To learn from the past is to better the future...
This week we were tasked to pull apart and inspect the following quote:
There is no peculiar merit in ancient things, but there is merit in integrity, and integrity entails the keeping together of the parts of any whole, and if these parts are scattered throughout time, then the maintenance of integrity entails a knowledge, a memory, of ancient things. âŚ. To think, feel or act as though the past is done with, is equivalent to believing that a railway station through which our train has just passed, only existed for as long as our train was in it.
(Edward Hyams, Chapter 7, The Gifts of Interpretation)
To start, it makes sense that there is no particular worth in old things like artifacts, however there is worth in integrity, and integrity means keeping together the parts of a whole. This means that in order to maintain the integrity of a historical event, we need to maintain those ancient things that make it what it is. In order to maintain the integrity of the whole, you have to remember why it was ever important in the first place, and that is what makes it important to give merit to the ancient things that make up a whole. In the sciences, we learn about system thinking, and that the whole is merely the sum of its parts. In order to properly remember and interpret history, you have maintain the integrity of all the little things that make that historical event important.
To say that âthe past is in the pastâ is to say that moments are only significant or important if they happen directly to you, and that there is no merit in remembering history, as we werenât there and therefore it has nothing to do with us. In reality, interpreting history helps us understand ourselves, where we have been and what makes us who we are (Beck and Cable, 2018). History allows us to find inspiration in the stories of creators, leaders and survivors. Interpreting the past gives us the opportunity to learn from othersâ mistakes and successes, and create a better future using that knowledge.
One of the most important lessons I took from this weekâs content is that we need to always consider when interpreting history is to make sure we are doing so accurately and respectfully. The lessons we can learn from the past can be powerful, and itâs important that weâre portraying the past in the way the story was meant to be told, and avoid bias or personal attachments.
Beck and Cable (2018) said that âevery natural site has a history and every historical site has natural resources.â I thought this quote connected this weekâs content with past content. Although we have been focused so far mainly on how to interpret nature to others, history and nature have always been intertwined, and it is important as an interpreter to be comfortable with both. Tied into this concept (and every concept) is the impact of privilege that we talked about a few weeks ago. In Canada, it is always important to be aware and mindful that the nature and history that we are interpreting has been skewed by colonialism. One of the most respectful things we can do as interpreters is ensure that the stories we are telling about the history of the land reflects the actual truth.
Besides first-person and third-person interpretation (Beck and Cable, 2018) I think that writing is one of the most common types of interpretation of history (and nature) that we see in the world. All over museums and archives, natural parks and conservation areas, the written word can be found interpreting what you are looking at. Interpreting through the written word makes it possible for there to be an absence of a live interpreter while at the same time forcing a person to pause and interact with the item or place, as well as capture someoneâs attention, so that they might learn something new (Hooykaas, 2024). Writing plays an important role in the interpretation of both nature and history, and is also something that helps keep memories alive.
Whatâs one way you have (or someone you know, or somewhere youâve been) used writing as a way to interpret nature or history?
One way I interpret through writing is to write down important memories Iâve had (both good and bad) and that way I can go back and reminisce or pull guidance from an experience Iâve lived through :)
Beck, L., Cable, T. T., & Knudson, D. M. (2018). Interpreting cultural and natural heritage: For A Better World. SAGAMORE Publishing.
(Edward Hyams, Chapter 7, The Gifts of Interpretation)
Hooykaas, A. (2024). Unit 06: Nature Interpretation through History. [Lecture notes]. ENVS3000 Nature Interpretation. University of Guelph.