Åžavåžat-Tepekã–Y Traditional Life Culture Museum Sustainability Issue

The customs and traditions, which enable the transfer of cultural elements of the society to the next generations, can be kept alive only if they have a place in the memory of that society. The individuals of that society can provide a connection with the past thanks to the abstract and concrete cultural assets. For these reasons, museums have been established in order to introduce national cultural elements and not to forget them. Museums serve as a bridge between the past and present of the societies that they belong to. For this purpose, Artvin Life Education and Culture Association (Ayek-Der) has established the Traditional Life Culture Museum in Tepeköy. The association has made serious attempts to preserve the traditional life materials of Tepeköy that has sunk into oblivion. The establishment of the museum was supported by the Ministry of Internal Affairs - Department of Associations, Şavşat District Governorate, Mukhtar of Tepeköy, people of Tepeköy and associations of Tepeköy in other provinces. The museum, which was established in 2014 and opened to visitors in June 2015, can be visited free of charge. The objects collected through donations are exhibited in a renovated old school building. The clothing materials, the weavings such as carpets and rugs, and daily-use materials such as wood, metal and ceramics are exhibited. The museum, which is not attached to the Ministry of Culture, General Directorate of Cultural Heritage and Museums, is tried to be kept alive through the efforts of the association management and the Tepeköy mukhtar. Therefore, sustainability solutions are needed for the museum to survive. This study aims to introduce the Tepeköy Traditional Life Museum and draw attention to its sustainability problem.