Basque ethnography at a glance

Ellande Alfaro, craftsman, sewing the leather of a ball. Sara (Labourd). Source: Labrit Ondarea.

When undertaking inventories of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH), it is not always easy to determine its limits. Many believe it is a sea without borders. Often, projects without a systematized methodology hide its impossibility under the pretext of an unlimited scope. It is not a question of constantly reviewing inventories, but rather of their temporal scope, aware of their constant evolution and the need for periodic updating.

According to UNESCO’s definition, ICH encompasses the knowledge, practices, and expressions transmitted from generation to generation by a group of people, when that community recognizes them as part of its identity. Considering the definition itself and without any further clarification, if we embark on an inventory of an unspecified geographical area, it is not surprising to think that the task is endless.

Regarding the classification of ICH expressions by area, UNESCO classifies them into five areas, The Master Plan for the ICH inventory in Navarre and the Northern Basque Country, the French State inventory, distinguishes seven areas, while the Cultural Heritage Law of the Basque Autonomous Community distinguishes eleven.

However, these area classifications do not limit the scope of an ICH inventory. This scope is defined as a snapshot of the IUCN expressions that are present in a specific geographical area at a given time. For this, a preliminary inventory is essential, which must be validated with local communities.

Celebration of the declaration of the ‘Pamplona City Council in City Body’ as an Intangible Cultural Heritage Site. Pamplona (Upper Navarre). Source: Labrit Ondarea.

The need for preliminary identification inventories
The first step is not to develop an official catalogue, but to create flexible and open preliminary inventories in which a community can identify itself and its living heritage. Defining the preliminary inventory in geographic units is very useful for drawing on local sources and subsequently obtaining the corresponding validation for each municipality or town.

The preliminary identification inventory allows for the compilation and mapping of dispersed knowledge through desk-based work.

Validation of the depository communities
It is essential that the depository communities confirm and validate what they consider to be their intangible heritage. They determine which expressions are still alive, to what extent each expression is linked to the city, municipality, region, country, or nation, and the classification of the strength of each expression based on its representativeness and sense of identity.

This is a step that cannot be taken by the administration, intermediaries, or technical experts. The key is the community’s own self-recognition.

A defined horizon
It is true that the expressions of Intangible Cultural Heritage are very diverse and that the definition itself does not establish a closed boundary. However, this does not mean that they are completely unlimited.

The areas of expression in the Basque Country are broadly defined by seven or eleven main categories. These provide a framework, although the expressions included in these categories are numerous and constantly changing.

Identification and validation by the depository communities is essential. What is considered intangible heritage is not defined by an external expert, but rather by what a community recognizes as part of its identity. This means that the number of manifestations is not infinite, but limited to the extent that a given community identifies with.

The expressions of Intangible Cultural Heritage are potentially numerous and dynamic, but not unlimited. They are classified according to a conceptual framework, conditioned by community recognition and shaped by preliminary inventories and protection policies.

Inventories of expressions of ICH are dynamic, but not unlimited.

Gaizka Aranguren – Labrit Heritage