Mazas vērtības lauku kultūrvidē – folkloras un arheoloģijas vienotājās
Small Values in the Rural Cultural Environment - the Common Goals of Folklore and Archaeology

Summary/Abstract: Separate objects of nature become the cultural heritage both due to folklore as well as traditions that have been preserved by generations. Therefore they often attract the attention of archaeologists and folklore researchers. As a result, it is possible to get a deep insight in the mythical world outlook of our ancestors. The paper basically deals with the study of stones having cultural and historical value and also touches upon other values of the rural cultural environment - trees, springs, hills, focusing on the issues related to their protection and research. The protection of the objects mentioned above is of particular importance to archaeologists; however, the archaeologists are interested in them as objects of scientific study not as values of the Latvian cultural environment. As a rule, the objects transferred from their original location are not granted the status of the protected archaeological monuments. Folklore researchers also demonstrate little interest in the preservation of these small values of the rural cultural environment. Therefore, many objects described in the folklore collection can not be identified in nature. However, these objects play a significant role in the study of Latvian mythology as they provide significant information about chthonic deities. The paper concerns with analysis of the mentioned problem, based on the particular examples realized in the systematic practice of regional studies. Nowadays, when considering the issues related to the research, preservation, and popularization of these objects, it is important to bear in mind that it is equally important to preserve a link between a particular object, its geographical environment, and narrative folklore referring to this object. Archaeologists and folklore researchers should cooperate not only in order to use these objects in their research, but also in order to preserve them as cultural and historical values in the Latvian landscape and the human spiritual cultural space.

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