Reviving traditional crops and food culture is vital to repairing people’s relationship with the land. Kana Koa Weaver Okada   Nna-ma-matsu Tani-nu-du-yo The seed that we sow now Ju-gatsu-matsu Awa-nu-do-yo The awa seed we sow in the tenth month (chant) Yo-ya-te-ba Yu-ya-na-u-re If they grow well, we will have a good harvest Sa sa Hou-nen

A young Sikka Indigenous woman models garments made from natural materials, proud to look modern while helping to preserve her heritage. Tytin Mariyati Suhartini Tius     Hello, I am Maria (Tytin) Mariyati Suhartini Tius, a young Indigenous woman from Maumere, a small city in the Sikka Regency of Flores Island, Indonesia. In this region,

China’s diverse cultures and ancient wisdom offer lessons of reverence and respect for nature. Thomas Hou   China is a land of rich biological, cultural, and linguistic diversity. Although fifty-six ethnic groups are officially recognized, there are many more groups both beyond and within the official fifty-six, characterized by ancestry, language, religion, and culture. These

Against the odds, a tribal farmer in southern India strives to conserve and share dozens of indigenous rice varieties. WORDS AND VIDEO  G. S. Unnikrishnan Nair | IMAGES  Anvar     It is widely known that rice is the staple food for half the people on earth. In Asia, it lies at the very heart of the

IMAGES Mariia Ermilova . . . . . . . . . Read the full “Tsurushibina” story with more text, photos, and artwork by Mariia Ermilova.   Back to Volume 10   |   Read the Table of Contents   |   Like Our Stories? Please Donate! . Mariia Ermilova, PhD, is a postdoctoral researcher at the Graduate School

WORDS AND IMAGES Mariia Ermilova “Nature is painting for us, day after day, pictures of infinite beauty if only we have the eyes to see them.”   — John Ruskin . I want to tell you the story of a Japanese craft that impressed me for its deep connection with the culture and customs of the people. As

WORDS Raynold Lyngdoh IMAGES Raynold and Anne Lyngdoh Nestled in the more secluded northeastern region of India are several unique tribal groups, each diverse and distinct in their own right. Every group faces immense challenges in maintaining their linguistic and cultural diversity, as globalization and external influences perpetually challenge and erode the age-old traditional practices

WORDS Kanna K. Siripurapu and Sabyasachi Das IMAGES Chandrasekhar Nemani and Kanna K. Siripurapu A few months ago, I received a document written by my colleague Uday Kalyanapu about the success of a backyard poultry project in the tribal-dominated areas of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The project was started by WASSAN (Watershed Support

WORDS Manju Maharjan and Yuvash Vaidya IMAGES Sheetal Vaidya and Shashank Shrestha We are Newahs, the Indigenous people of the Kathmandu Valley in Nepal. We are worshippers in the Hindu and Buddhist traditions and belong to several different ethnic groups, but historically we all spoke a common language, Nepalbhasa. While the language is prevalent among

Kanna K. Siripurapu The sacredness of the cow in India, especially to the vast majority of Hindus, hardly needs an introduction. According to the Hindu scriptures, all cows are descendants of the mythical cow Kamadhenu (also known as Surabhi). Born of an ocean of milk, Kamadhenu generously provides good things to anyone who asks. Her