Guardians of Heritage Documenting and Preserving Historical Narratives and Traditional Knowledge in Ladakh's Indigenous Communities

Abstract

This community service initiative addresses urgent heritage preservation needs in Ladakh's remote indigenous Buddhist communities where rapid modernization threatens traditional knowledge systems and historical narratives accumulated over centuries. The twenty-month collaborative program engaged 127 community members including elders, monks, and youth across eight villages in systematically documenting oral histories, traditional ecological knowledge, cultural practices, and sacred site histories while developing community-led preservation strategies. Utilizing participatory heritage documentation methodologies respecting Buddhist spiritual frameworks and local epistemologies, the intervention combined oral history recording, indigenous knowledge documentation, youth heritage education programs, and establishment of community archives. Results produced comprehensive heritage documentation including 347 hours of recorded oral histories, 1,843 photographed cultural artifacts and sites, extensive ecological knowledge databases, and trained 34 youth heritage documentarians ensuring intergenerational transmission. The program established sustainable community heritage centers maintaining collections while catalyzing renewed pride in cultural identity among younger generations. This initiative demonstrates how collaborative heritage preservation can strengthen cultural resilience while contributing valuable historical and ecological knowledge to broader scholarship, offering replicable models for indigenous heritage work in Himalayan and similar contexts.