Wooden fountains and troughs a cultural asset?

The art of making wooden fountains and troughs in the villages of Mojkovac could soon be granted the title of intangible cultural heritage. Procedures with the Directorate for the Protection of Cultural Heritage are ongoing, and the protection of this skill was initiated by a resident of the village of Jakovići. Branislav MedojevicHe was also the chief craftsman and organizer of the last renovation of the fountain and riverbed in Lugovi.

As explained in the Administration's documentation, fountains and troughs (fules, longer and thinner hollowed-out trunks that water touches) and two troughs (containers for collecting water) were placed at the very source of the Lepešnica.

Fountains are narrow, hollowed-out wooden pipes that carry spring water to two longer, wider, hollowed-out troughs above. The water flows freely from the fountain, or fula, into the troughs.

"Fountains and troughs are made of wood (fir or pine) and represent a traditional way of obtaining and using water for drinking, watering livestock, washing wool and for other needs. Once the cores of the springs and troughs are hollowed out and placed in the appropriate place, the work of their restoration requires knowledge. The newly installed pieces of wood, the future fountains and troughs, are placed in exactly the same place and in the same position as the previous ones, so that the spring water would 'catch' the fountain in the same way as before, and also reach above the trough through the fountains, also in the same way, as hundreds of years ago," the Administration's documentation states.

To make traditional wooden fountains and troughs, as locals say, you need healthy fir/pine wood, cut during the summer to the desired dimensions, cleaned of branches and bark (peeled), hollowed out by cutting, chiseling, and removing large pieces of the interior of the cylindrical trunk.

The last renovation/replacement of worn-out fountains and troughs was carried out at the end of July and completed on August 1, 2020. According to information provided by locals, two troughs were installed (the larger one is 4,20 meters, the smaller one is 5,20 meters) and two fir pipes, hollowed out for two fountains, each about 2,80 meters long.

According to tradition, water was obtained in the same way in Lugovi hundreds of years earlier. However, it is not known who made the original fountains and troughs at that location and when.

"Given the appearance and location of the springs, fountains and watercourses, the area in question and the water supply facility were a gathering place for the community, both residents from the surrounding villages and katunars, livestock farmers who seasonally stay on the katuns and seasonally pass along traditional routes and cattle drives during their return from spring or the return (return of livestock farmers and livestock to permanent villages) at the end of summer or later in autumn," the Administration concludes.

The Expert Opinion on Cultural and Historical Values ​​explains that the traditional skill, knowledge and craftsmanship of making and installing wooden fountains and troughs represent at the same time knowledge related to nature and natural resources, but also a famous place and a unique sign in the space and a landmark of the community and area of ​​Lugovo and Jakovići.

"The Lugovi fountains and riverbeds are a place of meeting and gathering of local and other communities, and at the same time unique wooden objects of traditional architecture, which are rarely preserved, although in the past they were typical water supply facilities in a large part of Montenegro. At the same time, the knowledge and skill of their manufacture was frequently practiced, and today the number of bearers of this knowledge and skill is limited to individuals. The subject intangible asset possesses preserved authenticity, uniqueness within its type, as well as historical, ethnographic, architectural, technical, ambient, landscape and other social characteristics and significance," assessed the expert team of the Administration.

Ivan Crnojević's troughs

This skill could, as explained, be categorized as a cultural asset of local importance, because it has significance for the social, historical or cultural development of the communities living in Mojkovac.

It also "testifies to the historical circumstances and the importance of using water and water resources for the community and traditional economy and represents an exceptional example of the creativity of its time", but it also has aesthetic value.

“From the intangible, living heritage related to the construction/making of wooden springs and troughs, the following may be mentioned: ancient tales, mythologized events and legendary stories related to the Zeta/Montenegrin lord Ivan Crnojević (1442-1490). The above-mentioned stories testify to the latest medieval practice of making wooden fountains and troughs on the territory of present-day Montenegro. The locals of Jakovići and the surrounding area believe that the fountains and troughs of Lugovi are just as important (but less well-known) for their area as the Ivan's troughs for Lovćen and the area below Lovćen. Namely, the memory of Ivan Crnojević is found everywhere in Montenegro. Among other things, he is credited with the source at the foot of Lovćen, next to the valley in the shade of giant beech trees," the documentation states.

They remind us that at this spring of Ivan Crnojević, Ivan's troughs, the water is stopped in an underground wall and collected in a series of hollowed-out wooden logs in the shape of troughs. It is believed that they are so cold that it is impossible to keep a hand immersed in them for more than a few seconds, but also that they have medicinal properties.

The water of Begovi korita is an old water source on the Bijela Gora mountain near Grahovo in the Nikšić region. It was also named after Ivan (Ivan-beg) Crnojević, the Administration explains. According to a traditional story, the Montenegrin ruler found refuge there before the onslaught of the Turks. He ordered a spring to be dug and a fountain with a beech trough to be built, so that people and livestock would have water, similar to his spring-water source on Lovćen, Ivan's troughs.

( Dragana Šćepanović )