Indigenous knowledge is deeply rooted in long-term observation and direct contact with the natural environment; it informs interpretations, and it varies between regions. For the custodians, the knowledge is the foundation of identity and belonging and it guides intimate, protective relationships with a more than human world of animals, trees, plants, rivers, mountains, ancestors and the elementary forces of nature. Storytelling and animation have brought me into various marginal spaces in India to listen to, record, translate and interpret the myths and folklore of some tribal groups. The project timeline uncovers cultural resilience and the precedence for participation and distribution in the village community.
This paper discusses storytelling traditions that centralize human relationships of reciprocity and reverence of Nature. My role is to adapt these stories for animated film. The narratives enclose knowledge that is situated within a specific cultural context, and the enterprise must maintain the original meanings and use. In a traditional setting the eligibility to receive certain knowledge is acquired by ritual and initiation, which suggests that exclusive assemblages of data about local properties, technologies and practices would be one dimensional. My practice-led research using audio-visual media is intended as collaboration and co-creation. I would propose the entry into the field of research as a participatory project that contributes exposure and enrichment for local people. At the same time it should become a transformational authentic experience for the incomer, and prompt a paradigm shift towards integrated ontology and respect for collective ownership.
