This paper explores South Korean heritage practices aimed at erasing the colonial past from the n... more This paper explores South Korean heritage practices aimed at erasing the colonial past from the national heritage landscape, in the course of a social movement to uncover the historical truth and create accurate representations of the past. I argue that in the 1990s, the state repudiated historic sites that were perceived as tainted by the colonial rule, because it believed them to materialize a distorted historical narrative. The state-led correction of this narrative aligned the heritage landscape with the rhetoric of colonial resistance and the representation of the nation-state as being perpetually characterized by independence and resistance. The Office of Cultural Properties, the governmental agency dealing with the management of national heritage, identified patrimonial sites that were allegedly tarnished by the colonial past and subverted their importance through various forms of erasure and forgetting. The paper investigates these practices, ranging from renaming sites and demoting the heritage status of monuments, to iconoclastic gestures such as celebrated demolitions of colonial architecture. The analysis of South Korea's treatment of its colonial heritage illustrates the silencing of difficult memories in the process of decolonization, and the central place heritage occupies not only in identity formation, but also in breaking with the past in the course of decolonization.
European Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, 2020
The present paper investigates the latest developments in the Japan-South Korea economic and poli... more The present paper investigates the latest developments in the Japan-South Korea economic and political relationship, reviewing the recent (2019) far-reaching consequences of the conflict over the compensation for forced labour. The paper argues that the issue of wartime forced labour has been intensely politicized by both governments, and their inability to find consensus on this particular historical issue has severely corroded economic and diplomatic ties. Ultimately, the analysis of bilateral relations shows that both governments have been acquiring political capital from positioning themselves one against the other.
The meaning of national heritage in the Republic of Korea is produced, controlled and communicate... more The meaning of national heritage in the Republic of Korea is produced, controlled and communicated by the Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA), but different other actors, such as academics, citizens participate in constant debate and renegotiation of the meaning of cultural properties. CHA defines heritage in terms of representativity and postulates it as the essence of Korean culture, national identity and history. How all these are embodied in one piece of heritage is exemplified through the case of Sungnyemun, the Great South Gate of Chosŏn dynasty capital, Hanyang. The history of the gate is equated with the very destiny of the Korean people, but since this history also includes traumatic traces of the colonial period, the meaningfulness of the site has not remained undisputed. Two controversies, in 1996 and 2005, have revolved around the meaning of Sungnyemun and its potent symbolic value – or lack of, questioning the master narrative that CHA has imposed on the significance of the gate. However, the arson incident of 2008 and the ways in which CHA has dealt with it are clear proof that the final control over the meaning of heritage is owned by the state authorities, who decide how and when to invest symbolic meaning in patrimonial properties. The analysis of the case of Sungnyemun enables us to see the dynamics between the established, controlled definition of heritage and its constant changing, fluid meaning. Ultimately, this brings to light how symbolic meaning is attributed to heritage through complex processes such as conflict and negotiation.
Buildings & Landscapes: Journal of the Vernacular Architecture Forum, 2015
The case of Chŏnju Hanok Village shows a troubling turn in preservation away from a focus on the ... more The case of Chŏnju Hanok Village shows a troubling turn in preservation away from a focus on the conservation of historic materials and toward the production of themed experiences of traditional urban environments that are entertaining but have little historical accuracy. Cutting against the grain of recent scholarship that idealizes the preservation tradition of material substitution in East Asian countries, this essay argues that much of this practice is driven by the attempt to accommodate pressure from business leaders and residents to make preservation policies more lax. The resistance of private owners of Hanok to preservation practices has caused a proliferation of architectural copies that undermines the material authenticity of the village and instead offers a more sensorial, interactive tourist experience. By minimizing the importance of tangible fabric, managers of the site envision the ideal visitor as a tourist seeking something other than material authenticity and ready to accept the representation of tradition offered by the interpreters of the Village. Even if the visitor is aware of the staged nature of the experience, this awareness does not diminish the lived authenticity, since the experience creates a temporary, out-of-the-ordinary reality that satisfies the tourist.
The Appropriation of Sin Saimdang as a Symbol of Modernization during the Park Chung Hee Era. In ... more The Appropriation of Sin Saimdang as a Symbol of Modernization during the Park Chung Hee Era. In the aftermath of her death, Sin Saimdang (1504-1551), mother of Neo-Confucian philosopher Yulgok Yi I, was gradually transformed into a symbol of motherhood and female domesticity, an image which, in time, overshadowed her accomplishments as a painter. Little personal details are known about her, other than the brief characterization made posthumously by Yulgok. Everything else in her biography is anecdotal and was added by Yulgok's followers, even centuries after her death. All these layers of interpretation have made Saimdang an abstract symbol, not a real historical person. The present study investigates how this symbol was instrumented by the Park Chung Hee government (1961-1979) in order to mobilize housewives to participate in the developmentalist projects of the state. The paper argues that Sin Saimdang has been promoted by the state, with the contribution of women's organizations, as a symbol of modernization, used in gendered national mobilization. Various commemoration practices-a memorial day and a national prize honoring Saimdang, statues erected in the 1970s, the restoration of her ancestral home-stand as evidence of the coordinated efforts made by the state and women's associations to disseminate Sin Saimdang as a model for the modern Korean woman.
The Appropriation of Sin Saimdang as a Symbol of Modernization during the Park Chung Hee Era. In ... more The Appropriation of Sin Saimdang as a Symbol of Modernization during the Park Chung Hee Era. In the aftermath of her death, Sin Saimdang (1504-1551), mother of Neo-Confucian philosopher Yulgok Yi I, was gradually transformed into a symbol of motherhood and female domesticity, an image which, in time, overshadowed her accomplishments as a painter. Little personal details are known about her, other than the brief characterization made posthumously by Yulgok. Everything else in her biography is anecdotal and was added by Yulgok's followers, even centuries after her death. All these layers of interpretation have made Saimdang an abstract symbol, not a real historical person. The present study investigates how this symbol was instrumented by the Park Chung Hee government (1961-1979) in order to mobilize housewives to participate in the developmentalist projects of the state. The paper argues that Sin Saimdang has been promoted by the state, with the contribution of women's organizations, as a symbol of modernization, used in gendered national mobilization. Various commemoration practices-a memorial day and a national prize honoring Saimdang, statues erected in the 1970s, the restoration of her ancestral home-stand as evidence of the coordinated efforts made by the state and women's associations to disseminate Sin Saimdang as a model for the modern Korean woman.
This paper explores South Korean heritage practices aimed at erasing the colonial past from the n... more This paper explores South Korean heritage practices aimed at erasing the colonial past from the national heritage landscape, in the course of a social movement to uncover the historical truth and create accurate representations of the past. I argue that in the 1990s, the state repudiated historic sites that were perceived as tainted by the colonial rule, because it believed them to materialize a distorted historical narrative. The state-led correction of this narrative aligned the heritage landscape with the rhetoric of colonial resistance and the representation of the nation-state as being perpetually characterized by independence and resistance. The Office of Cultural Properties, the governmental agency dealing with the management of national heritage, identified patrimonial sites that were allegedly tarnished by the colonial past and subverted their importance through various forms of erasure and forgetting. The paper investigates these practices, ranging from renaming sites and demoting the heritage status of monuments, to iconoclastic gestures such as celebrated demolitions of colonial architecture. The analysis of South Korea's treatment of its colonial heritage illustrates the silencing of difficult memories in the process of decolonization, and the central place heritage occupies not only in identity formation, but also in breaking with the past in the course of decolonization.
The case of Chŏnju Hanok Village shows a troubling turn in preservation away from a focus on the ... more The case of Chŏnju Hanok Village shows a troubling turn in preservation away from a focus on the conservation of historic materials and toward the production of themed experiences of traditional urban environments that are entertaining, but have little historical accuracy. Cutting against the grain of recent scholarship that idealizes the preservation tradition of material substitution in East Asian countries, this essay argues that much of this practice is driven by the attempt to accommodate pressure from business leaders and residents to make preservation policies more lax. The resistance of private owners of hanok to preservation practices has caused a proliferation of architectural copies that undermines the material authenticity of the Village, and instead offers a more sensorial, interactive tourist experience. By minimizing the importance of tangible fabric, managers of the site envision the ideal visitor as a tourist seeking something else than material authenticity and ready to accept the representation of tradition offered by the interpreters of the Village. Even if the visitor is aware of the staged nature of the experience, this awareness does not diminish the lived authenticity, since the experience creates a temporary, out of the ordinary reality that satisfies the tourist.
Published in Andrew David Jackson (ed.), Key Papers on Korea: Essays Celebrating 25 Years of the ... more Published in Andrew David Jackson (ed.), Key Papers on Korea: Essays Celebrating 25 Years of the Centre of Korean Studies, SOAS, University of London, Leiden: Global Oriental, 2014, pp. 253-274.
ABSTRACT. During the dictatorial regime of Park Chung Hee (Pak Chŏnghŭi, 1961–1979), the administration charged the Office of Cultural Properties (Munhwajae Kwalliguk, hereafter the OCP)2 with the management of national heritage. This paper examines the heritage practices of the Park Chung Hee era and argues that Korea’s national heritage was appropriated as a political resource, instrumented and used by the state in order to legitimize itself and consolidate its power through constant reference to a shared national past. Heritage designation and promotion, among other cultural practices, was meant to inspire a sense of unity in the consciousness of the people, a unity embodied by shared values and the feeling of historical continuity. Patrimonial sites and artefacts codified history in a way that made it easily available for national consumption. This was just one of many rhetorical tools, next to official historiographic discourses on Korean racial identity, innate independent spirit and the promotion of national heroes. I argue that while it adopted the stance of a saviour of Korean culture and represented it as embedded in heritage, the Park Chung Hee government deliberately made use of heritage in order to convey political, social and economic ideas and values. My discussion of identities and national values invested in Korean heritage creates premises for a better understanding of the systematic construction of meaning attributed to, but not intrinsic in, heritage. Moreover, the focus on heritage-related sanctioned discourse illuminates the often neglected politics of communicating heritage to the people.
The meaning of national heritage in the Republic of Korea is produced, controlled and communicate... more The meaning of national heritage in the Republic of Korea is produced, controlled and communicated by the Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA), but different other actors, such as academics, citizens participate in constant debate and renegotiation of the meaning of cultural properties. CHA defines heritage in terms of representativity and postulates it as the essence of Korean culture, national identity and history. How all these are embodied in one piece of heritage is exemplified through the case of Sungnyemun, the Great South Gate of Chosŏn dynasty capital, Hanyang. The history of the gate is equated with the very destiny of the Korean people, but since this history also includes traumatic traces of the colonial period, the meaningfulness of the site has not remained undisputed. Two controversies, in 1996 and 2005, have revolved around the meaning of Sungnyemun and its potent symbolic value – or lack of, questioning the master narrative that CHA has imposed on the significance of the gate. However, the arson incident of 2008 and the ways in which CHA has dealt with it are clear proof that the final control over the meaning of heritage is owned by the state authorities, who decide how and when to invest symbolic meaning in patrimonial properties. The analysis of the case of Sungnyemun enables us to see the dynamics between the established, controlled definition of heritage and its constant changing, fluid meaning. Ultimately, this brings to light how symbolic meaning is attributed to heritage through complex processes such as conflict and negotiation.
This paper explores South Korean heritage practices aimed at erasing the colonial past from the n... more This paper explores South Korean heritage practices aimed at erasing the colonial past from the national heritage landscape, in the course of a social movement to uncover the historical truth and create accurate representations of the past. I argue that in the 1990s, the state repudiated historic sites that were perceived as tainted by the colonial rule, because it believed them to materialize a distorted historical narrative. The state-led correction of this narrative aligned the heritage landscape with the rhetoric of colonial resistance and the representation of the nation-state as being perpetually characterized by independence and resistance. The Office of Cultural Properties, the governmental agency dealing with the management of national heritage, identified patrimonial sites that were allegedly tarnished by the colonial past and subverted their importance through various forms of erasure and forgetting. The paper investigates these practices, ranging from renaming sites and demoting the heritage status of monuments, to iconoclastic gestures such as celebrated demolitions of colonial architecture. The analysis of South Korea's treatment of its colonial heritage illustrates the silencing of difficult memories in the process of decolonization, and the central place heritage occupies not only in identity formation, but also in breaking with the past in the course of decolonization.
European Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, 2020
The present paper investigates the latest developments in the Japan-South Korea economic and poli... more The present paper investigates the latest developments in the Japan-South Korea economic and political relationship, reviewing the recent (2019) far-reaching consequences of the conflict over the compensation for forced labour. The paper argues that the issue of wartime forced labour has been intensely politicized by both governments, and their inability to find consensus on this particular historical issue has severely corroded economic and diplomatic ties. Ultimately, the analysis of bilateral relations shows that both governments have been acquiring political capital from positioning themselves one against the other.
The meaning of national heritage in the Republic of Korea is produced, controlled and communicate... more The meaning of national heritage in the Republic of Korea is produced, controlled and communicated by the Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA), but different other actors, such as academics, citizens participate in constant debate and renegotiation of the meaning of cultural properties. CHA defines heritage in terms of representativity and postulates it as the essence of Korean culture, national identity and history. How all these are embodied in one piece of heritage is exemplified through the case of Sungnyemun, the Great South Gate of Chosŏn dynasty capital, Hanyang. The history of the gate is equated with the very destiny of the Korean people, but since this history also includes traumatic traces of the colonial period, the meaningfulness of the site has not remained undisputed. Two controversies, in 1996 and 2005, have revolved around the meaning of Sungnyemun and its potent symbolic value – or lack of, questioning the master narrative that CHA has imposed on the significance of the gate. However, the arson incident of 2008 and the ways in which CHA has dealt with it are clear proof that the final control over the meaning of heritage is owned by the state authorities, who decide how and when to invest symbolic meaning in patrimonial properties. The analysis of the case of Sungnyemun enables us to see the dynamics between the established, controlled definition of heritage and its constant changing, fluid meaning. Ultimately, this brings to light how symbolic meaning is attributed to heritage through complex processes such as conflict and negotiation.
Buildings & Landscapes: Journal of the Vernacular Architecture Forum, 2015
The case of Chŏnju Hanok Village shows a troubling turn in preservation away from a focus on the ... more The case of Chŏnju Hanok Village shows a troubling turn in preservation away from a focus on the conservation of historic materials and toward the production of themed experiences of traditional urban environments that are entertaining but have little historical accuracy. Cutting against the grain of recent scholarship that idealizes the preservation tradition of material substitution in East Asian countries, this essay argues that much of this practice is driven by the attempt to accommodate pressure from business leaders and residents to make preservation policies more lax. The resistance of private owners of Hanok to preservation practices has caused a proliferation of architectural copies that undermines the material authenticity of the village and instead offers a more sensorial, interactive tourist experience. By minimizing the importance of tangible fabric, managers of the site envision the ideal visitor as a tourist seeking something other than material authenticity and ready to accept the representation of tradition offered by the interpreters of the Village. Even if the visitor is aware of the staged nature of the experience, this awareness does not diminish the lived authenticity, since the experience creates a temporary, out-of-the-ordinary reality that satisfies the tourist.
The Appropriation of Sin Saimdang as a Symbol of Modernization during the Park Chung Hee Era. In ... more The Appropriation of Sin Saimdang as a Symbol of Modernization during the Park Chung Hee Era. In the aftermath of her death, Sin Saimdang (1504-1551), mother of Neo-Confucian philosopher Yulgok Yi I, was gradually transformed into a symbol of motherhood and female domesticity, an image which, in time, overshadowed her accomplishments as a painter. Little personal details are known about her, other than the brief characterization made posthumously by Yulgok. Everything else in her biography is anecdotal and was added by Yulgok's followers, even centuries after her death. All these layers of interpretation have made Saimdang an abstract symbol, not a real historical person. The present study investigates how this symbol was instrumented by the Park Chung Hee government (1961-1979) in order to mobilize housewives to participate in the developmentalist projects of the state. The paper argues that Sin Saimdang has been promoted by the state, with the contribution of women's organizations, as a symbol of modernization, used in gendered national mobilization. Various commemoration practices-a memorial day and a national prize honoring Saimdang, statues erected in the 1970s, the restoration of her ancestral home-stand as evidence of the coordinated efforts made by the state and women's associations to disseminate Sin Saimdang as a model for the modern Korean woman.
The Appropriation of Sin Saimdang as a Symbol of Modernization during the Park Chung Hee Era. In ... more The Appropriation of Sin Saimdang as a Symbol of Modernization during the Park Chung Hee Era. In the aftermath of her death, Sin Saimdang (1504-1551), mother of Neo-Confucian philosopher Yulgok Yi I, was gradually transformed into a symbol of motherhood and female domesticity, an image which, in time, overshadowed her accomplishments as a painter. Little personal details are known about her, other than the brief characterization made posthumously by Yulgok. Everything else in her biography is anecdotal and was added by Yulgok's followers, even centuries after her death. All these layers of interpretation have made Saimdang an abstract symbol, not a real historical person. The present study investigates how this symbol was instrumented by the Park Chung Hee government (1961-1979) in order to mobilize housewives to participate in the developmentalist projects of the state. The paper argues that Sin Saimdang has been promoted by the state, with the contribution of women's organizations, as a symbol of modernization, used in gendered national mobilization. Various commemoration practices-a memorial day and a national prize honoring Saimdang, statues erected in the 1970s, the restoration of her ancestral home-stand as evidence of the coordinated efforts made by the state and women's associations to disseminate Sin Saimdang as a model for the modern Korean woman.
This paper explores South Korean heritage practices aimed at erasing the colonial past from the n... more This paper explores South Korean heritage practices aimed at erasing the colonial past from the national heritage landscape, in the course of a social movement to uncover the historical truth and create accurate representations of the past. I argue that in the 1990s, the state repudiated historic sites that were perceived as tainted by the colonial rule, because it believed them to materialize a distorted historical narrative. The state-led correction of this narrative aligned the heritage landscape with the rhetoric of colonial resistance and the representation of the nation-state as being perpetually characterized by independence and resistance. The Office of Cultural Properties, the governmental agency dealing with the management of national heritage, identified patrimonial sites that were allegedly tarnished by the colonial past and subverted their importance through various forms of erasure and forgetting. The paper investigates these practices, ranging from renaming sites and demoting the heritage status of monuments, to iconoclastic gestures such as celebrated demolitions of colonial architecture. The analysis of South Korea's treatment of its colonial heritage illustrates the silencing of difficult memories in the process of decolonization, and the central place heritage occupies not only in identity formation, but also in breaking with the past in the course of decolonization.
The case of Chŏnju Hanok Village shows a troubling turn in preservation away from a focus on the ... more The case of Chŏnju Hanok Village shows a troubling turn in preservation away from a focus on the conservation of historic materials and toward the production of themed experiences of traditional urban environments that are entertaining, but have little historical accuracy. Cutting against the grain of recent scholarship that idealizes the preservation tradition of material substitution in East Asian countries, this essay argues that much of this practice is driven by the attempt to accommodate pressure from business leaders and residents to make preservation policies more lax. The resistance of private owners of hanok to preservation practices has caused a proliferation of architectural copies that undermines the material authenticity of the Village, and instead offers a more sensorial, interactive tourist experience. By minimizing the importance of tangible fabric, managers of the site envision the ideal visitor as a tourist seeking something else than material authenticity and ready to accept the representation of tradition offered by the interpreters of the Village. Even if the visitor is aware of the staged nature of the experience, this awareness does not diminish the lived authenticity, since the experience creates a temporary, out of the ordinary reality that satisfies the tourist.
Published in Andrew David Jackson (ed.), Key Papers on Korea: Essays Celebrating 25 Years of the ... more Published in Andrew David Jackson (ed.), Key Papers on Korea: Essays Celebrating 25 Years of the Centre of Korean Studies, SOAS, University of London, Leiden: Global Oriental, 2014, pp. 253-274.
ABSTRACT. During the dictatorial regime of Park Chung Hee (Pak Chŏnghŭi, 1961–1979), the administration charged the Office of Cultural Properties (Munhwajae Kwalliguk, hereafter the OCP)2 with the management of national heritage. This paper examines the heritage practices of the Park Chung Hee era and argues that Korea’s national heritage was appropriated as a political resource, instrumented and used by the state in order to legitimize itself and consolidate its power through constant reference to a shared national past. Heritage designation and promotion, among other cultural practices, was meant to inspire a sense of unity in the consciousness of the people, a unity embodied by shared values and the feeling of historical continuity. Patrimonial sites and artefacts codified history in a way that made it easily available for national consumption. This was just one of many rhetorical tools, next to official historiographic discourses on Korean racial identity, innate independent spirit and the promotion of national heroes. I argue that while it adopted the stance of a saviour of Korean culture and represented it as embedded in heritage, the Park Chung Hee government deliberately made use of heritage in order to convey political, social and economic ideas and values. My discussion of identities and national values invested in Korean heritage creates premises for a better understanding of the systematic construction of meaning attributed to, but not intrinsic in, heritage. Moreover, the focus on heritage-related sanctioned discourse illuminates the often neglected politics of communicating heritage to the people.
The meaning of national heritage in the Republic of Korea is produced, controlled and communicate... more The meaning of national heritage in the Republic of Korea is produced, controlled and communicated by the Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA), but different other actors, such as academics, citizens participate in constant debate and renegotiation of the meaning of cultural properties. CHA defines heritage in terms of representativity and postulates it as the essence of Korean culture, national identity and history. How all these are embodied in one piece of heritage is exemplified through the case of Sungnyemun, the Great South Gate of Chosŏn dynasty capital, Hanyang. The history of the gate is equated with the very destiny of the Korean people, but since this history also includes traumatic traces of the colonial period, the meaningfulness of the site has not remained undisputed. Two controversies, in 1996 and 2005, have revolved around the meaning of Sungnyemun and its potent symbolic value – or lack of, questioning the master narrative that CHA has imposed on the significance of the gate. However, the arson incident of 2008 and the ways in which CHA has dealt with it are clear proof that the final control over the meaning of heritage is owned by the state authorities, who decide how and when to invest symbolic meaning in patrimonial properties. The analysis of the case of Sungnyemun enables us to see the dynamics between the established, controlled definition of heritage and its constant changing, fluid meaning. Ultimately, this brings to light how symbolic meaning is attributed to heritage through complex processes such as conflict and negotiation.
Uploads
Papers by Codruta Sintionean
ABSTRACT. During the dictatorial regime of Park Chung Hee (Pak Chŏnghŭi, 1961–1979), the administration charged the Office of Cultural Properties (Munhwajae Kwalliguk, hereafter the OCP)2 with the management of national heritage. This paper examines the heritage practices of the Park Chung Hee era and argues that Korea’s national heritage was appropriated as a political resource, instrumented and used by the state in order to legitimize itself and consolidate its power through constant reference to a shared national past. Heritage designation and promotion, among other cultural practices, was meant to inspire a sense of unity in the consciousness of the people, a unity embodied by shared values and the feeling of historical continuity. Patrimonial sites and artefacts codified history in a
way that made it easily available for national consumption. This
was just one of many rhetorical tools, next to official historiographic discourses on Korean racial identity, innate independent spirit and the promotion of national heroes. I argue that while it adopted the stance of a saviour of Korean culture and represented it as embedded in heritage, the Park Chung Hee government deliberately made use of heritage in order to convey political, social and economic ideas and values. My discussion of identities and national values invested in Korean heritage creates premises for a better understanding of the systematic construction of meaning attributed to, but not intrinsic in, heritage. Moreover, the focus on heritage-related sanctioned discourse illuminates the often neglected politics of communicating heritage to the people.
ABSTRACT. During the dictatorial regime of Park Chung Hee (Pak Chŏnghŭi, 1961–1979), the administration charged the Office of Cultural Properties (Munhwajae Kwalliguk, hereafter the OCP)2 with the management of national heritage. This paper examines the heritage practices of the Park Chung Hee era and argues that Korea’s national heritage was appropriated as a political resource, instrumented and used by the state in order to legitimize itself and consolidate its power through constant reference to a shared national past. Heritage designation and promotion, among other cultural practices, was meant to inspire a sense of unity in the consciousness of the people, a unity embodied by shared values and the feeling of historical continuity. Patrimonial sites and artefacts codified history in a
way that made it easily available for national consumption. This
was just one of many rhetorical tools, next to official historiographic discourses on Korean racial identity, innate independent spirit and the promotion of national heroes. I argue that while it adopted the stance of a saviour of Korean culture and represented it as embedded in heritage, the Park Chung Hee government deliberately made use of heritage in order to convey political, social and economic ideas and values. My discussion of identities and national values invested in Korean heritage creates premises for a better understanding of the systematic construction of meaning attributed to, but not intrinsic in, heritage. Moreover, the focus on heritage-related sanctioned discourse illuminates the often neglected politics of communicating heritage to the people.