Empowering Ownership of Cultural Heritage
Revival of Lost Arts and Cultural Practices in North East India is a vital initiative centered on the theme of Indigenous Arts and Languages across seven states of North East India — Meghalaya, Manipur, Nagaland, Tripura, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, and Sikkim. The project engages diverse indigenous communities including the Khasi, Jaintia, Garo, Manipuri (Kuki), Borok, Adi, Lepcha, and Naga peoples, with the main goal of protecting Indigenous Arts and Languages within these communities.
The primary objective is to revive lost and forgotten indigenous arts, languages, and practices, ensuring their conservation for future generations. Through this initiative, the expected results include the restoration of several lost indigenous arts, practices, and cultural traditions across the identified communities. This restoration process empowers community members to rediscover their voices and express their culture, language, and identity freely, strengthening cultural pride and ensuring the continuity of rich indigenous heritage that has been at risk of disappearing in the face of modernization and external influences.
As part of the project, seven youth fellows from seven states of the North East region were selected to research and document the lost arts and cultures of their own people — further reiterating their indigenous values and strengthening intergenerational cultural continuity.
Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Assam, Tripura, Arunachal Pradesh, and Mizoram