Etninio paveldo saugojimas ir sklaida žemaičių muziejuje "Alka"

LT1932 m. vasario 16 d. įkurtas Žemaičių muziejus "Alka". Įkūrimo akte skelbiamas muziejaus tikslas – rinkti ir saugoti visas žemaičių krašto istorines, etnografines ir liaudies meno brangenybes. Muziejaus darbuotojai jau 83 metus vykdo šiuos priesakus. Etnografiniai eksponatai renkami nuo pat muziejaus įkūrimo, jau sukaupta per 10 000 etnografinių eksponatų – tai XVIII–XX a. audiniai, buities, namų apyvokos daiktai, įvairūs gerai žinomų ir nežinomų amatininkų dirbiniai ir jų darbo įrankiai, muzikos instrumentai ir tautodailės eksponatai, žemės ūkio padargai, gyvulių priežiūros daiktai [p. 19].

ENSamogitian museum “Alka” was founded in 1932, on the 16th of February. Since the beginning of its establishment, the main aim of this museum was to collect and store all historical, ethnographic, and folk art treasures of Samogitia. The museum employees have been performing the given oaths for already 83 years. There are thousands of ethnographic exhibits of the 18th – the 20th centuries. This valuable collection includes fabrics, household appliances, household items, various well−known and unknown crafts and tools, musical instruments, and folk art exhibits. One of the main museum’s areas was the arrangement of ethnographic expeditions. There were 20 expeditions made to the villages in the region of Samogitia. For the first time in museum history, in 1934 – 1935, Samogitia museum “Alka” and “Alka” society organized the first expedition to Drobūkščiai village. This expedition was influenced by the Land Department, which carried out the rural distribution of Drobūkščiai village to the work of individual farms. Expedition was led by Vytautas Magnus University professor Ignas Končius. Furthermore, the village was photographed and homesteads were sketched.There were about 100 valuable exhibits, as well as written material collected in museum. Consequently, some of the exhibits of Samogitian ethnic heritage are stored in Samogitian museum “Alka”, while most of them are kept in the exposition of Samogitian village. The implementation of the exposition of Samogitian village began in 1965 and now it occupies 8.5 ha of area with 16 authentic buildings transferred from Samoigitian villages. It reflects the arrangement of buildings of the late 19th − early 20th centuries in Samogitian homesteads and the architectural style typical of this region. About 1000 exhibits are maintained in the homesteads of large-scale, medium- scale farmers, poor peasants, the English-type windmill, and the forge buildings. Thus, the Samogitian horses surely enliven this representative area. A wide range of educational activities take place in the exposition of Samogitian village, where participants are introduced to peasants’ work, daily life, different holidays and habits at that time.