Indigenous Terra Madre 2015 saw the largest congregation of indigenous people from across the world celebrating their cuisine heritage and culture in scenic Shillong, hosted by 41 tribal communities of Meghalaya and Nagaland By Sudipta Dev
Shillong, the capital of Meghalaya, recently hosted the International Terra Madre (ITM) that attracted 600 delegates from 58 countries representing more than 140 tribes. The second edition of ITM was organised as International Mei-Ramew 2015 (IMR 2015) — Mother Earth in the local Khasi language. The mega event of world tribes was held at the picturesque campus of North Eastern Hill University (NEHU) in Shillong. Among the highlights of the inaugural event was a video message from Prince Charles, Prince of Wales who spoke about leveraging on ‘indigenous wisdom’. The keynote address was delivered by American activist from the Anishinaabe tribe, Winona La Duke, who highlighted the need of preserving food-based traditions. Carlo Petrini, founder, Slow Food International lamented the loss of food heritage and pointed out that a return to local economies will change the paradigm of the current food systems.
“The slow food movement in India has existed for the last ten years, but what is really present here is the Terra Madre network,” said Petrini, adding that, this network consists of farmers, fishermen, pastoralists, and others in all Indian states. Every two years the members of the network meet in Turin, Italy to exchange ideas and discuss. Slow food centres are being developed in India, the most important centre, according to Petrini is the one in Mumbai. “We have the most valued relationship with North East Slow Food & Agrobiodiversity Society (NESFAS). At the movement, the slow food movement is not organised here but is widespread which is the way to go. If a movement is based on a rigid structure it starts to die. Developing a centralised organisation is a wrong way to set the structure. I hope many NESFAS will be developed, involving the youth. This is a positive future I can visualise in this country,” stated Petrini, adding that, the most important thing is to promote and support sustainable economies and ensure that food is good, clean and fair. He also pointed out that food that respects environment but exploits people is not acceptable.
Phrang Roy, chairman, NESFAS and coordinator – The Indigenous Partnership spoke about the need to bring in innovation with indigenous foods. NESFAS has started focusing on a Cooks’ Alliance and also Mei-Ramew (Mother Earth in local Khasi) cafes. “Most of the cafes did business for a year and then shut down, however now young people have come from Delhi and Mumbai and have started cafe business here which is doing well. It is about looking at local ingredients as healthy and tasty items for cuisine. We have to make sure that we are not just tribal but inclusive in our diversity,” said Roy, reminding that while North East India is seen by mainland India as an area of conflict what is forgotten is the fact that 250 indigenous societies here live together in peace. This peace is connected with the land where biodiversity is a key factor.
Local food systems
The panel discussion on ‘Advancing local food systems for the future we want’ saw Dr Daphne Miller, physician, associate clinical professor at the University of California, San Francisco, The Prevention Institute, USA give an example of the village of Nongtraw in Meghalya which follows biodiversity and revival of indigenous farming. The villagers are free from chronic diseases like diabetes. “When we lose an indigenous seed we lose biodiversity, and loss of biodiversity means lost nutrients. Lost indigenous seeds also mean lost medicines.” These foods are more affordable and need to be introduced in urban farming.
It is also essential for modern day chefs today to know the ethnobotany of food. One of the role models for native American chefs in the US is Chef Sean Sherman who has been working on reviving the culinary traditions of indigenous food of Dakota region. “It is important to understand the history of agricultural practices, for instance in Dakota region that has been carried out for 2000 years,” he said, adding that, he wanted to create indigenous business models for other people. Indigenous cuisines is one of the upcoming trends in the Americas. Helianti Hilman Najib, founder and CEO, JAVARA, Indonesia spoke about the local food systems for the future we want. She has opened a company that encourages young people to become food entrepreneurs. Javara Feast is Indonesian ethnic food ingredients for world cuisines. Najib gave the example of a tribe in Indonesia that follows 650 year old indigenous practices to grow almost 125 varieties of rice, and in the known history there has been no crop failure.
From field to fork
There are many interesting aspects to the history of indigenous cuisines, with many associated stories that have learnings for the present generation. The discussion on ‘From field to Fork: the story of chefs, communities and writers’ gave an interesting insight to the repository of interesting stories from the past. Chef Manjit Gill, corporate chef, ITC Hotels revealed that he comes from a family of farmers. He believes that the food that a chef cooks should be healthy for diners, and give nutrition and happiness. “We believe that food cannot be nutritious if it is not tasty – it has to be a balance of six tastes. I have been cooking food for the last 40 years and strongly believe in local flora and traditional practices,” asserted Gill.
The other panel members recounted interesting stories. Kaylena Bray, coordinator, Native Foodways Program at the Cultural Conservancy, Seneca Nation, US told the story of a war with the French who burnt all the corn crop. The local made roast corn soup with the corn, which is still a part of the diet. “In the US there are 500 federally recognised tribes. Most natives live in cities so there is less access to land and understanding the link to the land. We are looking at native food for the connect,” said Bray. Margaret Mpati, Kalanga, Botswana is with an NGO that works with the marginalised community to eliminate poverty through organic projects. “We are trying to create seed bank for the future. The seed banks should be given back to the farmers,” said Mpati.
Dr Philip Stark, professor of statistics, University of California gave an interesting presentation on urban foraging, eating the whole farm which reduces wastage. Highlighting on why people should eat weed he said, “Weeds are nutritious and delicious. It is a wasted resource which should be included in the food system. It is a culinary quality food which has been marginalised.”
Conceding that wild edibles and neglected plants can be a part of the popular food culture, Rahul Antao, ITM food and flavours coordinator, NESFAS pointed out that if the global map of biodiversity hotspots is superimposed with the map of indigenous communities, it will be a perfect match, “NESFAS is focusing on making the youth more aware. We do biodiversity walks for students. Children tend to the school garden and cook together so that it becomes kind of a culinary exchange. We want to learn from the past and be progressive and sustainable in the future.”
A taste workshop on wild edibles was an an interesting and enlightening showcase of how nutritious, wild edibles can be cooked and presented in an innovative manner for modern global diners. The five day event included field trips to nine host villages near Shillong, where the international delegates got to spend a day with the villagers who gave them a warm welcome and memories that will be long remembered. The concluding day was the grand Mei-Ramew Food Festival at Sacred Grove, Mawphlang which witnessed a gathering of almost 30,000 people.
