The Art of Indigenous Storytelling with the Aim of Biocultural Conservation

Storytelling is an art of the speaker to interpret the experiences and imaginations, using words, signs and actions. Indigenous people inhabit most of the world biodiversity. Indigenous storytelling is an ideal platform for creating an emotional connection with geographical landscapes and the wildlife, ultimately inserting a sense of peace in mind along with awakening a good feeling in heart.

It is always felt that there is a great need to preserve and promote bio cultural conservation approaches that encourage biodiversity and indigenous cultures altogether. Conservation practitioners are being invited to recreate the art of storytelling to make the bio-cultural heritage alive, of indigenous people. By promoting such efforts, the tradition of storytelling helps to maintain intergenerational exchanges and the transmission of local environmental knowledge, thoughts among others.

These kinds of initiatives bridge the gap between cultural differences and nature conservation and create an emotional bonding among masses of similar area as indigenous stories are connected to our own birthplace. They establish moral values in younger ones and make them understand about their culture and identities. People of indigenous communities very easily co-relate themselves with the instances and examples given in stories. Storytelling is also a central focus of indigenous epistemologies, pedagogies, and research patterns. When the time passes that only the stories can be a medium of passing the heritage and culture towards the new generation.

Content: www.sciencedaily.com

By: Anita Aishvarya