Sep 23, 20212 min read

The Monyul Gathering

Curation • Research • Documentation • Fundraising

For four months, I worked at a nano tourism project in Arunachal Pradesh that aimed to use tourism as a means of sustainable infrastructure development for the village of Sangti.

During the pilot phase of the project, we raised funds to create a waste management system for the village while also celebrating the local new year festival 'Losar', creating a museum to document and preserve local culture as well as conducting workshops to engage tourists with the village and its heritage.

Traditional Aji-Lhamu Dancers performing a 3 day dance-drama, only performed during the New Year

The Monyul Museum

One of my roles during the project was to fundraise, curate/research and design a museum along with Studio Slip celebrating the craft and culture of the local Monpa tribe. We took over an abandoned house that is over 110 years old, and converted it into a Museum of Monpa Culture for 3 days. We re-created a traditional kitchen set up, complete with bamboo and wood utensils that would be found in any Monpa home. We displayed traditional Monpa attire including woven bags and shoes that are worn during weddings and festivals, prayer masks each with a story and significance, woven carpets that are over 200 years old, and parts of a traditional game known as Kolakpa.

The Sangti Valley Field Guide

Since the aim of the project was to acquaint tourists to the culture of the Sangti Valley, I art directed and researched elements of food, history, wildlife and tradition and created a field guide. Understanding flavour profiles of Monpa food, their seasonal produce calendar, local fermented alcohol, wildlife and local medicine helps understand the people, and in turn why it is so important to do our bit to help preserve this culture.