The
Norbergson Foundation is a small Independent Charity for the
advancement
of Tangible and Intangible Cultural Heritage using methods of public knowledge transfer.
We have a particular interest in: The Impact of the
Viking diaspora on a shared cultural heritage. Landscape Investigation of our woodland heritage.
The Norbergson Foundation is a non-profit
organization.
Intangible Cultural Heritage
depends on its basis in communities, and on the continuing activities
of those
with
specific knowledge of traditions, skills and customs within these
communities.
A
four goal approach to the safeguarding and sharing of Intangible Cultural Heritage consists
of:
1.
Documenting ICH and living traditions in your community;
2.
Recognizing and celebrating ICH with festivals and commemorations;
3.
Supporting and encouraging the passing on of knowledge and skills;
and, 4. Exploring the potential of ICH as
a resource for community development.
The term ‘cultural heritage’ has changed content considerably
in recent decades, partially owing to the instruments developed by
UNESCO. Cultural heritage does not end at monuments and collections
of objects. It also includes traditions or living expressions
inherited from our ancestors and passed on to our descendants, such
as oral
traditions, performing
arts, social
practices, rituals, festive events, knowledge
and practices concerning nature and the universe or the knowledge
and skills to produce traditional crafts.
While fragile, intangible cultural heritage is an important factor
in maintaining cultural diversity in the face of growing
globalization. An understanding of the intangible cultural heritage
of different communities helps with intercultural dialogue, and
encourages mutual respect for other ways of life.
The importance of intangible cultural heritage is not the cultural
manifestation itself but rather the wealth of knowledge and skills
that is transmitted through it from one generation to the next. The
social and economic value of this transmission of knowledge is
relevant for minority groups and for mainstream social groups within
a State, and is as important for developing States as for developed
ones.
Traditional, contemporary
and living at the same time: intangible cultural heritage
does not only represent inherited traditions from the past but also
contemporary rural and urban practices in which diverse cultural
groups take part;
Inclusive: we may
share expressions of intangible cultural heritage that are similar
to those practised by others. Whether they are from the neighbouring
village, from a city on the opposite side of the world, or have been
adapted by peoples who have migrated and settled in a different
region, they all are intangible cultural heritage: they have been
passed from one generation to another, have evolved in response to
their environments and they contribute to giving us a sense of
identity and continuity, providing a link from our past, through the
present, and into our future. Intangible cultural heritage does not
give rise to questions of whether or not certain practices are
specific to a culture. It contributes to social cohesion,
encouraging a sense of identity and responsibility which helps
individuals to feel part of one or different communities and to feel
part of society at large;
Representative:
intangible cultural heritage is not merely valued as a cultural
good, on a comparative basis, for its exclusivity or its exceptional
value. It thrives on its basis in communities and depends on those
whose knowledge of traditions, skills and customs are passed on to
the rest of the community, from generation to generation, or to
other communities;
Community-based: intangible cultural
heritage can only be heritage when it is recognized as such by the
communities, groups or individuals that create, maintain and
transmit it – without their recognition, nobody else can decide
for them that a given expression or practice is their heritage.
From
the eighth to the eleventh centuries, the Vikings, comprising mainly
Danes and Norwegians, travelled around the Northern Hemisphere,
colonising vast swaths of territory. The Norsemen raided throughout
the British Isles and the Frankish empire, and even visited North
Africa. They headed west to Iceland, Greenland, and what is now
Canada, becoming the first Europeans to set foot in the Americas. And
they travelled east into what is now northern Russia, ultimately
lending their own name Rus, the Slavs' name for them, to that great
country and on to what is now Istanbul using the river systems.
Physical and social traces of the Vikings' passing remain in
sites stretching from Newfoundland to north Russia. By visiting the
Norse sites you get a feel for the sheer depth and breadth of the
Viking diaspora.
“Cultural
heritage is an important resource in local communities. It is part of
our cultural identity; it gives us something to take pride in, it
gives us confidence that we possess a legacy that matters to our
national narratives. The promotion of the
thing (assembly) sites as birthplace of modern democracy in Northern Europe
could benefit our region in many ways. There
is a trend that people want genuine qualities in peaceful
surroundings. Most thing sites, I believe,
should represent such unique qualities. Tourism
is one of the fastest growing industries in the world. Cultural
tourism can help vitalize local communities by
generating jobs, and boosting local economies”. Opening
address by Heidi Grande Røys, Nordic Co-operation Minister and
Minister of Government Administration and Reform, at the Gulating
Summer Seminar, 23 June 2008.
Photo-credit Frank Bradford
Representatives of the local history group Friends of
Thynghowe, Lynda Mallett and Stuart Reddish, have just returned from the Faroe
Islands. They were attending a trans-national European conference of the THING
Project in Torshavn the capital city.
Stuart presented a key note lecture on Thynghowe, a recent
discovery of a Viking Assembly site in Birklands, Sherwood Forest.
Stuart speaking to Radio Faroe said “ We have a shared
culture that covers the whole of northern Europe. A Viking heritage which is
important for the communities of Nottinghamshire which once was one of the five
shires of the Viking Danelaw. We have to remember the heritage we have in
common with the people of the Faroe Islands.”
Five years ago Lynda, Stuart and John Wood discovered this
ancient site using an 1816 document. With three local history groups and the
support of the Forestry Commission they formed the group Friends of Thynghowe,
and have sought to preserve the site, and inform the wider public of it's
significance.
Two years ago it was registered as a national monument.
The Friends of Thynghowe have received funding from the Local
Initiative Scheme (Notts County Council) to undertake with the Community
Archaeologists, a topographical survey of Thynghowe.
This will take place from 25 – 30 October. The public are
invited to visit and participate on Thursday 28th and Saturday 30th,
, 09.30 – 12.30 and / or 13.30 – 16.30.
Booking is essential.
If you are
interested in attending on either or both of these dates please contact Alex
Price, the Local Improvement Schemes Project Officer on 07753625571.
Transport provided by the Forestry Commission will be
available at the windmill end of Birklands. Only People who have booked can
visit the site.
We also have interests in the ICH of traditional amd innovative woodland management practices, both in the United Kingdom and Nova Scotia Canada. Our intangible cultural heritage interests in Maritime Canada also support cultural tourism. Reports on our voluntary intiatives can be found at http://www.youtube.com/user/MaritimeCanada
The Membertou 400 Mi'kmaq Powow Halifax Nova Scotia June 2010 A weekend experience a traditional Mi'kmaq village with
cultural demonstrations; native dance, including fancy, traditional,
jingle and grass dances, drum competitions, a marketplace with more than
40 aboriginal vendors and aboriginal cuisine tasting.
Photo Credit Lynda Mallett
To visit the WORLD HERITAGE CENTRE website click on the logo above.
Heritage is our legacy from the past, what we live with today,
and
what we pass on to future generations. Our cultural and natural heritage
are both irreplaceable sources of life and inspiration. Places as
unique and diverse as the wilds of East Africa’s Serengeti, the Pyramids
of Egypt, the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and the Baroque
cathedrals of Latin America make up our world’s heritage.
What makes the concept of World Heritage exceptional is its universal
application. World Heritage sites belong to all the peoples of the
world, irrespective of the territory on which they are located.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
(UNESCO) seeks to encourage the identification, protection and
preservation of cultural and natural heritage around the world
considered to be of outstanding value to humanity. This is embodied in
an international treaty called the Convention concerning the
Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage,
adopted by UNESCO in 1972.
Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage
The General Assembly of the States Parties to the
Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage
adopted, at its third session from 22 to 24 June 2010, amendments and
new chapters to the Operational Directives (soon available). The updated
version of the Basic Texts of the 2003 Convention will soon be
published in six official languages of UNESCO and will be widely
distributed. The Assembly also elected new members to the
Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible
Cultural Heritage. The Committee will meet at its fifth session in Nairobi, Kenya in November 2010.
To visit the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage website click on
the logo.
Viking Diaspora Viking Assembly Sites. Please visit the Thing Project website at www.thingproject.eu
The International Journal of
Intangible Heritage is a refereed academic and professional English
journal dedicated to the promotion of the understanding of all aspects
of the intangible heritage in the world, and the communication of
research and examples of good professional practice. Proposals for
contributions to future volumes of the Journal are actively sought from
professionals and specialists in the world. http://www.ijih.org/101_web/main.jsp
Promoting Intangible Cultural Heritage:
This photographic project group is supported by us and can be found on flickr- just click the logo to visit the site and see the pictures or contribute pictures of your own.
Traditional, contemporary
and living at the same time: intangible cultural heritage
does not only represent inherited traditions from the past but also
contemporary rural and urban practices in which diverse cultural
groups take part;
“Cultural
heritage is an important resource in local communities. It is part of
our cultural identity; it gives us something to take pride in, it
gives us confidence that we possess a legacy that matters to our
national narratives. The promotion of the
thing (assembly) sites as birthplace of modern democracy in Northern Europe
could benefit our region in many ways. There
is a trend that people want genuine qualities in peaceful
surroundings. Most thing sites, I believe,
should represent such unique qualities. Tourism
is one of the fastest growing industries in the world. Cultural
tourism can help vitalize local communities by
generating jobs, and boosting local economies”. Opening
address by Heidi Grande Røys, Nordic Co-operation Minister and
Minister of Government Administration and Reform, at the Gulating
Summer Seminar, 23 June 2008.
Representatives of the local history group Friends of
Thynghowe, Lynda Mallett and Stuart Reddish, have just returned from the Faroe
Islands. They were attending a trans-national European conference of the THING
Project in Torshavn the capital city.
Stuart presented a key note lecture on Thynghowe, a recent
discovery of a Viking Assembly site in Birklands, Sherwood Forest.
Stuart speaking to Radio Faroe said “ We have a shared
culture that covers the whole of northern Europe. A Viking heritage which is
important for the communities of Nottinghamshire which once was one of the five
shires of the Viking Danelaw. We have to remember the heritage we have in
common with the people of the Faroe Islands.”
Five years ago Lynda, Stuart and John Wood discovered this
ancient site using an 1816 document. With three local history groups and the
support of the Forestry Commission they formed the group Friends of Thynghowe,
and have sought to preserve the site, and inform the wider public of it's
significance.
Two years ago it was registered as a national monument.
The Friends of Thynghowe have received funding from the Local
Initiative Scheme (Notts County Council) to undertake with the Community
Archaeologists, a topographical survey of Thynghowe.
This will take place from 25 – 30 October. The public are
invited to visit and participate on Thursday 28th and Saturday 30th,
, 09.30 – 12.30 and / or 13.30 – 16.30.
Booking is essential.
If you are
interested in attending on either or both of these dates please contact Alex
Price, the Local Improvement Schemes Project Officer on 07753625571.
Transport provided by the Forestry Commission will be
available at the windmill end of Birklands. Only People who have booked can
visit the site.
