Session 74 summary
Tribal Design Forum organised a talk exclusively for the students of National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) – Bhubaneshwar, to introduce them to the concept of indigenous knowledge system and indigenous designs and designer which has greatly impacted the fashion and design industry and will continue to do so in the future.
What is design?
“Design is a plan for arranging elements in such a way as best to accomplish a particular purpose.” –Charles Eames. However the International Council of Design defines it as, ‘Design is a discipline of study and practise focused on the interaction between a person- a “user”- and the man-made environment, taking into account aesthetics, functional, contextual, cultural and societal considerations.’ However, design as a formalised discipline is a very modern construct but that does not mean that design as an activity has not been practised for a long time. Design as an activity is something that has been practised by the human beings ever since they started walking on the face of the earth. When working in the design field one is dealing with design for visible people, visible people refers to the brand one is working for or the people those brands cater to or the kind of products that are being created. One does have the opportunity of seeing how those products are used and by whom. But the idea is to try to explore and understand a little bit about the invisible people that are not seen and not get to know of and are not familiar with. These invisible people are the indigenous people around the world. Essentially these are the people one knows that they might be existing but not in constant touch for various reason and hence they appear to be invisible. However indigenous people are very important because they are native to the land with their own unique cultures, languages, customs and institutions that distinguish them from other parts of the societies in which they find themselves. The urban society is something where the current generation has mostly grown around and that is what they are most exposed to. So, most of the design problems, design projects are based around these urban societies the more familiar territory but very little of these projects actually are with the tribal communities for the slightly unknown community.
What is so important about these indigenous communities? What differentiates them?
One of the key factors that differentiate these communities is that these communities have a great amount of indigenous knowledge, when talking about indigenous knowledge it refers to traditional knowledge systems that is rooted in indigenous ways of life, their cultural approaches and traditional occupations which is very closely linked to the habitat and ecology that is being practised through generations. So, their design project is very long term, their design solution is something formed over generations rather that is presently used to the present design projects which are short term in nature.
What really is indigenous knowledge systems?
It is actually showcased in the languages that most of the communities have and indigenous communities have more than 4,000 languages and it is a great example of diversity and these languages are a collective of the history, knowledge, mythology and philosophy of indigenous communities. However, it is not seen and realised the alarming rate at which these languages are disappearing, we lose almost two languages every two weeks. Some of the examples of indigenous knowledge are; the Dani people of West Papua developed agriculture at least 9,000 years ago, far in advance of Europe as the people in Great Britain only began farming just over 6,000 years ago. The Shipibo people of the Peruvian Amazon make intricate geometric art that can be read as music. The people can ‘hear’ the song by looking at the patterns, like sheet music. The patterns represent chants and songs associated with Ayahuasca healing ceremonies. Another example is of the Penan people of Sarawak who use toxins from plants to stun fish, which then float to the surface. People can take only what they need and allow smaller fish to recover and swim away so fish stocks aren’t depleted. Similarly in India, the Chenchu people of South-East India make casts for broken limbs by using honeycombs. They never collect honey during the rains because the bees find it difficult to set up a new home while the rocks are slippery. In the same way the menfolk from tribes in West Papua have traditionally drunk a tea made from a plant called Gendarussa as a form of contraception. Scientists are investigating whether the plant could provide the basis for contraceptive pill for men. An example of personal grooming is seen in the Himba tribe of Namibia and Angola who live in areas where water is scarce. The women cover themselves with otjize paste, a mixture of fat and ochre, cleansing to the skin and hair without water. Otjize also protects against the sun and mosquito bites. Another example is where Matses men and women take naturally-occurring psychoactive substances to sharpen their abilities, both mentally and physically which they use very judiciously. They use frog poison before hunting trips to produce a feeling of clarity, vision and strength that can last for several days. The Quechuas of Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador used Quinine, made from the bark of Cinchona trees to fight against Malaria.
When talking about invisible design what does it actually refer to?
It is the knowledge which has existed in the indigenous communities with which they have over time developed quite a many products which is seen used in the modern way. Some of the examples are; Kayak- it is something that is being used since ages back. It was the Inuit people who first invented the kayak thousands of years ago as a way to ensure that the boat wouldn’t sink if it flipped upside down while fishing, hunting or travelling. The Inuit people originally made kayaks out of animal bones and seal skin. Rubber- it was the Bora, Witoto, Andoke and other tribes living in the Putumayo basin in the Amazon harvested natural latex from tree sap. Charles Goodyear then commercialized it in the 1830s. Henry Ford’s mass production of the motor car the invention of tyres by John Dunlop in 1888, the need for rubber suddenly became extremely pressing giving way to ‘rubber rush’ and enslavement. Sunglasses- another product that has been indigenously developed is the sunglasses. There are many fancy brands existing in present days but how did it came into being? The Yupik people in Alaska first developed an early form of sunglasses in the 1890s, when they realised the glare from the sun on the snow can cause eye damage. They fashioned sunglases out of wood or bone and cut a tiny slit in the eye holes. As an extension of the sunglasses there is also the Snow Goggles. The inuits in Alaska began fashioning thicker forms of eyewear to protect themselves against the cold. Inuits made them from animal bones, leather, antlers or wood. Snow Shoes- the Inuit and metis people have fashioned snow shoes as what is known today. Corn- corn was first cultivated by native Mexicans about 10,000 years ago and then Native Americans taught their European colonizers how to grow and farm the grains. Potato- Incas cultivated potatoes in the Peruvian-Bolivian Andes as early as 1,800 years ago. The Spaniards who colonized South America introduced potatoes into Europe during the second half of the 16th century. The Potato Park located within the Cusco Valley in Peru is home to over 2,300 varieties of the 235 species of potato in the world. The genetic diversity found within just one plot in the area can reach upto 150 varieties. Chewing gum- the Mayans and Aztecs were some of the first people to slice the resin from the bark of the sapodilla tree and chew on it. Mouth wash- the Mayans and Aztecs also began drying the resin and using it as a breath freshener. They also used the goldthread plant as a form of actual mouthwash. Syringes- the indigenous people in North America created syringes to inject medicines by hollowing out and sharpening bird bones and attaching them to small animal bladders. Oral contraceptives- the indigenous people have been eating herbs like dogbane and stoneseed as a form of contraceptive for centuries before western culture caught on. Baby carrier- papus. Baby bottles- Iroquois fashioned baby bottles out of greased bear gut and bird quill. Bunk beds- Iroquois built bunk beds in their long, tall houses as a way to accommodate more living space. Cable bridge- Incas figured out how to weave certain mountain grasses and other plants into thick rope that could be used to make bridges. All the exmples aspouse a sustainable approach where there is visible use of natural raw materials, materials only that much is taken from the earth and the ecology around the amount that is required by the community, so there is no excess usage.
Sustainability is an idea that helps us to meet our own needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. In other words it is the responsible usage of materials and resources around. Since it is closely connected with climate change the world is gradually recognizing that the indigenous people are among the first to face the direct consequences of climate change, due to their dependence upon and close relationship with the environment and its resources. But the UN today recognizes that the world cannot reach climate goals without protecting and sustainably managing the carbon-absorbing forests that cover a third if the earth’s land surface. This is why the indigenous communities around the world become important because the indigenous people manage at least 24% of the total above-ground carbon stored in the world’s tropical forests. Although they comprise less than 5% of the world population, indigenous people protect 80% of the earth’s biodiversity in the forests, deserts, grasslands and marine environments in which they have lived for centuries. Hence the indigenous people are the invisible guardians, they are the world’s biggest conservationists, but they rarely get credit for it.
The fashion industry is one of the largest contributors of greenhouse emissions. The famous designers are well known among the design students because they are familiar with their work or because they are famous and the designers themselves are visible. It is because of this visibility that they are known. But all this while there are the contributions of different invisible designers who belong to various indigenous communities because indigenous communities have collectively created products and solutions which have been relevant to people for usage either in their location or in other places in the world. The designers who are working in a different way completely unknown to people- invisible designers. And these indigenous designers are essentially different members of different communities from around the world. Some of the invisible designer (from North America) are; Betany Yellowtail- fashion designer northern Cheyenne/Crow, Molina Parker-artist Oglala Sioux, Tania Larsson-jewellery designer Gwich’in community, Dusty LeGrande-fashion designer Nehiyaw/Woodland Cree, Virgil Ortiz- designer Pueblo, Sho Sho Esquiro-fashion designer Kaska dene/Cree, Elias Jade Not Afraid- artist apsaalooke, warren steven scott-jewellry designer interior salish, keri ataumbi-jewellery designer kiowa, Jamie okuma-designer Shoshone-bannock/luiseno, jared Yazzie-designer dine, erik Brodt-designer ojibwe, lauren good day- designer arikara, Hidatsa, blackfeet and plains cree, korina emmerich-designer Puyallup, etc. these young designers from different indigenous communities are carrying forward in an attempt to create a sustainable environment and sustainable fashion industry
