Ceumannan - Staffin Ecomuseum
It's out there! - Isle of Skye
Click on the Logo Above to visit the Ecomuseum Website
Ceumannan (Gaelic; steps, paths), the Staffin Ecomuseum will be “a museum without walls” in the Staffin environment - out there at the North end of Skye. Its logo shows a human footprint on top of a dinosaur one. Why? – because the ecomuseum is about Staffin's nature and culture – the relationship of the land and its people in the past and present. And it is here, at the Staffin Museum that t he public already have the rare opportunity to see Scotland's most prestigious and largest collection of Scottish dinosaur remains than that held anywhere else in the World . (Neil Clark, Hunterian Museum)
In 2005 “The Storr“ was an art event to “unfold the landscape“ by highlighting the local environment and culture on a night time walk up to the Old Man of Storr. The Staffin Ecomuseum will be here longterm . It will help people explore and appreciate the heritage of our area.
There are other ecomuseums “out there“ – in Denmark , Norway , Canada , all over the world . They provide access, interpretation at sites of interest in the environment, visitor centres and workshops. All of this is also part of the Staffin Ecomuseum development. Some ecomuseums also have their own documentary centre.For now any documentation will be included in the Staffin Data Atlas which is a 3D map . From previous newsletters you will recall that this CD-Rom will allow users to access a range of information on the community including family trees, local history and place names. Landscape photos are used to identify locations as the map itself does not use real images but is based on mapping images.
Hopefully, over the last year local people and visitors will have become aware of a network of paths being developed across the community (new paths in Brogaig, Digg and Flodigarry; up-grading on the Diatomite Road , at Cilmartin Cemetery and the access to Brother's Point). This is the initial step in ‘opening up' the area in an attempt to interpret the hidden story that lies within our landscape.
This year further work will continue on the interpretation of these sites and a short course, The Talking Landscape discovery holiday will add a further dimension to the work of the museum. The project, which will last for another eighteen months, will continue to develop and find ways of making our area more attractive for visitors. The Staffin Community Trust is aware that the growth in tourism comes from ‘outdoor' pursuits and walking is certainly something that can be done in our area without damaging the environment .
Contact :
Ceumannan – Staffin Ecomuseum
Urras An Taobh Sear - Staffin Community Trust,
The Annexe,Church of Scotland, Staffin, IV51 9JY
staffintrust@technacom.com, www.staffin.net
