Museums without walls: ecomuseums and living cultural heritage
Ecomuseums are a dynamic way to preserve, interpret, and manage community heritage for sustainable development. Eco museums were developed in Europe less than fifty years ago and are now found in practically every nation in the world. There are more than 300 working ecomuseums around the world, and they have revived, reinvented, and revitalised the tangible and intangible heritage of communities. As Peter Davis (1999: 68) states, "intangible local skills, behaviour patterns, social structure, and traditions are as much part of the ecomuseum as the tangible evidence of landscapes, underlying geology, wildlife, buildings, and objects, as well as people and their domestic animals."
It's vital to keep in mind that the term "ecomuseum" can also refer to an ecological park or a location where specific ecological processes are protected. They are most commonly referred to as community museums or ecomuseums, although they may also go by other names that are unrelated to the word "museum." For example, Bordowa in Assam and Chaul Revadanda in Maharashtra, India, the Ivrea Morainic Amphitheatre in Italy, the Houtong Coal Mine Ecological Park in Taiwan, Meymand Village in Iran, Hüsamettindere Village in Turkey, Tswaing Crater and Ndebele Village in South Africa, and The Cateran in Scotland are some examples.
The objective behind ecomuseums is to preserve the memory of the original environment while also promoting democracy, inclusivity, and a knowledge of the interconnectedness of location, legacy, and community. The eco-museum experiments contain a variety of elements and histories that have been learned and implemented in various parts of the world. Here are four examples of eco museums that are protecting places as well as their living cultural heritage:
1. Creusot-Montceau-les-Mines, France: The Creusot Montceau Ecomuseum is a museum of the industrial heritage of the Creusot and Montceau-les-Mines municipalities that was finally owned by the Creusot Montceau Urban Community in 2012. The Ecomuseum is divided into three sections: the villa Perrusson in Ecuisses, the brickyard in Ciry-le-Noble, and the Museum of Man and Industry in Le Creusot. They each have their own way of telling the region's history, such as through glass, metallurgy, ceramics, and glassware.In the ecomuseum, people and the association all take part in its many activities, which include preserving industrial and rural historical heritage, demonstrating the value of industrial workers' and peasants' cultures, valuing the diverse cultural influencers of immigrant groups, scholastic education, and many others. The Ecomuseum is unusual and innovative, even with respect to the material resources at its disposal. The structure has been listed as a historic monument since the late eighteenth century and was reconstructed in the early twentieth century, which makes a major contribution to understanding social phenomena in industrial workers’ culture from outside the community. Le Creusot is a living experiment and therefore in constant evolution.
2. The Batana Ecomuseum, Croatia: A cultural centre and museum dedicated to preserving and documenting local maritime and fishing culture. The Ecomuseum Batana was started in 2004 by a group of enthusiasts to safeguard the Batana boat and all accompanying traditions such as bitinada singing, local dialect, gastronomy, fishing with Batana boats, and more. The ecomuseum engaged different social structures in creating "space’ where intangible cultural heritage is thought, felt, and lived. Ecomuseums as cultural organisations almost perfectly meet the needs for sustainable care of intangible heritage, as in Ecomuseum Batana, which actively reinforces the cultural identity and uniqueness of Rovinj as a pleasant place to live for all of its residents and as a unique destination for all of its visitors. There is a house of Batana that serves as a central interpretation and documentation centre. A little shipyard where Batanas are built and repaired. Rovinj’s Regatta: The traditional square or latin sail regatta has been held in Rovinj since 2005 and every year, the number of participating boats grows. For an authentic experience, visit Spacio Matika, an old canteen where food, music, and an old dialect work together to offer our senses an authentic experience.
3. Tangan Dong Ethnic Eco-Museum, China: The Tangan Dong village is located in the east of Liping County, Guizhou Province, China, also named as Tangan Dong Ethnic Eco-Museum, which is well-known for its captivating scenery and well-preserved Dong culture. There are old opera stages, ancient tomb clusters, Diaojiaolou (stilting dwellings), drum towers, wind and rain bridges, rice terraces, and water wheels. Tangan Dong Ecomuseum was started by the Norwegian and the local government on 9th December 1999, and later opened for tourists On 18th May, 2005. The first initiative by Western China Cultural Ecology Research Workshop in Guizhou Province — was to document the rich song tradition of the Dong people, one of China's 55 acknowledged ethnic minorities. The Grand Song of the Dong ethnic group, multi-part singing performed without instrumental accompaniment or a leader, exemplifies their legacy of passing on culture and knowledge through music. Grand Songs are performed formally in the drum-tower, the main location for ceremonies, entertainment, and meetings in a Dong village, or more spontaneously in homes or public places by masters to choirs of disciples. Grand Song is still regularly performed today, with choirs and serves as a vital emblem of Dong ethnic identity and cultural legacy, in addition to communicating their way of life and wisdom.
4. Majuli River Island, India: Majuli is the world’s largest inhabited riverine island, located in the state of Assam in the middle of the Brahmaputra River. Majuli has been the cultural capital of Assamese civilization since the 16th century. Majuli's distinct typography as a river island surrounded on all sides by the Brahmaputra River contributed to an ecological setup and the integration of man and nature. Because of its geographical and physiographic conditions, as well as climatic variations, Majuli Island supports biodiversity. These characteristics of Majuli Island support the growth of diverse flora and fauna. They are among the important elements that contributed to Majuli Island's evolution and formation as a cultural landscape. Majuli is also known for its pottery industry, which employs a unique type of mud soil with mineral resource properties. This soil is locally called "Kumar Mati." Majuli is a hub of Assamese Neo-Vaishnavite culture, initiated around the 15th century by Srimanta Sankardeva. The island has several satras, or Vaishnavite monasteries, some dating back to the 16th century. The first satra was founded in Majuli in the 15th century. The satras are not only monasteries but also centres of traditional performing arts, such as mask making at the Samaguri Satra, which was founded in 1663. King Chakradwaj Singha named it Samuguri after a Sam tree initiated by Chakrapani Ata. Since the 16th century, 65 satras have been established for the propagation of ethics and socio-cultural ideals. However, at present, there are only twenty-two satras in Majuli. The others had to be shifted to safer places due to the devastation of floods and erosion.
In 1988, the conference on "New Museology and Indian Museums," held in Guwahati, Assam, India, supported that "all efforts be made to recognise the value of New Museology" and the field of museums, which are to be set up, maintained, and run as trusts in the hands of representatives of the concerned communities. Several debates and references were made to the possible creation of ecomuseums in Alwar City (Rajasthan), Jispa (Himachal Pradesh), and Majuli (Assam), but only one project was carried forward. We need to establish and organise more eco-museums in India in comparison to the number of places in our country that have significant cultural heritage to safeguard tangible and intangible cultural heritage in every state of India. The local customs and culture of our diverse country are in dire need of being incorporated into the ideologies of an eco-museum. For example, Kochi is an ideal place to build an ecomuseum, and some of the projects mentioned above can be initiated.
Eco-Museums have been immersing people in authentic local culture, which results in a better understanding of their environment. At museums, you’ll be encouraged to participate in traditional activities to experience the local lifestyle. Instead of just visiting this region, you’ll become a part of it for a while. The importance of sustainable museum environments, such as eco museums, cannot be overstated. With the rich and diverse culture of India, it is necessary to build a centre of engagement with a focus on our local communities and safeguarding their cultural heritage through people, place, and environment.
References:
https://asiasociety.org/blog/asia/rural-eco-museum-china-preserves-song-tradition-and-peoples-culture
https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/grand-song-of-the-dong-ethnic-group-00202
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2577444119300048#s0030
https://ecobnb.com/blog/2020/05/eco-museums-istria/
https://majuliecomuseum.wordpress.com/virtual-walkthrough/
https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000043942
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%89comus%C3%A9e_du_Creusot-Montceau
Davis, Peter. Ecomuseums: a sense of place. 2011.