GOH BUGUN stands for
I AM BUGUN
A memory project to reclaim Bugun identity by reviving traditional craft, knowledge, markets and exploring new entrepreneurial avenues.
An initiative by Dakshina Dvaraka Foundation supported by Titan Company Limited
The Bugun People- Keepers of a Forest
Only about 20 pairs of the Bugun Liocichla, a rare bird and around 2000 members of the Bugun tribe, a language group, exist today in the mountains of West Kameng district, Arunachal Pradesh. The bird, named after the Bugun tribe, is found in their community reserve. Its discovery and the conservation of the immensely biodiverse ecosphere called the Eagle Nest Sanctuary where it thrives, tells the story of an encounter between nature and modern life, depletion and conservation through scientific research, community participation and policy. The Brai Dua clan of the Bugun tribe have donated 32 sq kms of their land for conservation, research and eco tourism, making them the keepers of an ancient forest.
Cultures of Crafting Matter
The Goh Bugun project perceives the Bugun also as a community of makers whose latent culture of crafting is in danger of being completely forgotten. For the Bugun people, who live in 11 villages in the district, their language is in peril and their living culture is rapidly fading into modernity. To take advantage of science, conservation, new markets and all that modern infrastructure has to offer, they need confidence in their own cultural experience.
Most tribal communities in Arunachal Pradesh have a basic knowledge of agriculture, horticulture, house building, bamboo construction, weaving cloth, and making cane and bamboo products.The loss of such a living culture will become a loss to global cultural diversity.
The Goh Bugun project is a response that brings together ecology, ethos and economics to help the community imagine sustainable futures.
Our Approach
