaphorical meanings of objects are to be discussed. Those are making up
the "tangible heritage" as e.g. its outward appearance, size and importance as cultural
assets.
In this context is to focus on the important function of museums particularly concerning the
acquisition and conservation of these objects, whose scientific interpretation in a historical
context and an adequate presentation. Additionally, formal principles, exemplary in regard to
exhibitions and the symbolic messages to the visitors shall be mentioned.
Terms - Definitions
Shanghai Charter – Convention of UNESCO
In this context arises the question what tangible and intangible heritage signifies. The new
Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible “Cultural heritage encourages survival and
vitality of the world’s local, national, regional cultural heritage in the face of increasing
globalisation. Heritage is broadly defined in terms of the social practises, aesthetic traditions,
and forms of knowledge carried within cultural communities. National governments are called
upon to designate and empower organisations not only to document intangible heritage, but
also engage in its presentation, preservation, protection, and transmission by working closely
and cooperatively with the relevant communities.”1
In article 2 of the Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Heritage, adopted by
UNESCO 2003, came into force in April 2006, the Intangible Heritage was defined as
"the practices, representations, expressions, as well as the knowledge and skills, that
communities, groups and, in same Gases, individuals recognise as part of their cultural
heritage. It is sometimes called living cultural heritage, and is manifested inter alia in or(
traditions and expressions including language as a vehicle of the intangible cultural heritage;
performing arts; social practices, rituals and festive events; knowledge and practices
concerning nature and the universe; traditional craftsmanship. ,,1
(In: Article 2 of 'The Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage".
Paris October 2003)
According to the UNESCO Convention, intangible heritage also includes practises,
expressions, knowledge and skills that communities, groups and individuals recognise as
1
Kurin, Richard, Museums and Intangible Heritage: Culture Dead or Alive?, in: ICOM NEWS, ed. by the
International Council of Museums (ICOM), vol. 57, no. 4, 2004, p. 13.
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part of their cultural heritage. There is also related to building instruments, artefacts, objects
etc.
The convention also notes the following: “ This intangible cultural heritage, 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.” According to this explanation heritage is
dynamic.
Wim van Zanten says in museum International (2004):
„The new definition for the intangible cultural heritage would have to take into account that
the concept of culture is bring questioned. Culture is now looked at as a site of contestation
and no longer of homogeneous agreement between all people in a community; it is
continuously re-created by people. However, culture can only have continuity if people enjoy
the conditions to produce and re-create it. Furthermore, in the present context of
globalization, there is a re-ordering of relationships between communities.
Views expressed at the Turin Round Table in March 2001, partially reflected in the
fairly short definition of intangible cultural heritage, were as follows:
1. International efforts to safeguard intangible cultural heritage must be founded on
universally accepted human fights, equity and sustainability and on mutual respect among
communities.
2. The safeguarding of cultural diversity should account for the dynamics of creating, recreating and transmission of intangible cultural heritage, that is, the social processes taking
place, and the fights of culture-bearing communities and local agencies to develop their own
approaches in these processes: they should have the power to define their own intangible
cultural heritage.”2
What means Safeguarding?
“In the Glossary the words 'conservation', 'preservation' and 'protection' were defined
as folIows:
Conservation: Taking measures to preserve social practices and representations from
negIect, destruction or exploitation.'
2
Van Zanten, Wim, Constructing New Terminology for Intangible Heritage, in: museum International, ed.
by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, 221/222 Intangible Heritage, pp. 36-43.
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Preservation: 'Ensuring that certain social practices and representations are
maintained.'
Protection: 'Ensuring that certain social practices and representations do not suffer
damage.”3
The Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage
The purposes of the new Convention set out in Article 1 are:
- to safeguard the intangible cultural heritage;
- to ensure respect for the intangible cultural heritage of the communities, groups and
individuals concerned
- to raise awareness at the local national and international levels of the importance of the
intangible cultural heritage, and of ensuring mutual appreciation thereof;
- to provide for international cooperation and assistance
In order to achieve these goals the Intangible Heritage Convention provides for, among
other things:
- the preparation by the Member States of national inventories of the intangible cultural
heritage
- the establishment of an Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible
Cultural Heritage
- the drawing-up of two lists by this Committee:
1. the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity and
2. the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding,
If we have a look on the current characteristic of museums we can recognise that we have
two different kinds of development: Firstly, the traditional Museum and Museology in all its
functions particularly related to museum collections and objects. Secondly, museums
designed according to the New Museology “with their emphasis on the overall evidence, both
tangible and intangible, of the cultural and natural.”4
What belongs to Intangible Heritage?
3
Ibidem.
Boylan, Patrick, The Intangible Heritage: a Challenge and an Opportunity for Museums and Museum
Professional Training, in: International Journal of Intangible Heritage, vol. 1, 2006, ed. by the National Folk
Museum of Korea, pp. 54-65.
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In Article 2 of the UNESCO Convention we find
- oral traditions and expressions, including language as a vehicle of the intangible cultural
heritage
- Performing arts
- social practises, rituals and festive events
Knowledge and practises concerning nature and the universe
The traditional craftsmanship
The oral traditions that have a long history since the 18th/19th century and were rediscovered in the context of New Museology.
Already Wilhelm von Humboldt’s (1767-1835) Philosophy of a museum deals with the topic
of language in the museum.
Firstly: reflections on museology and philosophy related to his theory of education.
Secondly: philosophical and museological considerations concerning innovative structures of
museums.
Thirdly: 'Ianguage' in particular as a system of rhetoric and diction in museum.
If he in his essays talks about language he relates to the theory of education, anthropology
and aesthetics. Above that, the interrelationship between a philosophical introduction and a
remarkable sense on practice is evident. Humboldt relates to museum-issues when he notes:
'A human being tries to grasp so much world as imaginable and as closely as possible
connect with himself."
In Humboldt's philosophy of the museum Ianguage is an expression of a real insight to the
world. Language in this concern is on the one hand oral tradition and on the other hand
intangible heritage in the kind of aesthetics. He already talked about aesthetic enjoyment in
the museum.5
Patrick Boylan, a honorary member of the International Council of Museums
(ICOM/UNESCO) characterised in a paper for the International Journal of Intangible Heritage
the different arguments included in the Convention:
He states that for many years museums, especially those working in the field of
ethnography, folk life and traditional culture, have been working with communities and
recording and diffusing their oral traditions and languages alongside the collecting of their
material culture.
5
Lübbe, Herman, Wilhelm von Humboldt und die Musealisierung der Kunst, in: Wilhelm von Humboldt.
Vortragszyklus zum 150. Todestag, hg. von Bernfried Schlerath, Berlin 1986, S. 169-183.
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In some countries, for example Spain and, increasingly, France, ancient regional
languages that had been forcefully suppressed by the state for many decades is now being
very actively promoted, for example by the use of bilingual or multilingual labelling of
exhibitions and through audio-visual presentations.
Museums of each typology – not only the ethnological ones – should respond to the
challenge for an active support of traditional culture and language. This is also important
concerning the migrant groups and the responsibility of a museum for all people in the
society and for all cultures – not only the national one.
Shanghai Charter
The Shanghai Charter refers not only to tangible and intangible heritage, rather more to
museums and globalisation.
In this context should be mentioned that “Shanghai Charter” as a model is also a very
good framework that can be in a structural way transferred from the Asian conditions to other
countries all over the world. Shanghai Charter was drawn up after the Regional Assembly of
the Asia Pacific Organisation/lCOM (October 20-25, 2002 in Shanghai/China), refers rather
more to "Museums, Intangible Heritage and Globalisation". It describes in fourteen
paragraphs the most important "contents" and responsibilities of Museums and Museologists
in regard to "Intangible Heritage" related to Asia Pacific Regions. It also focuses on the
significance of "intangible heritage" defined in the preamble, and moreover gives practical
advice and tips for using and carrying out the various possibilities in order to safeguard the
heritage.6
In this concern is also to mention that Museums around the World are not responsible for
the Universal Heritage as a whole – rather they are for the entire Heritage included in the
Museums – according to the definition in the Statutes of ICOM.7
Before discussing the ideas the term should be considered. If one doesn’t have Universal
Heritage put into words it seems impossible to decide what at last this idiomatic expression
means related to the wide and manifold Museum Landscape around the World.
The approach to the term Universal is - particularly related to museums – of great
importance and has to be used critically. In this concern international Museum expansionism
is both a challenge and a warning announcement.8
Shanghai Charter… Shanghai Charter, drafted by the coalition of participants in the Meeting was signed
by Zhang Wenbin, President ICOM China; Jacques Perrot, President ICOM; Amareswar Galla, President ICOM
Asia Pacific.
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International Council of Museums (ICOM/UNESCO) ICOM Statutes adopted by the 16 th General
Assembly of ICOM (The Hague, The Netherlands, 5 September 1989) and amended by the 18 th General
assembly of ICOM (Stavanger, Norway, 7 July 1995) and by the 20th General Assembly (Barcelona, Spain, 6 July
2001), Article 2.
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Universum was derived from the Latin term „unus“ (the only thing) and „versus“ (turned
round). Therefore the Cosmos, the boundlessness and the infinity of space and time are
adequate paraphrases or descriptions. The Universe is summarized in the Cosmos.
Universal History is related to the historiography of the age of enlightenment. Voltaire’s
„Essais sur l’histoire générale et sur les moeurs et l’esprit des nations…“ (1756) is up to now
considered as the first Universal History.
The analysis of the pre-history concerning this coherence is in many cases the basis of
consideration on the universal history. Another possibility is a description compared with
similarly structured phenomena in the perspective of universal history. During the 20th
century sciences, technologies and mass-communication supported the global agreement of
mankind – also concerning museums.
Nevertheless, we have to decide between heritage “per se” and heritage related to
museums in the sense of the ICOM Statutes. Museums are able to create spaces concerning
the development of culture and nature. The objects in the museums reflect as witnesses a
life-philosophy, the kinds of thinking, the everyday-life, the rites, ceremonies, religions and
faith, systems of education – the immaterial heritage. Even this immaterial evidence
combined with the original objects provides its cultural dimension.9 Museums also include
various fields of both science and culture or comprehensive knowledge. At the same time the
focus has to be on the responsibility of museums for the Heritage.
Universality relates more to the general application, entity, museological requirements,
common education and encyclopaedic approach in the history of museums. As museums
provide and communicate concerning the cultural and natural Heritage of Mankind, they are
also responsible on the observance of regulations and the dissemination of Human Rights,
particularly the right on education as well as the importance of social values.
Each museum around the world is therefore obliged to take the functions (declared in the
Statutes of ICOM) seriously, to preserve the evidences of the past for the future, to research
and to document the cultural heritage.
The museums – everywhere in the World – have to be involved in a social and cultural
environment. Besides, the museum has to reflect the social and cultural development and to
react in an adequate way. It has also to be a place for the proof of identity.10
See the problems concerning the “Ghetty Trust” which were (concerning the objects collected) declared
in many serious Museum-Journals and Newspapers – as FAZ/Germany-.).
9
Boucher, Louise N., Vivre – S’inspirer du passé pour composer l’avenir, in : Vieregg, Hildegard/Davis,
Ann (Eds.) on behalf of ICOFOM, in : Muséologie et le Patrimoine Immatériel, ICOFOM Study Series 32,
Munich/Germany and Brno/Czech Republic, pp. 27-34.
10
Deutscher Museumsbund (Hg.), Standards für Museen, Kassel/Berlin 2006.
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Man and Nature in Space and Time – The New Museology
Hugues de Varine-Bohan (1891-1967) describes the situation in the Ecomusée de la Grande
Lande, Marquéze.11 He says, while up to now particularly the cultural heritage was the
starting point for the foundation of a museum, the New Museology comes up from the society
in general and from the individual interest. Concerning the society the past should be
documented, the presence included and future desires and requirements be given attention
in all the possible fields.
If we have a look at the tasks and functions of a museum nowadays – collecting,
preserving, documentation, presentation, education/communication etc. – the argumentation
of Varine-Bohan associates much more to go over and to improve the traditional disciplines
of a museum according the statutes of the International Council of Museums
(ICOM/UNESCO). It rather means that the local, regional and national collections should
particularly enable to represent and present the specific character and cultural heritage – the
tangible and intangible – so that the museum will finally be built up as a mirror of the society
and all phenomena attached. According to this, the Museum should have an exclusive
reputation.
The Economuseum in Canada is a further structural development of this type of Museum. It
is also dedicated to man, history and environment12 in the cultural, technical and natural
significance. Much more it includes the man as an actor and expects her/his motivation to the
dialogue. In this concern the museum is first of all an institution dedicated and allocated as
the Cultural Memory of a region. Therefore it includes not only a single museum-building
rather more a network of museums which contribute to improve the comprehension and the
familiarity with a cultural region – like that of Tyumen. I also relates to different sites,
landscapes, handicraft, written sources and oral history etc.
Cyrils Simard describes in relation to the economuseum – as a museum closely related to
society – particularly the outreach-programmes that are aimed at new target groups of the
11
De Varine-ohan, Hugues, The modern museum, requirements and problems of a new approach, in:
museum, Vol. XXVIII 1976./de Varine-Bohan, Hugues, Philosophie de l’ecomusée, Paris 1991.
12
De Varine-Bohan, pp. 132.
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museum.13
This kind of museum points towards recognizable regions in towns or rural areas that have in
mind to promote the social exchange with the people, open their house to the audience in an
unconventional way – particularly by the opening in evening-hours, by invitation of artists or
living ethnical groups and sharing the interest in art, history and the cultural heritage with the
people. Included are also the techniques, handicrafts, historical spaces and sites.
Workshops or ateliers build usually the heart of such a museum because this enables to
meet with different visitors, to learn different skills and to get a sense for new techniques. In
those workshops it is also possible to observe artists and workers and to get inspiration for
the individual creative work. Above that is a very important recommendation to present and
explain the various facets of handicrafts by popular texts explaining the piece of evidence.
Those activities in workshops, ateliers or interpretation-areas are usually connected and
related to the original objects in the museum. The work carried out by the visitors of a
museum, and those are not only children rather more principally each group of society,
shouldn’t be a copy of that presented in the museum. In contrary it should be a creative work
done by everybody who likes to participate in.
Appropriate to these structures of an Economuseum is the Declaration of Québec, decided in
1984.14 After that Meetings and Summits, as e.g. the Meeting on the occasion of the
International Year of Eco-Tourism 2002 lead to a description that is particularly focused on
the following points:
- the preservation of the natural and cultural historical heritage
- the awareness on local and indigenous societies
- the interpretation of the natural and cultural heritage in the museum
- the capability for independent individual traveller as well as for organizes tourist-groups.
Performing Arts
Many Museums serve as cultural centres for their communities. Particularly small local and
community museums, so-called Heimat-Museums, museums specialised on theatre or
music, houses of composers etc. present traditional performances to the visitors.
There is a very interesting example in the Casa Kojom, a Museum dedicated to a living
Maya-culture in Antigua/Guatemala.
13
http://www.discovermoosejaw.com/page_32587.html. Simard in this concern was honoured and awarded
in November 2005 by the Gérard-Morisset-price. This is the highest award given in Canada to extraordinary ideas
related to cultural heritage.
14
Declaration of Québec, Quebec, 13. October 1984, in: museum, ed. by UNESCO, No. 148, Paris 1985,
p. 201.
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Casa K’ojom in Antigua
In this concern I will explain the Casa K’ojom in Antigua/Guatemala. It is a museum that
breathes the spirit of the Maya-culture. It is included in an extended museum-area where
also a coffee-museum was installed. This Museum Casa K’ojom is situated in a natural
environment of vulcanoes and tropical plants and woodland.
This museum is built up to present Mayas-Music, techniques of handicrafts and rituals of the
Maya.
The person responsible has two different aims:
The first is to present historical Maya objects – as music-instruments, looms, ceremonial
equipment – in a traditional waTy. The presentation also includes historic sources and
documents and visual creations.
The second purpose is to create the connection between the Maya-culture in the past and
the Maya-tribes living in this region at present.
Members of the Maya-tribes of this region therefore have the opportunity to present their
intangible heritage on the grounds of the museum, particularly the techniques of handicraft
as the production of Pan’s pipes, artificial silhouettes, ceramics, technique of weaving.
The performing art in this context plays a particularly important role: Music and dances are
offered as outdoor-performances for the visitors of the museum.
Traditional weave-techniques of the Maya
Production of Pan’s pipes – analogically according to tue presentation in Casa K’ojom
silhouettes
The museum responsible are convinced that the intangible heritage, both the demonstration
of techniques and the performances, promotes the understanding of the museum-objects
very well. Additionally the Tzutuil-tribes perform their intangible ceremonial, ritual and
indigenous music-culture.
This is only one example of many more we could also set out for Asian countries. Above that
there are many more opportunities for museums in this sort of activities, which offer an
important benefit: the active promotion of intangible heritage, and at the same time the
presentation of the value and importance of the museum to the visitors and the community.
Museology, Tangible and Intangible Heritage 2000
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Above that The papers in ICOFOM Study Series 2000 represent in a scientific way different
perspectives of Intangible Heritage from different parts of the world:
- Cultural Identity and Diversity
What you see here is an example from Jakutia in Siberia: on the other hand the shamans
who are believing to magical rituals and on the other hand Jakute people on he occasion of a
festivity. Both of them are from the same ethnic group – but their way to express identity and
diversity is different.
- Inspiration, spiritual and Cultural Heritage
In the context of museology also questions concerning inspiration, spiritual and cultural
heritage, the eventuality of a cyber-world, play a particularly important role. Our example
relates to schamane-rites in the context of inspiration, hunting rituals that are also an
important part of intangible heritage in the North of Siberia and last but not least to the
horses-rituals on the occasion of festivities and the skills. The ornamented horse-blanket is
characteristic for it.
- Musealisation and Visualisation
When we have to talk about musealisation and visualisation we have to go back to the
history of museums to the Antique – but particularly to the time of Renaissance – by 16th
century - when the cabinets of arts and curiosities presented the items discovered on the
occasion of travels around the world or the achievements of Natural Sciences in the age of
discovery. Musealisation today includes even the virtuality.
If we talk about visualisation and intangible heritage there is more practical relation: The
Russian lady from Tolstoy-Museum visualises how people worked by the end of 19th century
in Russia.
Or: A young girl in a German Art Museum is dressed in a costume and represents the kind of
posture like the lady on the work of art. She not only visualises rather more portrays the lady
who was painted.
- Modes of philosophy
The modes of philosophy in different countries are also an important part of the intellectual
intangible heritage – whether you consider the philosophers of Antiquity – Sokrates and
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Pythagoras – or philosophers of the modern times as Jean Jacques Rousseau and Wilhelm
von Humboldt.
Additional articles in ICOFOM Study Series deal with museums of particular importance
concerning the heritage in contrast to the traditional museum. An up-to-date facet was put by
a contribution related to the intellectual dialogue between museum and school concerning
history, art and culture, nature and techniques.
- Contemporary approach
Sometimes is particularly emphasised on the contemporary approach. On the one hand the
interrelationship between intangible heritage and contemporary art is discussed.
There was a very good example on Contemporary Art on the IV.th Biennale in
Krasnoyarsk/Siberia with the theme “Art of Memory” 2001. The exposition was partly openair and partly in the Museum Centre.
It had the motto:
”Memory is not only remembrance to the past but rather an indispensable condition for the
future.”
Positive and Negative Heritage
If we talk about heritage also positive and negative heritage is pointed out.15 For a long time
the debate on heritage – at least in Europe - was related to the positive heritage as it is
shown in museums of different types. History represented by the objects and artefacts is
usually exhibited in a way that people could be proud of. Nevertheless, the role of Memorial
Museums and Memorial Sites as intangible Heritage – world-wide and according to
totalitarian systems in the 20th century is less considered.16
In so far is a further question how “negative heritage” of the 20th century (original sites,
documents, relics of National Socialistic Concentration camps in Germany and Poland,
Memorials and Memorial Sites) – or the GuLAG Camps in Russia – should be preserved and
used for educational issues and consciousness-rising.
The methodology of dealing with relics of the totalitarian past in 20th century as a depressing
15
Vieregg, Hildegard/Davis, Ann (Eds.), Museology and the Intangible Heritage, ICOFOM Study Series 32,
Munich/Germany and Brno/Czech Republic 2000./ICOFOM/KSMOS, Museology and Intangible Heritage –
Museology and the Types of Intangible Heritage; Museology, Museums and Intangible Environment; Museology
and Ethical Responsibility; Seoul/Korea 2004./See also: The Transition Project of ICOFOM (since 1994) that was
initiated and is provided by Vinos Sofka (Sweden) and has included world-wide activities – from Siberia/Russian
Federation to Germany and Argentina.
16
Vieregg, Hildegard, Remembrance as Intangible Heritage, in: Vieregg, Hildegard/ Davis, Ann, Museology
and the Intangible Heritage, Munich/Germany and Brno/Czech Republic, Munich/Calgary 2000, pp. 115-124.
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and “negative” intangible heritage as well as the remembrance-culture of our society must be
supported. In this concern I relate particularly to the totalitarian past in both countries
Germany – under Adolf Hitler - and Russia – under Joseph Stalin.
- Traditions of communities – Festive Events
The pictures show the famous Carneval of Baranquilla in Latin America that was elected as
one of the first Masterpieces.
It represents in a convincing way an important part of the daily life related to both society and
museums.
In contrary the Japanese calligraphy – as a specific intangible heritage of countries in Asia
shows how intangible heritage depends not only from tangible objects rather more from
mentality, temperament and zest of life.
- Economic traditions, crafts and skills
This example represents different crafts and skills. While the Indios in Latin America deals
with techniques of harvest and are far-reaching independent from a fixed building, the
Jakute-people in Siberia has to deal with the traditional forms of building a house against the
temperature with until to 50 degrees under zero in a dreadful winter.
One may ask what relationship exists to Museology: There is to say that Museums in Siberia
present and deal with those techniques in a similar way as Guatemalan museums – we could
see in the coffee-museum in Antigua – do it concerning the harvest of coffee-plantations.
- National customs
National customs are often in correlation with objects, artefacts, instruments, performances
and cultural spaces. In this context ethnological museums and "Museums of World Cultures"
play, on my view, a particularly important role because they are to be seen in the context and
responsibility of an international evaluation, interpretation and intercultural development.
The pictures show examples from ICOFOM Meetings, the Meeting in Bahia 2003: The
Christmas hayboxes. The Musicians in the museum in Pontal on the occasion of the Meeting
in Rio, and an exciting performance in Hyderabad/India 1988.
- Individual cultural and social expressions
Individual and common, cultural, social and creative terms of expression are independent
from any physical form as e.g. language, literature, oral tradition, dance, songs and nonwritten music, but also the knowledge of long-established practices - shape a particular
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group.
On our examples it is Indian dancers, a dancing group from Ecuador which gave a
performance in the Museo de Banco Central in Cuenca – on the occasion of the ICOFOM –
and ICOFOM – LAM Meeting 2002, and social and individual performances of the ViennaWaltz in Austria. I choose this example particularly from the reason that the next General
Conference of ICOM will take place in Vienna.
The individual expression of the indigenous people in Australia – the Aborigines – shouldn’t
be forgotten.
In this sphere for example also theatre-museums play an important role because they are
represents of the stage and ether kinds of performing arts. They are focusing on
performances which take place on a certain place, at a certain time and in each case with
ether visitors. Therefore they are connected to a unique power of statement, nevertheless
concerning "tangible" heritage as e.g. the place of events, theatre-costumes, requisites of
various kind. What remains from a performance to the visitors is only remembrance of
immaterial and intangible nature.
- Knowledge of long-established practices
My last example related to the kind of the Masterpieces of UNESCO is on the knowledge of
long-established practices as they are: building a boat by the Eskimos, building passiongroups as a technique that is very common to many countries during the Holy Week before
Easter, Arts and crafts or playing instruments.
The National Museum of the American Indian
The National Museum of the American Indian in Washington D.C. is intended to represent
the oldest people of the nation, the First Americans. It thinks in its concept about a cultural
legacy tens of thousands of years old.
“But more importantly, it makes a powerful statement - that a diversity of Native People
are alive, here today, possessed of wisdom, arts and knowledge.”…
Native Peoples in this concern were involved und played an important role in the
conception, planning and representing themselves and in their individual support for the
museum. “Aside from public display places in its two museum buildings in Washington and
New York, it has a Cultural Resource Center in a third building devoted to connecting visiting
Native Americans with objects, in private, for study and reflection. And perhaps in the
strongest illustration of its attention to the intangible nature of cultural heritage, it had defined
something it calls "the fourth museum," a massive outreach and community services
programme that has as its goal the encouragement and support for the continuity and
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creativity of Native cultural communities.”
This Museum is a “world-class model” of how a museum can address the heavy
responsibilities set forth in the new Convention. … Cultural heritage for that museum is not
something dead, frozen, stored away for tourists or the specific interest of scholars. It is
rather more a living museum connected to the identity and spirit of a contemporary people
that often enough has complicated living conditions today.
“Museums that see life around them may be better poised to account for it, react to it, and
seek it as a cause for attention and maybe even a source of inspiration. Museums such as
these are laden with the purpose envisioned in the new Convention, and provide a source of
optimism that an old social institution - the museum - is not dead, but can itself find new life
in the 21" century.”17
Ethical and Legal Efforts
The Code of Ethics for Museums18 obliges us on a respectful treatment of the heritage
represented by the collections of Museums. This is particularly related to the “Colonial Age”
in the 19th century.
In this concern I would like to demonstrate this problem on a significant example: The
Government of Australia demands the return of certain objects in Museum-collections of
Germany and Great Britain: As far as they are concerned it is the return of the mortal
remains of Aborigines – particularly the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre, an organisation which
reclaims the rights of the Aborigines – particularly related to the cult of the death. (The
skeletons are since the 1840th in depots or exhibited in Museums in Great Britain and
elsewhere in Europe).19
There is no doubt that the Human Rights of the Aborigines have to be respected – also in
the case that museums “lose” or have to lead back those “sacred remains”.
However, this situation of Museums and Museology shown on prototypes is both a
challenge and a great chance. It could provide an opportunity to teach people about the
value of their own culture. They could be put in touch with their own cultural heritage, given
information about their culture, and their self-confidence and awareness of their heritage
could be promoted. They could also be given the opportunity to get closer to their cultural
17
Kurin, a.a.O., S. 9.
International Council of Museums, ICOM Code of Ethics/Code de Déontologie de l’ICOM pour les
Musées/Codigo de Deontología del ICOM para los Museos, Paris 2002.
19
Lange, Britta/Voss, Julia, Unter Tieren, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Nr. 53, vom 3. März 2007, S. Z1.
18
16
origins and receive encouragement to take pride in their ancestors as well as in their more
recent history. With the assistance of objects presented in Museums they would be enabled
to find their identity in the present and for the future. In discussing identity, inter-cultural
relations should also be taken into consideration. Such cultural interaction can be presented
in Museums, environments, sites and monuments in any country world-wide by means of
displays and exhibitions.
To protect the world's Cultural Heritage – besides a lot of other measures in practice ICOM's Code of Ethics should be promoted and disseminated, not only among Museum
professionals but also among the population at large and on an international level.