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Foraging Traditions

  Dhemaji, Assam, India

Foraging Traditions is created as a journey of collectively exploring foraging and folklore as tools to unfold the stories of traditional knowledge in Dhemaji, a small town in the foothills of the lower Himalayas. The experiences here will guide us to sense the living traditions here through activities of foraging food from the wild with tribal communities, understanding its medicinal properties, cultural and culinary context, cooking with the locals, visiting traditional kitchens of Mising, Deori and Ahom communities. Botanists, Poets, Performance artists, Chefs, Farmers, Journalists, Illustrators, Strategists, Food Anthropologists and Researchers working on indigenous culture will bring forth their multidisciplinary lens to comprehend a holistic understanding during the immersion.

Key Highlights
  • Immersive journeys: Boat rides across the rivers and canals listening to the rhythms of folklores
  • Mesmerizing your senses: Exercises to bring awareness to sensory engagements through smell, taste, sound, touch and sight.
  • Storytelling under the floating clouds: Designed specially to expand horizons of imaginations with local anecdotes
  • Foraging into the wild: Observations, seeing what we need and understanding interdependencies, collecting wildflowers and edible roots.
  • The social etiquette: Forest sessions to understand nature beyond the colour green
  • Recharge capsule: Caressing sleep, lullaby in a distant language
  • Sensory records: Documenting the essence of stories using techniques and methods that are emotive
  • Open interpretation: Comprehending the seen and unseen

Foraging Traditions: The Concept

The desire for constantly seeking the new in mundane describes most of the millennials today. While the search of something meaningful goes on, it is equally important to learn how to be happy and content. It is often the process of experiencing that determines the experience in itself. Also, enjoying any process opens up an array of boundless possibilities to deeply engage our senses and improvise it further. ‘Improvisation’ thereby helps in creating knowledge. If humans were not conscious of their engagements then, they could have never passed down their know-how. These know-hows accumulate to become traditional knowledge today. So, Is foraging sensing ? Is the knowledge we have about foraging improvisation of living cultures ? Does foraging also explain how we survived as communities ? Why did some communities sense certain food as edible while the other did not? This 8 day long immersion takes us through an explorative journey of foraging food from the wild with tribal communities, understanding its medicinal properties, cultural and culinary context and exploring the activity of foraging to sense the living culture therein. We will also explore folklore as a tool to unfold the stories of traditional knowledge. The wonder of arriving at a space in times like this would be like rekindling your soul in the lap of mother nature.

Where are we going

S O M E W H E R E by the river bank. Dhemaji is located to the north of the river Brahmaputra. To its north lies the Arunachal Himalayas. To its east lies the state, Arunachal Pradesh and to the west is Lakhimpur, a district of Assam. It has many large and small rivers flowing through it. The areas of the present district was part of the greater Chutiya kingdom along with Lakhimpur, Tinsukia, Jorhat, Dibrugarh and Sonitpur district from the 12th century to the 16th century until the Ahom-Chutiya war during the early period of the 16th century.

Comfortable Camping
Local Meals
Covid Safety
Pickup from Nearest Town
  Schedule
Next Dates to be announced
  Cost
Rs 35000/- + GST
Apply for an Invite
15 Participants Only

Have Questions?

How do I join the Unheard Unseen community?
Our community is curated to create the best experience for every individual in each program and hence, it is an invite-only community. You can join if a community member has invited you or you can apply for an invitation here.
What if I can’t join in the dates displayed here?
Unheard Unseen is a series of learning expeditions that happen in multiple locations and dates throughout the year. You can apply for an invite and join us for the next expedition that’s suitable for you.
Is this a residency project?
Yes, this is a residential program designed to nourish your exploratory and collaborative self. We take care of the stay and food throughout the entire program. All you need to do is show up and be fully present.
What is the cancellation policy?
Your appointments and well-being are very important to us. In case of cancelation of the program due to unforeseen circumstances, we will refund 100% of the program fee.

We plan and curate every experience with utmost care and love before you arrive. We understand that sometimes, unexpected delays can occur, making schedule adjustments. Any cancellation or reschedule by the participant made less than 10 days before the start of their journey will result in cancelation charges of 50% of the program fee and cancelations made less that 72 hours before the journey will encumber charges of 80% of the program fee.
Any important points to note?
It is important that all our participants travel responsibly and respect the surroundings and communities they will be living with during the course of the program.

Are you one of us?

This is an expedition of like-hearted-playful-thinkers who believe that indulging in multidisciplinary learning frameworks, experimental research and alternative pedagogies will strengthen our approaches to perceptivity such that we could collectively recreate our own meaning of love and romance in life.

Apply for an Invite