What is a Heritage?
Our inherited customs, monuments, items, and culture are all part of our heritage. Most importantly, we derive a wide range of everyday activities, meanings, and behaviours from them.
Heritage involves much more than the preservation, excavation, exhibition, or restoration of an antique collection. It is concrete and ethereal in that ideas and memories—of songs, cuisine, language, dances, and many other aspects of who we are and how we identify ourselves—are as significant as historical structures and archaeological sites.
Heritage is the topic of ongoing public inquiry, debate, and discussion, or it should be.
What is it worthwhile to save? What can or should we overlook? What memories can we cherish, lament, or learn from? Who owns “The Past,” and who has the authority to speak for previous generations? In our multicultural world, active public discussion about material and intangible heritage—of individuals, groups, communities, and nations—is a valuable aspect of public life.
Heritage is an everyday activity with far-reaching consequences. It can be a component of long-term urban and regional planning. It can serve as a platform for political recognition, a medium for intercultural communication, a means of ethical reflection, and a foundation for local economic growth. It is both local and specific, as well as universal and shared. Heritage is a crucial component of the present and future we shall create.
Heritage vs History
History and heritage are two terms that are inextricably linked. History is the investigation of the past, while heritage refers to valuable artefacts and traits from earlier generations, such as historic buildings and customs. This is the primary distinction between history and heritage. So, what exactly is heritage? Fabric, Stories, and Culture are the three aspects used to characterise historical heritage. A location’s historic legacy consists of one or more of these elements.
Fabric
Fabric refers to the actual remains that exist now – what you can see and touch.
Fabric to Mori might be regarded as tika – traditional practice.
Greenstone adzes carved by Mori, flakes used by moa hunters, antique bottles and things left behind by early residents, and even submerged remnants are among the artefacts discovered.
Human-made features and plants have been left behind, such as Mori fortifications, gold mine water tunnels, holes dug by gum diggers, and trees planted by European settlers.
Buildings range from massive government structures to significant homesteads, modest huts, and even smaller castaway shelters.
Machinery and structures still standing in isolated locales, rusting machinery left in the forest, or abandoned concrete fortresses.
Stories
Stories are what you read, hear, or see to describe and explain our history. There are several methods to tell a story. They inform us what happened in the past, who was involved, what transpired, and why. Oral traditions and memories offer colour and personal appeal.
Visual records such as drawings, pictures, old videos, and maps provide a look into the past that frequently piques our interest and makes us want to learn more.
Written documents available in libraries, archives, museums, and government agencies assist us in learning more about the history behind the stories.
Image 3_Ancient Stories_©https://eclecticlight.co/2016/05/19/the-story-in-paintings-ancient-egypt-and-italy/
Culture
Culture describes people’s feelings, experiences, and activities in historic locations. Knowledge of the past enriches our cultural background. Mori culture may be thought of as Tangata Whenua – identity. Spiritual bonding People participate in conservation efforts in locations that are meaningful to them. They are making a taonga or treasure that will be passed down to their children and future generations. Our identity, and our pilgrimage Pilgrimage, is made to commemorate significant events in New Zealand and throughout the world. They may have a familial link or simply a liking for a particular period of New Zealand history.
Hobbies and interests Hundreds of people attend vintage events, acquire antiques, and restore ancient machinery and structures. They share their ancestry with others since it is what they are interested in and what they do in their leisure time. Traditional abilities People still use abilities from our history today. People may carve, weave, or operate with ancient machinery for personal delight or as part of their employment – this helps preserve our legacy alive, particularly if they pass these talents on to their children.
Importance of Heritage
It allows us to analyse our history and customs while also developing self-awareness. It enables us to comprehend and explain why we are the way we are. Heritage is a cornerstone of our culture that influences our laws, community, economy, and worldview.
Why preserve the heritage
Heritage landmarks are undoubtedly the most visible manifestation of a city’s identity. The lived-in design, strategic positions, and usage of these buildings convey unique tales about how our city came to be and anticipate where it might go. These elements contribute character and elegance to our city, generating a sense of belonging and community and reminding us that our city’s past belongs to us.We must conserve these significant structures for future generations, just as they have been passed down to us.
Due to the laborious tasks and custom craftsmanship involved in reviving old features, older buildings are often expensive to maintain. However, this less-than-ideal situation provides an opportunity to stimulate the economy by creating new jobs for local contractors, architects, and artisans. Heritage preservation prohibits the squandering of resources and energy used by previous generations and the replacement of new, energy-consuming materials such as metals and polymers. Furthermore, the World Bank emphasises that previous generations had already paid for absorbed costs and that those assets must not be neglected.
References:
1.(no date) https://www.umass.edu/chs/about/whatisheritage.html.
2.Hasa (2016) Difference between history and Heritage, Pediaa.Com. Available at: https://pediaa.com/difference-between-history-and-heritage/.
