Little by little, we are learning about the contribution of women in various areas of knowledge.
We give them names;
if we can, faces, and we talk about pioneers and references.
But what happens when they are anonymous?
The role of women in many areas of heritage transmission is invisible and group-based.
Many are the guardians of essential knowledge that has been protected as Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.
Unfortunately, their work has often been silenced and has not had the same impact as other tasks.
Maybe because they are small actions.
However, we forget that these small actions are very important for the development of community life.
Intangible heritage has its roots in a group of people who recognize their identity.
Women are essential when it comes to teaching these traditions, normally transmitted orally, from generation to generation.
Furthermore, these practices are an instrument of empowerment and sustainable development for their communities.
And although changes in traditional ways of life put many of these manifestations at risk, group strength fights against adverse factors.
Women who stand up
That is the case of the camel taming women in Mongolia.
Their job is to perform a taming ritual to encourage camels to accept newborn or orphaned calves that are not theirs.
To do this, they sing a melody that calms the animal.
But this ritual, which is part of their nomadic culture, faces the dangers posed by changes in grazing and the exploitation of the territory, driven by the implementation of mining that pollutes aquifers.
With the aim of taking legal action against the mines, these women have created an NGO that represents local families.
They are currently supported by the Mongolian Women's Fund (MONES), an allied organization of the GAGGA (Global Alliance for Green and Gender Action) network that mobilizes the collective power of movements for women's rights and environmental justice around the world.
We must work to break down clichés and stereotypes so that women can carry out any job or profession freely and without social limitations.
Something similar has happened with the women of Sejnane in Tunisia, who create and sell ceramic pieces, such as toys and household utensils.
This tradition is more than 3,000 years old and allows them to support their families, who are also part of the process: while the men sell the pottery, the daughters learn the trade from their mothers.
The women of Sejnane were established as the Association of Women Potters of Sejnane (AFAS) in 2012. They did so to jointly fight against Islamic rigorists who wanted to ban the realistic nature of some of their ceramic pieces, especially toys.
Women who care for the Earth
In other cases, good environmental sustainability practices prevent some species from becoming extinct or food from being lost.
In these cases, we do not think about the economic benefit but about the good for the community, which will not lose its natural resources.
The female divers,
haenyeo
, of Jeju Island, South Korea, are a good example.
Since the 18th century they have been freediving, reaching a depth of ten meters, to feed the community with the seafood, urchins, sea cucumbers and octopuses they catch.
But the most important thing is that their practice is sustainable and respectful of the environment, and they take care of even the tools they use.
They work throughout the month, for which they are grouped in cooperatives.
The recognition of their work as Intangible Heritage of Humanity has made them have a relevant role in their community.
Today they are a hallmark of Jeju Island, where they have their own museum.
Importance of your role
It is important to recognize and value the work of women in the transmission of intangible culture, because their work maintains the identity of their community.
It is also necessary to highlight the fundamental role played by the most veteran, essential and respected ones.
They are the repositories of tradition, who maintain dialogue between different generations and promote sisterhood.
We must work to break down clichés and stereotypes, and give them a voice that allows them to make their demands and associate, so that they can carry out any job or trade freely and without social limitations.
The lack of generational change and changes in lifestyles endanger the future of these manifestations.
Their protection is not intended to anchor them in ways of life of the past, but rather to make them known to help in their conservation.
It is important to create a balance that avoids recreation adapted to tourism.
The fine line that marks one and the other depends on us educating about heritage and guaranteeing the protection of these cultural manifestations.
Victoria Quirosa García is a professor of Art History at the University of Jaén.
This forum was originally published in The Conversation https://theconversation.com/las-mujeres-que-ayudan-a-conservar-el-patrimonio-inmaterial-de-la-humanidad-224823
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