What have been some of the significant breakthroughs in terms of folk culture research of north east India? What are the main challenges usually faced in terms of research?
Well to answer your question let me introduce ARHI first. ARHI is a collaboration of individuals who are working for the cultural and educational rights of native people. It is a wide platform for all indigenous communities to discuss and reflect upon challenges and problems and find the best means to address the concerns. It is a grassroots organisation comprising all small and big indigenous communities of Assam. ARHI has dedicated itself to the preservation of the undocumented and un-archived cultures of different small and big indigenous communities through the triple R method (viz Research Reflection Revitalization). In all the major researches done by the Centre, it was very encouraging to witness the un-polluted cultural symbols of life-style, songs, rituals etc. These communities were on the verge of losing their identity from the hegemony of either the pervading mechanisation of urban life or dominant culture of an adjacent bigger community. Interestingly, there was still no greater influence seen either culturally or theologically upon some of the tribal communities in the North-Eastern part of India. Therefore ARHI has been primarily striving to retain an archival testimony of the variegated diversity; through video and audio documentation. In addition to it, thoroughly researched publication work has been carried on by the Centre covering their ethnic culture, language and literature. Our aim is to 'bring into the mind of people a comparative and integrated religious and cultural consciousness and establish a solid foundation for an actual cosmopolitan society.'
The challenges in terms of research are manifold. In the context of Assam there are very few well researched literature available on folk tradition which can be taken as a primary tool for further research activities. Another prominent challenge is death of community elders who are expert in customs of the respected community. As most of the traditions are transmitted orally, the new generations eventually become oblivious to these traditions. In such a scenario it becomes difficult to conduct research and documentation.
Why exactly is folk culture research so significant? Please explain the importance from the standpoint of sociology, dynamics of state and nation etc?
The present day populations of Northeast India have great diversity in terms of lifestyle, cultural activity and physiological features; which implies the acculturation, assimilation and diffusion of various cultures and groups of people. The term 'folk culture' or 'folklore' has limited denotation here. Rather we work on Indigenous Knowledge System (IKS) and Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) of communities, which has a very wide application. Indigenous Knowledge System has a wide array of elements including culture, tradition, traits and all other forms of Intangible Cultural Heritage(ICH). The region is home to repository of scores of IKS (spread across) which are basically the assets of different tribes which have historical significance in the formation of ethnic textures of the region. The folk tradition of every tribe is very strong and enriching with the presence of spectacular cultural traits and customs. Interestingly their rich repertoire of Cultural Heritage is largely oral.
The Indigenous Knowledge System(IKS) of the communities of North East India forms an integral part of world's vanishing Indigenous Knowledge System. The IKS of this region is the life blood of the communities. Hence it's research is highly significant from the sociological, historical, cultural, economic and even the literature point of view. Under the hegemony of either pervading modernization or religious conversion, the communities are struggling to maintain their cultural heritage while an alarming number of practitioners of IKS are dwindling everyday. The age old process of transmission of IKS from one generation to its succeeding generation is severely halted. Consequently there are some people who are completely ignorant of their community's rich cultural ethos and practices.
Staggering poverty and many other economic factors inhibit many other communities to develop and sustain their cultural life as it was in past. Moreover there is no robust support system to nurture their cultural life. Another crucial factor of decay of IKS can be attributed to the unprecedented loss of indigenous language throughout the region. The condition is very alarming. It is not just the small and marginal communities who face the danger of extinction of their language. Many of the languages of mainstream communities finds mention in UNESCO's definitely endangered list of languages.
Since Langauge is the primary link to cultural ethos of their communities, with every loss of language we also bear the loss of treasure of IKS. In this context there is an urgent need to have an integrative approach to preserve the cultural property of the tribes using a comprehensive method of research and documentation employing scientific methods.
How interdisciplinary is the research domain of folk culture research? Please explain its interdisciplinary nature.
As I mentioned Indigenous Knowledge System and ICH (Intangible Cultural Heritage) involves a number of elements and subjects. Simply put, IKS of a community generally comprises of traditional medicine, traditional food system, its belief system and world view, indigenous housing structure, traditional agricultural system, traditional method of conservation of water, textile tradition and natural dyeing techniques etc .Whereas ICH(Intangible Cultural Heritage) refers to mainly folksongs, ballads, folk tales, traditional art and craft any other form of oral tradition etc.
IKS by its very nature is a huge interdisciplinary subject. For example traditional medicine implies study of both medical science and ethno botany (for study of selection as well as application of different herbs by different communities or application of the same herb differently by different communities). In the same manner research on traditional architecture requires study of architecture where as any belief or oral tradition associated with it might be subject of sociology or anthropology.
What have been some of the specific endeavours of Arhi in terms of preserving oral narratives and native languages and scripts of the North East?
Established in 2008, ARHI which means example in Assamese has been relentlessly working in realms of research and documentation, preservation and other related outreach activities. It is apt to mention that the activities of our organisation right from its inception have been completely different from conventional folklore documentation. Though research is our primary activity, it is not just a means to reach the end of social development sustainably. The current global crisis of civilization and challenges of climate change requires substantive solutions. IKS being accumulated knowledge by several generations can provide sustainable and dynamic solutions to humankind be it in the realms of climate change, lifestyle, environmental protection, health and wellness etc.
Here are a few highlights of ARHI's work
Organising workshops on IKS & ICH: ARHI successfully holds workshops dwelling on specific themes of IKS. After careful research and meticulous fact gathering, artistic and multimedia materials are used to convey the uniqueness of IKS by community elders. Notable workshops are held on traditional songs and dance of Karbi and Tiwa Tribe etc
Establishing a research and online resource centre: ARHI believes that academic research and field work constitute the basic groundwork, which is as important as the promotion and continuance of indigenous arts and culture. Therefore, ARHI turns the fruits of research into virtual exhibitions (uploaded on its web pages) so that the public, the artists, the cultural workers, as well as the younger generation, may have more opportunity to get in touch with local community culture.
Holding seminars and meetings: ARHI invites scholars and researchers periodically to speak on local culture specific topics.
Promoting indigenous culture and arts through education: To let the public and our youth develop a deeper understanding of local culture and to place a higher importance on its conservation, ARHI strengthens its ties
with local educational bodies, by providing text and graphics related to community culture.
Publishing of books: ARHI has published numerous collections of its research and documentation works on diverse tribes of North East India. Most importantly it publishes its bilingual annual journal 'LOK SANSKRITI' on various themes of ICH such as folk religion, traditional songs, textile tradition etc. The upcoming issue will dwell on the theme of folk s of North East India.
Indigenous Language Revitalization Programme: ARHI is running a number of language revitalization programme in order to revitalize extinct indigenous languages which are in the list of UNESCO's endangered list.
Initiative on ICH & IKS for livelihood generation: Among all the activities this one is most crucial for preservation of ICH & IKS. Special initiatives are taken in order to create livelihood opportunities for ICH & IKS expert/practitioners who enliven ICH/IKS of the particular community. For example a series of special workshops were organised for revitalizing natural dyeing tradition of Karbi tribe where young weavers were given training on natural dyeing techniques by community elders. After training young weavers start producing naturally dyed handmade cloths which were being market linked for selling.
ARHI is observing all necessary protocols, mandates given by UN and UNESCO while conducting research, documentations and other activities .Our work is recognised jointly by UNESCO and ICHCAP South Korea .In 2017, activities of ARHI finds mention in its special report titled 'Contribution of Intangible Cultural Heritage to Sustainable Development in South Asia'. ARHI is the only non profit organization representing from the state of Assam in the report. In 2020 ARHI has represented India as organisation in UNESCO ICHCAP special international symposium on ICH on Resilience in Crisis during Covid era.
Apart from that we have partnered with Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) under Ministry of Culture, Government of India for the project National Cultural Audiovisual Archives.
Last but not the least can you share some significant similarities and differences between the folk culture milieu of Assam and the other north eastern states? For instance how are the tribal communities of Assam different or similar from the tribal communities of the rest of the north eastern region? Any marked differences between the folk culture of plain tribes and hill tribes?
Indigenous cultures of all tribes across the world have only single world view which consider nature as mother and anything against nature is regarded as crime committed towards their own mother. To be precise all indigenous culture has uniform components. However there exists striking difference in terms of approach, application depending upon the ecological condition and habitat from tribe to tribe. In the same manner there exists significant similarities and differences between the folk culture milieu of Assam and rest of the north eastern states depending on ecology and habitat as North East India is home to numerous diverse tribes. But from this it can't be assumed that tribal population of Assam is different from rest of North Eastern states. There might be comparison in terms of degree of ICH/IKS currently different community posses or usage of indigenous language among them.
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