Heritage Files 3: Heritage Resource Types

[micromammal]

As I aim to educate Forum Members I thought it best to explain a few terms. As professionals we talk about heritage resources. Heritage resources can be divided into two parts, namely tangible and intangible heritage.

1. Tangible Heritage
This is the type of heritage we are most familiar with, it is all physical manifistations relating to palaeontology, palaeo-anthropology, archaeology, etc. They are divided into immovable and moveable material, objects, features and places.

1.1. Immovable Heritage
- Archaeological sites and ruins
- palaeontological and palaeo-anthropological sites
- historical and colonial sites and ruins
- sites associated with the history of slavery
- shipwrecks and other underwater sites,
- tombs and graves
- caves, cave temples or shrines
- rock art
- stone, wooden or metal carvings, statues or sculpture
- modern places
- historic villages
- historic or modern buildings
- historic landscapes
- battlefields
- natural landscapes of scenic view
- natural landscapes of geological or scientific value
- unique botanical landscapes
- natural areas sacred to local people

Phew!!! A mouthful, but hopefully it makes you think about how broad heritage resources are and how many of such places our national parks must contain!

1.2 Moveable Heritage
These are things that can physically be picked up and moved. Think here of fossil skeletons, tools, paintings, clothes, etc. These are sadly the resources that can easi;y be illegally be removed by irrisponsible persons.

2. Intangible Heritage.
Otherwise known as living heritage and its reverse to the intangible aspects of inherited culture:

- Cultural tradition
- Oral history
- Performance
- Ritual
- Popular memory
- Skills and techniques
- Local knowledge
- Indigenous knowledge systems
- Holistic approach to nature

Hope all this has not produced too much brain freeze!! Till later...