Indigenous wisdom and Sustainability: through the lens of Assamese Culture

Indigenous wisdom embodies the cumulative wisdom, innovations and practices developed from generation to generation within communities especially among rural and indigenous communities. Passed down through generations, these indigenous wisdom or traditional knowledge reflect a deep understanding of ecosystem, bio-diversity and sustainable resource management offering valuable insights for addressing modern environmental challenges. Assam, with its rich cultural heritage and bio-diversity hold a prestigious and wealthy indigenous wisdom rooted in traditional customs, beliefs, culture, oral and written literature of its rural and indigenous communities. This traditional knowledge or wisdom of indigenous people of Assam is a rich repository of ecological wisdom, interwoven with region's literature, folklore and cultural practices. It encompasses sustainable practices of many natural resources such as agriculture, nature conservation, biodiversity management etc. Human relationship with the environment shapes everything from how we produce food and energy to the policy we enact and the lifestyles we choose.Sustainability requires an understanding that humans are not separate from nature but are connected by an interconnected bond in which our actions reverberate through out ecosystems. For the continuous developmental progress of mankind it requires collaborative human relationship where communities work together to promote eco-friendly practices, respect bio-diversity and embrace cultural wisdom that values harmony with the nature. This paper aims to explore interrelationships between Assamese traditional knowledge or the indigenous wisdom and environmental sustainability with special focus on Assamese culture. By analyzing the Assamese oral or folk tradition to folk beliefs and cultural elements to rituals and festivals we aim to uncover how does these cultural beliefs & narratives portrays values of environmental sustainability, supports ecological stewardship and played an important role in encouraging the maintenance of ecological balance. This paper is expected to explore a deeper understanding of the values of Assamese culture as a resource for environmental sustainability.