CULTURAL HERITAGE QUIZ: PART 1

Heritage Moments | Selin Kahramanoglu

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How much do you know about cultural heritage?

This summer, I'm super excited to be taking on the Heritage Moments column! All three of my blog posts will feature a quiz, gradually introducing readers to more complex topics on cultural heritage. This month's post will be a general overview of its definition.
Are you up for the challenge?

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Pick TRUE or FALSE for each question. Answers will quickly follow, so don't scroll down too much.

1. Cultural heritage is studied in History. 
2. Cultural heritage always takes on a material form.
3. If a culture has no tangible cultural heritage, then it does not exist.
4. Objects are larger than they appear. (Threw you off with this one, didn't I?)

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Answer to #1: TRUE

Cultural heritage is broadly defined as the legacies of a group of people (cultures, or societies), which have been passed on and continues to be preserved for future generations.

• From this definition, of course cultural heritage is found in History! Studying and preserving the past is what historians do best! You know who else would love doing that? Anthropologists, political scientists, writers, artists, urban planners, biologists... 

Oh wait. That's a lot of different professions. (wink wink) That's right, practically every discipline has a reason to study cultural heritage. Everyone can learn something from it!

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Answer to #2: FALSE

When I (poorly) sing a song by ABBA, did I just create it? As much as I'd like to claim "Super Trouper," the song is not mine. The only reason why I know all the words to the '80s song is because that track has transcended generations. I do not have any sheet music, but the melody has been shared globally, and it will continue to circulate for many more years. Sound familiar?

• Tangible: Some cultural heritage takes a physical form - an ancient Greek amphitheater, a painting by Jackson Pollock, or the early drafts of George Orwell's "1984."
• Intangible: Other types of cultural heritage is not a material, but they're still just as valuable - a spoken word poem, oral histories, music, a wedding ceremony, or a digital blog post.

Many people also consider a third category: Natural heritage. This includes cultural landscapes, like Grand Pré, the Medici Villas, or the Matobo Hills.

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Answer to #3: FALSE

What if I told you that dragons are real. I have no animal bones, no reports of sightings, no drawings, or photographs. Do you believe me? No, because I can't prove it.

• If one day, I did find tangible heritage, like a fossilized dragon scale, then it is no longer a myth, right? The physical materials become evidence of its existence. However, did the dragon suddenly become real when I found the bone? No, it was real before, but we just couldn't be sure.

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This idea is true for cultural heritage. Just because we don't have any tangible remains of a culture, that does not mean that they do not exist. Perhaps the group left no trace? Maybe their legacies are all intangible? Think about it!

Answer to #4: TRUE

I’m not just talking about the side-view mirrors of your car. The significance of cultural heritage changes for each person. Perspective is everything!

• Think about a family photo album. If you belong to the family to which the photo album belongs, then this heritage is probably more meaningful to you, than to a non-family member.
• Meaningfulness is not always apparent from the outside. Think about intentionality and symbolism involved in the creation and expression of our heritage. 

Phew, and that's the basics!

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Cultural heritage helps us know more about this world, who lived here, and how these groups interacted. What similarities do we have? How did we develop that idea? Cultural heritage is invaluable to know where we’ve been, so that we can better predict where we’re going.

Stay tuned for next month's post and quiz!

Further Reading
The Khan Academy's definition of Cultural Heritage
UNESCO's World Heritage List
Listen to ABBA's 1980 song "Super Trouper"