The transformation of passive cultural elements into active patrimonial expression is a process of cultural evolution. In this study, the author suggests that there are three necessary phases to this transformation: identification, folklorisation and conservation. The theoretical framework for this study is based on an awareness and understanding of these phases. It seeks to show that such a process of cultural evolution can contribute to self-identification, commemoration, and cultural rejuvenation, using the Franco-Ontarian community as an example. The study also suggests, however, that there is a threat to this process. That threat occurs during the folklorisation phase, when past memories or cultural patterns can become rigid, and contribute to the destruction of the community's soul and sense of belonging. Since folklorisation is seen as an essential element of heritage conservation, there is a dichotomy or a paradox here. However, it must be addressed. There is no heritage without history, and history is the "raison d'être" of culture. Without active patrimonial expression, refined through the folklorisation process, culture cannot save its heritage, and it then separates itself from its roots and destroys itself.