A MINI-MODEL OF GEORGIA

T
hisOpen-air Georgia" covers appro-
ximately 50 hectares and is divided
into 11 zones. Eastern Georgia is re-
presented by five zones and another five
are dedicated to Western regions. The ele-
venth zone is home to such historical and
archaeological monuments as the Sioni Ba-
silica and the crypt of the 5
th
-6
th
centuries,
anAbkhaziandolmenor megalithictomb
datingfromthe 2
nd
millenniumB.C.
Different regions of Georgia are re-
presented by homesteads that are
usually composed of a house, a yard
and outbuildings necessary for life in
rural areas. A total of seventy construc-
tions, including outbuildings, were
brought to Tbilisi from the regions of
Samtskhe-Javakheti, Guria, Samegrelo,
Imereti, Racha-Lechkhumi, Abkhazia,
Ajaria, Svaneti, Kartli and Kakheti, all
of which contain approximately 8,000
exhibit items (furniture, tools, etc.)
from all over the country.
Cooking House fromGuria region
With international support, several
projects have been carried out at the
Ethnographic Museum in recent years:
a new storage facility, digitized exhibit
items, and restored dwellings, such as
the Megrelian house brought from the
village of Ontopo in 1976. It was recently
restored with support from the Norwe-
gian Open-Air Museum, and a reviving
history exhibition was held there.
Visitors who come to see this old Me-
grelian dwelling are greeted by the head
of the household, the mistress and the
children dressed in traditional garments.
The hosts, in addition to telling the guests
the story of the house and describing lo-
cal beliefs, offer them ghomi (Italian mil-
let (Setaria italica)) cooked in the hearth.
Ancient species of Italian millet, corn and
beans are planted on the farmstead, on a
small plot outside the dwelling house.
Visitors learn about Georgian traditio-
nal everyday life by participating in in-
teresting, entertaining activities. While
ghomi is cooking in the hearth, the head
of the household engages them in tradi-
tional craftsmanship, teaching them to
weave cylindrical baskets.
Based on this experience, another exhi-
bition, "Kakhetian abundance at a Gior-
gitsminda House" openedonNovember 9,
2013. As in the Megrelian dwelling, visitors
to the Kakhetian house are greeted by a
family dressed in traditional clothes. Ho-
wever, instead of ghomi, they are offered
shoti (Georgian bread) baked in a tone, an
earthenware oven in the yard. The family
will tell the guests about the typical ma-
nagement of a traditional Kakhetian hou-
sehold, and about the sacred meaning of
bread and the vine. Visitors take part in the
process of baking and tasting the bread.
The Kakhetian hall house was moved
to the Ethnographic Museum from the
village of Giorgitsminda in 1974. This
joint project between the Georgian Na-
PROJECT > Natia Likokeli, MariamSamadashvili
Immersed in greenery on the hillsides along the road leading up to the Turtle Lake, the Ethnographic Museum in Tbilisi
a miniature model of Georgia was founded in 1966 by ethnographer Giorgi Chitaia.
GEORGIAN NATIONAL MUSEUM 43
42
Living history exhibition at the Sajalabo House
The Barn. Samegrelo region
tional Museum, the Norwegian Directo-
rate for Cultural Heritage and ICOMOS
(Georgian National Committee of Inter-
national Council on Monuments and Si-
tes) was carried out between 2008 and
2010, using traditional tools and techni-
ques. This included the restoration of the
house after its displacement. When work
was completed, the doors of "Giorgits-
minda" opened to the public again. An
exhibition was organized with support
from the National Intellectual Property
Center Sakpatenti.
A project implemented in partnership
with UNESCO and Norways Maihaugen
Museum included a summer school
composed of thematic weeks, when Ge-
orgian craftsmen potters, smiths and
loom weavers taught crafts to school
and university students from spring till
late Autumn.
Currently, a project implemented in
partnership with the Skansen Open-Air
Museum (Sweden) aims to "animate" a
second house brought from the village
of Ontopo, Samegrelo this time benefi-
ting from the experience of the Skansen
Museum in Stockholm the world's ol-
dest open-air museum.
The "animated everyday life" and tra-
ditional crafts programs are some of
the best ways to promote our country's
culture and disseminate knowledge
about Georgian traditional ways of life,
customs, rituals and household mana-
gement. Engaging visitors in diverse ac-
tivities not only helps Georgian youth
and adults learn about their own history
through interactive and entertaining
activities, but also sparks interest and a
greater understanding by foreign visitors
of the countrys traditions and diverse
cultures.
Living history exhibition at the Giorgitsminda house
GEORGIAN NATIONAL MUSEUM 45 GEORGIAN NATIONAL MUSEUM 44