Indigenising the Himalaya
Dr Rohini Rai from Brunel University London has collaborated with the Society on a project funded by the British Academy to reimagine the Himalayan region centring the stories and perspectives of its indigenous communities.
Working with our vast archival materials on the Himalayan region, Dr Rai worked closely with the UK-based Himalayan diaspora communities from Nepal and Northeast India.
The project began in June 2024 with a day-long workshop-style event that used dance to explore storytelling. Participants for this workshop included external attendees as well as community members from three UK-based Himalayan indigenous diaspora communities: Kirat Yakthung Chumlung (Ashford), Kirat Rai Yayokkha (Ashford) and World Newah Organisation UK Chapter.
The participants also spent part of the day looking a display of archival material on the Himalayan region from the Society’s Collections. Their reflections on the items have since been used in the co-curation of a digital exhibition of the materials.
Following the display, three dance groups (made up of 40 community members) and one solo dance artist, Sandhaya Gurung, performed dances accompanied by stories narrated first by elders in their native languages, and then in English by younger members of the British-Nepalese community. Throughout the dances, the audience were gathered on the floor to encourage active participation.