Learning the relevance in heritage values

“A baptism by fire.”

That’s the phrase I often use to describe my experience as a new intern in the heritage preservation field. But the more bloggers I meet and with each news article that crosses my screen, I realize the ignorance behind the statement.

I was convinced  preservation and heritage values were for the elitists. They were things far beyond my grasp that required a doctorate to participate or even comprehend. Granted, those things might help with understanding some of the more technical jargon, but they are not a necessity.

I will never forget meeting Folklorist Dale Jarvis from Newfoundland, Canada soon after I volunteered to help  at Voices of the Past. We discussed his uses of new media and how they intertwined with his job as a folklorist. He discussed boat builders and campfires and fairy tales. And there was something about the conversation that intrigued me. Dale became the first of many heritage-minded folks I began to “follow” and “RSS” (a term I have learned because of my new interest in heritage preservation).

There was a question that was addressed during the interview that seems ingrained in my mind. “Is this storytelling a dying art?”

To which Dale responded,

“I really believe that things are always in a constant state of evolution. I think traditions are always changing, and I think that the rise of things like YouTube indicate that people are really passionate about storytelling. They really want to share their own personal stories.”

The thing about heritage preservation, it’s more than simply excavations, campfires and tombstones.

Heritage focuses beyond keeping the “old” around. Rather, heritage focuses on ensuring the “old” remains relevant. Heritage is about the “why”: a word as a future journalist I have come to adore.

Why King Tut was brought to Dallas, Texas. Why Twitter has become a phenomenon. Why everyone and their grandmothers (literally) are on Facebook. Why you come and visit Voices of the Past.

I didn’t have the “baptism by fire” experience I thought, rather it has been this ongoing experience throughout my life. It is the endless days I would sit mesmerized with my grandparents as they shared their stories. It is the shoebox of memories buried at the top of my closet and the homecoming mums that dominate my childhood-bedroom wall. It is my fascination with the Mona Lisa and the folks’ desire to discover if she is the infamous da Vinci in drag.

Heritage isn’t something that we need a degree to participate in or comprehend. Heritage is found in the simplicities around us. And as Dale said, it is the constant state of evolution we all participate in.