Kohima, Sep 26 (IANS) Nagaland Governor Nand Kishore Yadav has said that preserving Naga heritage should not be limited to safeguarding physical objects, but must also include preserving the traditional knowledge and cultural practices associated with them.
The Governor and Chairman of North Eastern Zonal Cultural Centre (NEZCC) on Friday released two books, –“Nagas: The Knowledge Practitioners”, authored by Alok Kumar Kanungo and Alino Sumi, and ‘Nagaland Textiles – Threads That Weave Stories”, authored by Sentila T. Yanger, at the NEZCC Headquarters in Chumoukedima.
Addressing the gathering, Governor Yadav added that the two publications, though dealing with different subjects, brought the rich cultural heritage and knowledge traditions of the Naga people into academic and public focus.
He said both publications conveyed the importance of recognising culture as a body of knowledge created, practised, refined and transmitted across generations.
Speaking on the book – “Nagas: The Knowledge Practitioners”, the Governor said indigenous knowledge should not be viewed merely as folklore, but as knowledge developed through observation, experience, experimentation and adaptation.
The Governor added that traditional knowledge relating to agriculture, crafts, technologies, forests, natural resources, rituals and material culture represented valuable knowledge systems developed within communities.
Referring to the publication on Naga textiles, Governor Yadav said that Naga shawls represented more than pieces of cloth and carried identity, memory, social meaning and artistic expression.
He noted that colours, patterns, motifs and weaving techniques reflected knowledge and traditions developed within different communities.
He also stressed the importance of proper documentation of indigenous knowledge, saying that documentation could provide an accessible record for researchers, students, artisans, museums and future generations and said that such documentation should be undertaken with sensitivity to the communities from whom the knowledge originated, with due recognition of their identity, ownership, dignity and intellectual rights.
Speaking on the relevance of indigenous knowledge in the present context, the Governor said that technological advancement should not lead to cultural amnesia.
He encouraged the younger generation to embrace modern education and technology while also understanding the traditional knowledge of their communities.
Governor Yadav said that traditional knowledge could offer valuable insights into contemporary concerns such as climate change, biodiversity conservation, sustainable agriculture, responsible use of natural resources and sustainable livelihoods.
He stressed that the challenge was not to choose between tradition and modernity, but to build a meaningful dialogue between the two.
The Governor appreciated the scholars, institutions, researchers, field workers, artisans and elders involved in documenting Naga knowledge and traditions.
He encouraged educational institutions in Nagaland to make greater use of such publications and called for more research by young Naga scholars on languages, oral traditions, architecture, agriculture, traditional medicine, music, textiles, craftsmanship, customary institutions, and stressed the need for village-level documentation of traditional knowledge before it was lost with the passing of its practitioners and called for greater efforts to document, research, teach and transmit Naga traditions to younger generations.
The NEZCC Director Alobo Naga, said that the NEZCC had been supporting scholars, artists and cultural practitioners in documenting traditional knowledge, folk practices, indigenous art forms and other cultural traditions and added that such efforts helped preserve aspects of Naga cultural identity and pass them on to future generations.
–IANS
