SHILLONG: Chief Minister Conrad Sangma stressed the need for documentation of particular tribes and communities to ensure that people, especially the youths, are aware of their roots.
Speaking at the inauguration programme of the gallery Natural Resources and Housing Pattern gallery at Don Bosco Centre for Indigenous Cultures (DBCIC) in the city, Sangma maintained that it is necessary for the new generation to know where they come from.
He expressed concern that due importance to culture is not given and said cultural diversity and knowledge of cultural history of different tribes or communities in the state is not properly documented.
“You look at it from all the communities; you will find that justice has not been done. It is something that has bothered me a lot. What really worries me as apart from the museum that we have here in DBCIC, we are lacking a lot in documentation of different cultural aspects of any of the tribes. There is a very less research that is being done when it comes to different cultural aspects of the different tribes of the North East, very less publication being done,” Sangma remarked.
He recalled that when he was the MP from Garo Hills, he ensured that the state got projects to put up research and cultural centre for Garo tribe under the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC).
Sangma maintained that councils are supposed to keep up the tradition and study the culture, different cultural values of tribes.
“We felt District Council should really look into these aspects. We are coming up with the Centre for Cultural research for Garos in Garo Hills and documentaries are being made on the entire history of the tribe,” he added.
Lauding the DBCIC for taking the initiative to bring the whole North East into one roof, he expressed keenness on working closely with the DBCIC on research and other important areas.
