In 2022, the UHI Archaeology Institute and UHI Institute for Northern Studies were awarded grant funding from the University of the Highlands and Islands to undertake a cultural heritage assessment for the Cateran Ecomuseum, situated in the area between Strathmore and the southern Cairngorms in Scotland.
Professor Alexandra Sanmark and Dr Steve Timoney, programme leader UHI Perth, along with Dan Lee and Crane, from the Orkney Research Centre for Archaeology (ORCA), created a baseline heritage dataset for the Ecomuseum, assessed heritage interpretation, and recommended topics and ideas for future projects.
Scotland has two Ecomuseums, or museums without walls, taking people into the landscape to visit places of interest rather than being housing in a building. They provide a way for communities to engage with heritage and empower people to take an active role in preserving, interpreting and engaging with their cultural and historical environment.
The Cateran Ecomuseum was established in 2018 as a social enterprise and was Scotland’s second Ecomuseum at the time (after Skye Ecomuseum). The museum’s area encompasses over 3000 known archaeological sites and is set within some of Scotland’s most spectacular landscapes. The museum’s key objective is to “engage in activities to develop public understanding and engagement with the arts, culture, history, natural and cultural heritage.”
Following a further funding award, the Cateran Museum created a digital story map explaining the aims, objectives, results and recommendations of the report expressed using easily accessible maps.
The report, together with the digital story map, will support the development of an archaeology activities programme and help formulate a plan to enable the growth of heritage and archaeology initiatives at the “Museum of Rapid Transition”.
Dan Lee, Lifelong Learning and Outreach Archaeologist, UHI Archaeology Institute, said: “We hope the cultural heritage assessment will support the development of archaeology and heritage related activities in the Ecomuseum and look forward to see where this leads.”
Professor Alex Sanmark, UHI Institute for Northern Studies, added: “I am delighted that The Cateran Ecomuseum has developed our report into an easily accessible story map that the wider public can access.
“The UHI has a wealth of knowledge and experience in the fields of culture, heritage, and archaeology, together with the skills present in ORCA to present the findings through GIS mapping. This project was an excellent opportunity to demonstrate those collaborative skills and help the Cateran Museum plan an ecomuseum for the 21st century.”
The full story map – The Cultural Heritage of the Cateran Ecomuseum – is available here.
