The Registration of Pastoralism (“Voskiki”) and the Shepherd’s World in the National Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage

Pastoral life on Mount Psiloritis—or voskiki, a term originating from the shepherds themselves, today’s livestock breeders of the region—defines a broad framework consisting of elements of self-organization and customary law, rituals and “troparia” (specific phrases and performative acts), techniques and practices that have historically shaped a body of cultural data that co-creates the world of the shepherd and the life of the contemporary livestock breeder.

Voskiki constitutes the key to the code of the shepherd’s world on Psiloritis, deciphering a large number of traditional techniques and cultural practices directly connected to the shepherds’ daily life and survival.

It represents a combination of elements that compose livestock activity and the ethos of pastoral communities, with a historically decisive influence on the value system, the economic and social life, as well as the cultural character of the mountain communities of Mount Ida.

The inclusion of voskiki and the world of the shepherds of Psiloritis in the National Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage was completed on 7 February 2022 by decision of the Minister of Culture and Sports, L. Mendoni. This marked the beginning of a participatory, cross-sectoral and interdisciplinary collaboration aimed at understanding the most enduring human presence on Mount Ida: the shepherd of Psiloritis.

Participants and guarantors of safeguarding this initiative include:

The shepherds of Psiloritis and their families, whose cultural practices have shaped the identity and character of the region, leaving an active imprint across time and place.

The local government authorities of the area, specifically the Municipalities of Anogeia, Amari, Mylopotamos, Malevizi, Faistos and Gortyna, within whose territories the shepherds of Psiloritis are primarily active.

The initial initiative began with the Municipality of Anogeia, which, as a member of the Psiloritis Municipal Network, proposed the drafting of a nomination for the National Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Greece in collaboration with the local cultural management organization Androidus Project Tank.

Also participating were the Livestock Breeders’ Associations of Amari, Anogeia and Mylopotamos, as well as the Agricultural Cooperative of Mylopotamos based in Perama, and the newly established Agricultural and Livestock Cooperative of Anogeia.

The research project IDAology, during whose implementation data and audiovisual documentation concerning pastoral life across the entire geographical range of Psiloritis have been and will continue to be produced.

Authors of the Intangible Cultural Heritage inventory entry:

Georgios Kalomoiris, PhD candidate in Cultural Planning Methodology in issues of Cultural Democracy at the University of the Aegean, Archaeologist and Cultural Manager, curator of the cultural network Androidus Project Tank – Laboratory for Culture, Innovation and Research.

Marina Geronti, Communication Consultant and Cultural Manager, Communication Officer of the cultural network Androidus Project Tank – Laboratory for Culture, Innovation and Research.

The collection of audiovisual material and the organization of field research in the grazing areas of Psiloritis were undertaken by Antonis Dagiantas, software analyst and programmer specializing in intelligent information systems and co-founder of the cultural network Androidus Project Tank – Laboratory for Culture, Innovation and Research.

The initiative for the drafting and research of this proposal began in 2019 in collaboration with the Municipality of Anogeia and the former Mayor Manolis Kallergis, and was completed in cooperation with the current Mayor of Anogeia, Sokratis Kefalogiannis, guided by the philosophy of coexistence, networking and interaction among the municipalities and communities surrounding the Psiloritis mountain range.

A decisive contribution was made by Andromachi Oikonomou, Research Director at the Folklore Centre of the Academy of Athens; Villy Fotopoulou, Director of the Directorate of Modern Cultural Heritage; Giannis Drinis, Head of the Department of Intangible Cultural Heritage; archaeologist E. Bazini; their collaborators; and the National Committee for Intangible Cultural Heritage, who collectively contributed to shaping and completing the proposal.

The following scholars also collaborated and contributed to the drafting of this entry:

Aristeidis Tsantirópoulos, Associate Professor of Social Anthropology at the Department of Philosophy and Social Studies of the University of Crete and Director of the Centre for Visual Anthropology, through significant additions based on his research and as a scientific collaborator of the IDAology research program.

Thanos Kotsis, PhD candidate in Folklore and Anthropology at the University of Ioannina, through his contribution to the scientific editing and structure of the proposal and through important additions to the scholarly bibliography.

The editorial and research team from the beginning of the proposal also includes:

Dimitris Kallergis, livestock breeder and shepherd, whose experiential approach helped deepen understanding of voskiki and facilitated communication with its bearers throughout the geographical range of Psiloritis.

Maria G. Fasoula, cultural studies scholar, through her overall research contribution and the authorship of the article “The role of women as weavers, from shearing to dyeing and weaving in Anogeia”.

Katerina Kalomoiri, philologist, for the philological editing of the text and her intuitive perspective in identifying and including traits and traditions that constitute the shepherd’s world.

Kostis Patenas, Deputy Mayor of Amari and livestock breeder, contributing to the understanding of voskiki through the preservation of traditions and practices such as sheep shearing and seasonal transhumant walking movements during spring and autumn.

To this day, voskiki remains an element of particular importance for its bearers and their communities. Despite socio-economic transformations, it continues to function as a code for safeguarding interpersonal and intercommunity relations, enabling the extrajudicial resolution of disputes among residents and preventing internal social crises, while strengthening the sense of belonging and community spirit.

This largely unwritten history of the mountain itself, expressed through its enduring protagonists—the shepherds of Psiloritis—holds the potential to become a comprehensive cultural proposal and a starting point for intercultural continuities through research and interaction.

It represents a meeting and collaboration between local actors and contemporary researchers, combining scientific methodological tools of oral history with the lived experience of the mountain within a popularized research approach to public history.

The complete Intangible Cultural Heritage inventory entry is already available as a full proposal at:
https://ayla.culture.gr/i-voskiki-kai-o-kosmos-tou-voskou-ston-psiloreiti-2021/