Manchuria Hunting Tribe
Location: North East China
Mission Statement
The CERS group is using the Zhongdian centre as a multi faceted cultural heritage preservation site. This includes training programmes, an arts centre and a museum containing indigenous artefacts from all the communities that CERS does projects with. The Ewenki’s Yagut subgroup was once a nomadic hunting tribe in the forest along the north-eastern frontiers of China. They have a population of less than 200 people and are the only ethnic group in China who raise reindeers. Within the last few decades, much of their lifestyle has changed and their traditional cultural identity is disappearing. CERS has set itself the task of collecting as much information as possible as well as artefacts on the Yagut subgroup to exhibit in the Zhingdian centre.
Activities of Organisation
CERS first visited the region of the Ewenki in 1983, followed by a video-documentation trip in 1988. The expedition documented verbal history of their last Shaman, an old woman who practiced and understood fully the religious past of his people. Many of their indigenous artifacts were collected and put on display at the CERS Zhongdian Center.
Consensus Community Perspective
This project exemplifies a core value of The Himalayan Consensus of cultural heritage preservation. It not only provides the Ewenki’s Yagut subgroup with a linkage to their past but also ensures that key materials and artifacts will be maintained even if the traditions themselves die out. The information collected can be used for future research purposes or simply as a testament to the subgroups existence.
Website: Visit this community's website