Methods in working with intangible cultural heritage - report

not been able to learn the skill by
practicing it together with someone who
can do it.
At Ryfylke Museum we have made great
efforts to build a network of people
interested in our work of collecting,
documenting and transmitting traditional
crafts. We have experienced, however, that
it can be difficult to bring in people who
are doing active work in the field.
Participation in a project for transmitting
action-borne knowledge is time-consuming
and when the activities are not part of a
process that has direct benefit for one’s
daily work, it can be difficult to give
priority to participation.
It is easier to manage transmission of
traditional music and dance. These are
leisure-time activities for most
practitioners and great interest exists in
Norway for acquiring competence in both
music and dance, even among the very
young.
Conclusion
Work with immaterial culture at the two
museums and the resulting cooperation
between them has had several positive
results:
Important sectors of the life style
experienced in and between the
buildings have been documented and
transmitted.
An awareness of the fact that museum
work also concerns immaterial culture
has been reinforced.
Presentation of and training in traditions
and customs has increased the general
public’s interest in the museums.
We must admit, however, that work with
immaterial culture can result in new
challenges. On the one hand, it can prove
difficult to find informants who have
sufficient knowledge about the issues on
which the museum wishes to work, while
also having the ability and the desire to
transmit their expertise. On the other hand,
it can also be difficult to recruit younger
participants who are motivated enough to
acquire traditional knowledge.
One important factor for success is quite
probably that of establishing a social
setting around the transmission of
tradition. Participation must be seen as
being attractive. Everyone must get
something in return for their participation,
both in the form of knowledge and of
comradeship. There are several ways to
accomplish this. Breaks in work, food and
coffee can provide the extra values that
make participation attractive.
Accommodation can also do that. Or the
event itself can not only inspire a desire to
participate, but can also create so much
attention that this emphasizes the
importance of what is being done.
The most important conclusion is,
however, that working with handicrafts
and home crafts, customs, food, music and
dance must become just as important a part
of museum work as preserving buildings,
tools and interiors.
This belief arose in Sirogojno as a natural
consequence of their work in establishing
the open-air museum. At Ryfylke, we
consider skills in doing handicrafts, using
tools and understanding materials to be an
integral part of building conservation.
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