On 17th March, in Tallinn, the first time in Estonian history there took place the Conference dedicated to the sacred groves „ Historical Natural Sacred Places Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow”. The main issues discussed at the Conference were the problems connected with the study, protection and rehabilitation (introducing, evaluating, etc) of the Native Estonians’ non-Christian sanctuaries.
The Minister of Culture, Urmas Paet opened this representational conference and emphasized the need to pay much more attention to the sacred groves and other natural sacred places than has been done so far. The Director of the National Heritage Board, Agne Trummal said in her speech of welcome that natural sacred places carry cultural bonds Estonians need to keep their national continuity. The main problems connected with the sacred groves are mainly the lack of one joint database about the sacred groves, the fact that there is no thorough review about the location or condition of the sacred groves and society’s lack of knowledge about the sacred places. The previous protection of the sacred places needs reorganizing.
The following people appeared at the Conference: the folklorists, Mall Hiiemäe and Mari-Ann Remmel from the Estonian Literary Museum, an archaeologist, Heiki Valk and a history student, Jüri Metssalu from Tartu University, a folklorist, Marju Kõivupuu from Tallinn University, an environmental lawyer Kärt Vaarmari and a botanist Eerik Leibak from Estonian Fund for Nature, a sociologist Aare Kasemets from Ministry of the Environment, Ahto Kaasik from Maavalla Koda, and others.
The historical natural sacred places of Native Estonians are the groves and single trees, water bodies, stones, and other natural objects used for sacrifices, worshipping, healing, and for other religious activities. In Estonia, there are known about 500 sacred groves and 2500 single sacred stones, springs, etc.
The Estonian sacred groves are unique in Europe because their use and traditions connected to them have reached our present day. Unfortunately the majority of our sacred places are in a bad condition due to the occupants who looked them up and ravaged. The sacred groves suffer and are destroyed even in present Estonia because only a small number of them are under the national protection and the state still doesn’t see them as sacred places.
From many of the reports it came out that to improve the condition of the sacred places it is not enough if they are inventoried and taken under protection. The existing legislation should be supplemented so it would conceive the Native Estonians’ sacred groves as unite natural-cultural traditional sacred places. The environmental lawyer from Estonian Fund for Nature, Kärt Vaarmari pointed out that on national level the decisions are made to the detriment of the sacred groves because their legal regulation is insufficient compared to other fields.
At the beginning of this year the Minister of Culture, Urmas Paet formed a workgroup at the National Heritage Board whose task is to prepare the national sacred grove programme and to find out the problems connected to the sacred places and to work out the proper action plan. In the workgroup, lead by the Director of the National Heritage Board, Agne Trummal and in addition to the officials of the Board, there are also the representatives of the Ministry of Culture, Ministry of the Interior and Ministry of the Environment, the Estonian History Museum, Tartu University, the Estonian Literary Museum and Maavalla Koda.
Maavalla Koda