Resumen:

Being implemented by the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography of National Academy of Sciences of Armenia, this twenty-four-month project aims to inventory, document, safeguard and promote the oral heritage of the Syunik region of the Republic of Armenia. As a response to this lack of documentation and to the dwindling practice of and interest in local folklore, the project seeks to identify, collect and record the folktales, myths, legends, traditions, sayings and ritual songs of the region in order to ensure their transmission to future generations. The main objective of the project is to raise awareness of and promote Syunik folklore among local communities and to create favourable conditions for its transmission, with a focus on the roles of youth and elder community members. Specifically, the project includes fieldwork to inventory folklore from eight communities and a series of capacity-building workshops to spread awareness about the importance of intangible cultural heritage and to promote community members’ participation in safeguarding and transmitting their intangible cultural heritage. Activities entail digitalizing the collected materials and compiling a new Syunik Intangible Cultural Heritage database. The activities take into account the topographic and ethnographic features of the region as well as its geographical, linguistic, economic and lifestyle specificities.