Change is created, and things are conserved, through information, analysis and economic-based decision-making, but change and conservation also grow from well-being, joy and what we love. People and Plants works with communities and others to celebrate and shore up integral parts of their cultures and traditions that bring communities together around food and drink, music and dance, games, seasons and landscapes, shared histories and a sense of place.

Pamaw-a Indigenous food festival

Negros Occidental, The Philippines – October 2022.

People and Plants partner SPNKK, together with the Manara Tribal Council, held the Pamaw-a Ata Indigenous Food Festival in Don Salvador Benedicto, Negros Occidental in The Philippines. There were over 200 participants from Aeta, Agta, Ata and Ati communities.

The Festival included a children’s workshop, a cooking competition, skills demonstrations and indigenous games, and a dialogue forum with Ata communities and government agencies. 

Pamaw-a provided a platform for joyful celebration of the Ata ancient cuisine and other aspects of community cultural heritage. It is part of a larger effort directed at building resilience among the Ata communities of Negros Occidental, that is working to boost:

• Cultural revival, with a focus on nutritious and tasty traditional cuisines;

• Cross-generational transfer of traditional knowledge, and sharing of stories, poems and songs;

• Awareness of the intrinsic connection between cultural identity, wild food availability and ecosystem conservation.

This event was organized with the following partners and supporters: Office of the Provincial Governor of Negros Occidental; Municipality of Don Salvador Benedicto; Provincial DENR; Northern Negros National Park (NNNP); National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA); Sofronio Carmona Memorial National Highschool; Bagong Silang Elementary School; Center of Development for Teacher Education, St. La Salle University; Technological University of The Philippines; KusinAta Restaurant and the Rutu Foundation.

• Click here to download the program and poster of the event.

CELEBRATION OF TRADITIONAL FOOD & CULTURE FESTIVAL

Kapuas Hulu, West Kalimantan, Indonesia – August 2022

People and Plants partner Riak Bumi held the Traditional Food and Culture Festival in Kapuas Hulu, West Kalimantan. In an effort to share knowledge across generations, the four-day event included an extended two-day children’s program, a cooking competition, storytelling, traditional games, music and dance. There were over 350 participants including school children, government officials, community groups, and religious leaders.

The Festival provided a platform to celebrate traditional cuisines and the cultural heritage of the Malay and Dayak communities from the Batang Lupar, Badau and Embaloh districts of the Kapuas Hulu regency, through:

• Cultural revival, focusing on nutritious and delicious traditional foods from the forest;

• Cross-generational transfer of oral history, stories, poetry, sports, traditional music and dance;

• Promoting harmony, social cohesion and solidarity between ethnic groups and religions;

• Increasing awareness of the intrinsic relationship between cultural identity, availability of food from the wild and conservation of ecosystems.

This event was organized with the following partners and supporters: Die Lange Tafel Berlin; Malay, Dayak Iban, Embaloh and Kayan communities; Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR); Indigenous Peoples Alliance (AMAN); Conservation of Wetland Biota; Regent of Kapuas Hulu; Head of the Batang Lupar District; Betung Kerihun and Danau Sentarum National Park Center (BBTNBKDS) and representatives of the West Kalimantan Governor's office.

Traditional Food Festival pastaza province, ecuador

Tzatzapi Community, March 2022

Sacha Warmi held a food festival in March 2022 at the headquarters of ACIA – the Association of Indigenous Communities of Arajuno – located in northwest Pastaza province in the Ecuadorian Amazon. The festival celebrated indigenous farming and forest management systems, and provided an opportunity for families to share knowledge and exchange products.

Traditional Food Festival, Indonesia

West Kalimantan, Indonesia – September 2019

Read more about the Festival here and find out about the Tengkawang Oil used to cook the dishes of the Food Competition.

Rediscovering indigenous lifestyles through wild food and culture

cultural revival festival in Malay, Aklan, The Philippines