7 ways we can help protect and conserve Indigenous art forms in India

Indigenous art forms come in many forms. Crafts, music, dance, rituals, and whatnot. Unfortunately, overtime, these artforms lose their special place in the hearts of people. The artforms that are important for preserving traditions and connecting communities to their roots, are facing setbacks in the face and competition of mass-produced goods. Protecting these expressions is important to maintain cultural identity, share knowledge and resist cultural erosion.
Here we list 7 simple ways everyone can contribute towards protecting our indigenous and authentic crafts.

To protect indigenous art forms, it is very important to document them and encourage research about them. You do not have to be an archeologist or an avid researcher to be able to document things like that. As a simple, literate human, you too can document on your phone or through technology an indigenous or dying art form that you see around you or is from your region. Talk to people about the techniques, stories and cultural significance of each art form and record it. A simple step like this can go a long way.

Creating awareness about the importance of Indigenous art forms is important for their protection. And this could be a second step if you have the right documentation. With the right recordings, both audio and video, you can take help to form educational programs, workshops and cultural events. In many instances, schools and colleges incorporate modules on indigenous culture into their curriculum, to help preserve dying art forms.

Back in 2023, the Australian Government put forward a rule that prevented the sale of unauthentic indigenous art pieces as ‘souvenirs’. The fact that many people are not ready to pay the price for true, authentic crafts and would instead buy mass produced knock offs, is one of the reasons that indigenous crafts by the indigenous people are dying.
Thus, implementing policies that recognise and promote the preservation of these art forms, allocating funds for their conservation and integrating them into national cultural programs are important steps.

There are numerous incidents where instead of buying something homegrown we prefer to buy it from somewhere else. Some place that is more classy and chic and fits our social status. And unfortunately, this same thinking is what leads to the death of an indigenous craft. Empowering indigenous artists is very important to preserve the craft. Establishing cooperatives and community-based organisations can enable these artists and their brands to collectively address challenges such as exploitation, lack of recognition and economic issues.

While not everybody can help with respect to securing Intellectual Property Rights for indigenous art forms, everyone sure can make one another aware about it. IPR protects art forms from unauthorised use and exploitation. When indigenous communities will document and copyright their traditional designs, there will be an assurance that they have legal recourse against plagiarism or misappropriation.
This will ensure that no mass producers can copy an indigenous design and sell it for mere hundreds while the artists are shrugged off as expensive.

Cultural tourism is one of the leading reasons why so many countries are able to protect their indigenous crafts. Promoting cultural tourism that respects and supports these communities can contribute to the protection of their art forms. The ‘Haats’ and fairs in several states for example, are an example of cultural tourism where artists from different states come together and showcase their work.

Using digital platforms on behalf of those communities or teaching them the usage can be exceptional for so many dying art forms. Creating online marketplaces dedicated to these art forms will allow artists to reach a global audience. From Instagram to Facebook Marketplace, digital media can help many dying arts survive with the help of donation, contributions and sales.