By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Aug 9: A special lecture on “Ethnomusicology in Indigenous Worlds: Reflections from Assam & Meghalaya” was featured during the celebration of International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples at St. Edmund’s College as a pathway to belonging through sound, story and fieldwork.
Hosted by the college’s Department of Sociology, the event had Upatyaka Dutta, Course Instructor and PhD candidate, Faculty of Music, University of Toronto, Canada, as guest speaker.
Faculty member Lamneithem Haokip welcomed the participants, which followed a formal address by the Head of the Department of Sociology, FEJ Syngai, who reflected on this year’s UN theme — “Indigenous Peoples and AI: Defending Rights, Shaping the Future” — and encouraged inquisitive engagement in exploring cultural belonging.
A special address by Br. Sunil Britto, Principal (in-charge) of the college, emphasised the importance of attire, language, folkways, and celebrations in strengthening community identity.
The lecture explored indigenous culture with a particular focus on Adivasi women from Assam’s tea gardens and plantation life, as well as the craft of making traditional musical instruments in Meghalaya. It centred on ethnomusicology — the study of music across cultures — and examined music’s influence on culture, its role in shaping attitudes, and its power in transmitting knowledge, history, and traditions. The session also underscored the value of tacit knowledge, learned through lived experience and intergenerational exchange.
Moderated by faculty member Shubhankar Sarma, the discussion concluded with an engaging Q&A, where the audience reflected on themes such as the socio-economic position of Adivasi women, the expression of pain, suffering, and resistance through work songs, the role of men in hierarchical divisions, and the broader implications for ethnomusicological understanding.
The vote of thanks was delivered by faculty member William BF Lynrah.
