National Archaeological and Anthropological Memory Management

The National Archaeological and Anthropological Memory Management (NAAM) is a prime cultural resource centre in Willemstad, Curaçao (Caribbean). Having started as a museum in the year 1998, NAAM has developed into a dynamic organization that stands for cultural resource management in the broadest sense of the word. NAAM manages a heritage depot, does arcaheological, anthropological and social research and has been the driving force behind countless initiatives to promote policy, national and international cooperation, knowledge acquisition, understanding and involvement regarding Caribbean heritage issues. NAAM collaborates with local universities, heritage centers, community groups, schools and others to provide capacity building for hertiage management, create educational materials for schools, and doing advocacy work on behalf of safeguarding heritage.

Year of accreditation: 2012

Domain(s): (a) oral traditions and expressions, including language as a vehicle of the intangible cultural heritage;
 (c) social practices, rituals and festive events;
 (d) knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe;
 (e) traditional craftsmanship.

Main Safeguarding measures:  a) identification, documentation, research (including inventory-making)
– NAAM owns, manages and contributes to an oral history collection and is restarting oral historical research in 2017.
– A database of tangible, archaeological and intangible heritage is actively managed. The database is used for many projects, including an interactive geocoded map of cultural elements
b) preservation, protection;
– artefacts related to intangible heritge are preserved by NAAM, through its national heritage collection that consists of a central depot and loans to museums, CBO’s, NGO’s, community groups and businesses.
– NAAM also functions as an call-in center for heritage theft, destruction or toher issues
– NAAM provides capacity building for conservation, collecting and educating about heritage
d) transmission, (non-) formal education;
– NAAM creates teaching materials and aids for schools and community organizations, after school programs and heritage institutions
– NAAM also partners with UNESCO, the University of Curaçao, Kas di Kultura and other organizations to promote capacity building, access to heritage materials, and dialogue on heritage

Main countries where the NGO works:  Curaçao, The Netherlands (Bonaire)

Local, national or international level of the NGO: NAAM is both a national level and regional NGO. Its board is represented by nationals from Curaçao, Bonaire, Saba, Sint Eustatius and Sint Maarten. Soon Aruba will also join the board.