Why does loksutr matter?
The tradition of knowledge-keeping finds deep roots within the indigenous cultures of India. Most of this knowledge is spoken in languages that are hyperlocal and often never written down. They exist in the realm of orality.
From one person to another this knowledge moves through jokes and riddles, fun and games; through proverbs and idioms, around burning flames. Well beyond the limitations of language, this knowledge finds expression in food and dance, in music, and in chants that are meant to put you in a trance.
Depending on which human vessel it poured itself into, this shapeshifting knowledge tries to find new expressions. From etchings on wooden combs, to elaborate art on humble walls, the carrier of this knowledge knew what to make just by listening to its calls.
People who came from such cultures, those untouched by writing in any form, were active carriers and actors of this knowledge and thus never found the need to create passive repositories to “study” their knowledge.
Instead, they created a social infrastructure that maintained this sophisticated oral tradition recreated daily from parents to children and elders to youngsters.
However, with the current advancement of technology, and rapid exposure to the modern developed world, the flow of this knowledge has lost its perpetual nature. The knowledge now sits stagnant as collective memory rapidly erodes within the minds of aging custodians of a living tradition.
A generational gap is emerging between the old and the new generation. Older adults are no longer able to transmit their experiential knowledge to the younger ones, especially the ones going to schools and colleges.
The absence of indigenous knowledge within classrooms and the dominance of a Western benchmark of knowledge are primary reasons for this loss in transmission.
This loss of transmission leads to loss of memory.
Loss of memory leads to loss of language.
Loss of language leads to loss of expertise.
Loss of expertise leads to a distorted perception of the natural world, society, and worst of all; the self.
This creates the necessary conditions for those who want to grab their lands, mountains, and forests. Once they forget their faith, worldview, culture, language, and eventually their sense of identity, it will not be difficult to displace them in the name of development and employment.
This leads to the erosion of nature
The erosion of nature leads to the loss of the source of all indigenous knowledge. This loss of knowledge that is oral and intangible is irreversible.
From one person to another this knowledge moves through jokes and riddles, fun and games; through proverbs and idioms, around burning flames. Well beyond the limitations of language, this knowledge finds expression in food and dance, in music, and in chants that are meant to put you in a trance.
Depending on which human vessel it poured itself into, this shapeshifting knowledge tries to find new expressions. From etchings on wooden combs, to elaborate art on humble walls, the carrier of this knowledge knew what to make just by listening to its calls.
People who came from such cultures, those untouched by writing in any form, were active carriers and actors of this knowledge and thus never found the need to create passive repositories to “study” their knowledge.
Instead, they created a social infrastructure that maintained this sophisticated oral tradition recreated daily from parents to children and elders to youngsters.
However, with the current advancement of technology, and rapid exposure to the modern developed world, the flow of this knowledge has lost its perpetual nature. The knowledge now sits stagnant as collective memory rapidly erodes within the minds of aging custodians of a living tradition.
A generational gap is emerging between the old and the new generation. Older adults are no longer able to transmit their experiential knowledge to the younger ones, especially the ones going to schools and colleges.
The absence of indigenous knowledge within classrooms and the dominance of a Western benchmark of knowledge are primary reasons for this loss in transmission.
This loss of transmission leads to loss of memory.
Loss of memory leads to loss of language.
Loss of language leads to loss of expertise.
Loss of expertise leads to a distorted perception of the natural world, society, and worst of all; the self.
This creates the necessary conditions for those who want to grab their lands, mountains, and forests. Once they forget their faith, worldview, culture, language, and eventually their sense of identity, it will not be difficult to displace them in the name of development and employment.
This leads to the erosion of nature
The erosion of nature leads to the loss of the source of all indigenous knowledge. This loss of knowledge that is oral and intangible is irreversible.