Indigenous knowledge systems are not merely remnants of the past but living knowledge traditions that hold vital lessons for addressing contemporary environmental, cultural and social challenges, speakers asserted during the two-day Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR)- sponsored National Seminar on “Sustaining the Future: Indigenous Knowledge and Historical Narratives in Northeast India”, organised by the Department of History, Tetso College, and Northeast India Indigenous People’s Archive (NEIIPA), on June 25 and 26. Delivering the inaugural keynote address, Prof. Amarjiva Lochan, Professor, University of Delhi and Council Member of the Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR), emphasised that indigenous communities have long practised sustainable living, much before sustainability became a global concern. Referring to the ceremonial watering of the Tree of Wisdom during the inaugural programme, he said such traditions reflected a worldview in which people regard themselves as ‘caretakers and partners’ of nature rather than its owners. Citing the renewed interest in traditional medicine during the Covid-19 pandemic, Prof. Lochan stressed the enduring value of indigenous healing practices and urged scholars to document oral histories, ecological knowledge, folklore and medicinal traditions before they disappear, while advocating for greater recognition of oral narratives and folklore as legitimate historical sources.

Prof. Lochan further encouraged young researchers to reclaim ownership of their histories and cultures, asserting that embracing modernity should not come at the expense of indigenous identities, languages and customary practices.

Earlier, in the welcome address, Dr. Hewasa L. Khing, Principal, Tetso College, challenged participants to reflect on the questions, ‘Who are we?’ and ‘What makes us who we are?’ Stressing that indigenous knowledge is ‘a living resource’ rather than a vestige of the past, she called for a reassessment of historical narratives that have too often been framed through external perspectives. Emphasising the need to decolonise historical narratives, she urged participants to become active storytellers of their own histories rather than relying solely on external interpretations.

Dr. Khing also highlighted the work of the Northeast India Indigenous People’s Archive (NEIIPA), a digital initiative documenting oral histories, folklore, traditional knowledge, recipes and community memories from across Northeast India, and encouraged participants to contribute towards preserving these invaluable cultural resources.

At the valedictory session, keynote speaker Dr. Alino Sumi, Adjunct Lecturer at Flinders University, Australia, described indigenous knowledge as a living system rooted in the relationship between people, land, ancestors and community. She observed that scholarship on Northeast India has often privileged external interpretations over indigenous voices, overlooking what she described as the ‘interiority’ of communities. She urged researchers to create spaces where communities could tell their own histories in their own languages and on their own terms, while questioning whether academic research adequately benefits the people whose knowledge it documents.

Drawing from personal experiences of learning from her grandmother, Dr. Sumi said indigenous knowledge is dynamic, community centred and passed down through everyday life rather than formal institutions. She stressed that preserving indigenous knowledge requires more than documentation and called for the protection of the social and cultural conditions that sustain it. Urging researchers to adopt ethical and community centred approaches, she added that indigenous knowledge should receive equal recognition alongside academic knowledge, with communities empowered to narrate their own histories in their own voices.

Across four technical sessions, scholars, researchers and students presented papers exploring diverse dimensions of indigenous knowledge and historical narratives. Themes included oral traditions, indigenous ecological knowledge, ethnoarchaeology, governance systems, architecture, food systems, religion, gender, identity, customary institutions and sustainability. Among the presentations were Dr. Putchong Thai on Representation of Cultural Values in Khiamniungan Naga Folklore; Lemya Konyak on Konyak women’s transmission of indigenous ecological knowledge; Ropfuvino Krose on festivals and cultural memory; Dr. Nutazo Lohe on the ethnoarchaeology of jhum cultivation; Kekhriekuonuo Chielie on traditional Naga architecture; Vipechalie Belho on changing narratives of the Naga headhunter; Bendangwabang on legal pluralism in Nagaland; Zuchanbeni Lapon and Dr. Kamei Kabinai on indigenous food systems; Dr. Mercy on indigenous health epistemologies; Kushemyimjong Chang on Chang oral traditions as counter-history; Vishwjeet Kumar Choudhary on indigenous governance; Dr. Mercy Baite on indigenous beliefs and Christianity among the Vaiphei; and Dr. Dziesetuolie Metha on traditional hornet rearing and rural livelihoods, alongside several other presentations by scholars from universities and institutions across India.

The seminar commenced with the inaugural programme, chaired by Asst. Prof, Department of History, Dr. Mercy Baite, which included an invocation by Assistant Dean, School of Computer Science & Skill Development, Talinungsang Lemtur, the College Anthem and the ceremonial Watering of the Tree of Wisdom. The cultural segment featured a Folk Fusion performance, Tsüngremmong Tsüngsangtepro, by Imlibenla Imchen and Limeka Yepthomi, showcasing the richness and continuity of indigenous cultural traditions.

The valedictory programme featured a cultural dance performed by BA third and fifth semester students of the Department of History, followed by the distribution of certificates to paper presenters by Vice Principal, Dr. Rosy Tep. The programme concluded with a vote of thanks by Seminar Coordinator and HoD, Department of History, Dr. Tatongkala and a benediction by Asst. Prof, Department of Linguistics, Lothunglo P. Murry.

The seminar concluded with a renewed call for collaborative research, ethical engagement with indigenous communities and sustained efforts to preserve, document and strengthen indigenous knowledge systems as living foundations for a more sustainable and inclusive future.