Cultural Heritage

There are some English words that we hear every day and we take them for granted without actually understanding what they really mean. Words like development, progress, culture, self-reliance, economy, sovereignty, independence and dignity of labour are some of the more common English words that we hear our leaders talk about at almost every public platform. Whether they understand what they are talking about is one thing, but the more important question is whether we, the people, really understand those words or not. Words are elements of communication and every word has a given meaning assigned by lexicographers. Without the meaning, a word in nothing but a mere sound.
Nagas are a proud people with rich cultural heritage. But what is cultural heritage? Cultural heritage is a wide concept. A cursory definition of cultural heritage would be that it is what our elders and the generations before us have passed on to us. When we hear the words ‘cultural heritage’, we must gauge the whole meaning of it or chances are, we will misinterpret it and, thus, depreciate it rather unconsciously. The biggest threat to our cultural heritage is that, if we do not really understand its whole meaning, then we will deprive our posterity of inheriting it. We must, therefore, first of all understand what our cultural heritage is. Is it just our folk songs, dances, costumes and the institutions or is there more than that that we are missing?
Cultural heritage is the expression of our ways of living including customs, practices, objects, places, artistic expressions and values passed on from generation to generation. Cultural heritage is often expressed as tangible and intangible. Tangible cultural heritage would include our historical sites, artifacts, monuments and fineries, while intangible cultural heritage includes our customs and practices, songs, dances, knowledge, language, skills, value systems, games and the lore. Apart from the tangible and intangible cultural heritage, there is also a third component without which our cultural heritage would be incomplete – our natural heritage, which includes our natural landscapes, forests, rivers and wildlife, our jhum fields and our heirloom seeds.
Without all these intrinsic components, our cultural heritage would be incomplete. When our cultural heritage is not concrete, it would mean that our identity is no longer rooted or is fragmented. Cultural heritage implies a shared bond and our belonging to a community. It represents our history and our very identity; our bond to the past, to our present and the future.We very conveniently choose what to value and preserve without thinking of the whole picture. For example, what is the point of all our folk songs and dances if our jhum system of farming is gone, or if we continue to lose our heirloom seeds? What is the point of all our pride in our ethnic attires if our people can no longer weave? What is the gain of all our economic activities if our natural ecosystem is destroyed for temporary monetary gains?
Our heritage is like our DNA. It provides us clues to our past and allows us to peep into the process of our progress, while linking the past to the future. More importantly, it helps us understand our own history and thereby helps us develop an awareness about ourselves. Cultural heritage in its totality is, therefore, the cornerstone of our culture, identity and our future.
The preservation of our cultural heritage is not merely a suggestion. It is everybody’s responsibility.