Àite Dachaidh: Re‐connecting People with Place—Island Landscapes and Intangible Heritage

How we construct our relationships to the past and the impact of this for the future of cultural identity is explored with reference to the cultural context, environment and intangible heritage of the Western Isles. This paper starts from the premise that an interest in heritage and the roots of cultural traditions is not the exclusive concern of archaeologists, historians or folklorists. Cultural traditions, cultural identity and cultural aspirations influence how we create and give meaning to our environment. Local populations may assign importance and value to places and landscapes according to their own cultural criteria which may differ from that of professional groups. In the Western Isles, institutions such as local museums and Comann Eachdraidh (historical societies) are instrumental in the preservation and transmission of local memories, traditions, and local history. However, the forging of these memories through stories, monuments and cultural artefacts fall outside current professional frameworks. While moves in academic discourse to re‐inscribe the concept of collective memory into the field of local history recognise that social memories are intended to create and consolidate identities, to enable such knowledge of local heritage to be recognised and protected, this cultural criteria needs to come into the mainstream of heritage assessment and discourse.