Our master Artisans -Hanmi

Hanmi  - a talented creative master artisan

Hanmi is from the bank of the river Sharavathi. She may never have visited a school of design or literature but she is a master in oral folk literature of Ramayana and Mahabharata and she is master artisan in the folk art ShediKale. She is also very creative and a deft artisan when it comes to weaving grass mats or torans from paddy shoots.On observing Hanmi and her work closely, it may be seen that her creativity and craft is so closely connected with the land and the nature where she lives.

If the unexplored,untouched and dying folk art called ShediKale is still surviving  it is  because of  Hanmi. Within minutes she has a very detailed graffiti using arecanut fiber and colors that she sourced from the earth.This ritualistic art has no place in their community because the rituals are not in practice. Now it is  surviving as an art form in Hanmi's creative hands because she values it. (Pl see the article Shedikale in this blog)

Hanmi is a visiting artisan, a resource person and an  art professor at buDa folklore research center. Students call her Hanmkka. She is fun,affectionate and a very strict teacher.

mat weaving with Shibumi ,Bangalore students

With Srishti School of Fashion.Design and technology

            

At The  Valley School,(K.F.I.)Bangalore

With Karnataka university students

Over the last four years more then 900 students have interacted with Hanmi and she is one of the main resource person at our Folklore Center .

She makes beautiful  mats and containers with the river reeds from Sharavathi river bank.,She makes pot holders with paddy hay which is also a dying skill as people have stopped using earthen pots.

Her paddy Torans (Door hangings) are great expressions of her creativity and her  intricate weaving pattern

Recognized and honored..

Folklore Research center has documented her Tribal Ramayana and Mahabharata and other oral traditions which would have been lost otherwise.

OUTREACH PROGRAMMES-Education

Study Tours

A completely self sustainable organization  buDa-folklore offers students the Live and Learn Folklore-Honnavar programs and the Folklore product line in addition to community services. 

Our programs are based on the model of sustainable development that aims to leverage the inherent strengths of the region and its people and at the same time bringing awareness to urban youth on a host of issues.  By leading people through experiential learning activities such as field based study programs on tribal and folklore studies, we aim to inspire urban population especially youth, to question their own attitudes towards indigenous communities and catalyze them to be more inclined towards contributing towards sustainable development and community service .

Internships

buDa hopes to initiate a strong study and research assistantship program that brings together students and people from diverse parts of India and the world for the preservation and continuation of folklore heritage.

buDa provides opportunities to interested individuals and educational organizations who may participate in a wide variety of capacities and projects, depending on their skills and interests.Various options of fieldwork and documentation work are available in the field of folk medicinal plants,food culture,tribal life,rural art and craft, folk festivals and  documentation of cultural objects of folk life.

The foundation would like to encourage students to study folklore. The purpose is entirely academic and community centric. The effort is to understand folk culture and heritage. Hence the foundation would like to initiate diversified studies ranging from a week to a year.
Students and other interested individuals who would like to learn and are interested in this field of research may contact the buDa folklore foundation. .

The3 Routes Programme

buDa believes that one of the most exciting aspects of education is to understand the interrelationship between land and people and their way of life. Students who visit Honnavar, will get to explore this coastal town through three different trails. These trails will help students understand folk practices and traditions and their art & craft.

1. The river route.

2. The sea route

3. The forest route

This helps the students to connect the particular place, people and their life, as they are always have been interconnected. In addition, they can study how the environment influences the life of the people and visa versa.




Island Study:
Basavarajadurga -surrounded by the Arabian Sea
Mavinkurve
Haigunda
Nagarbasthi

Awareness Programs:

• Herb Garden projects for urban Schools
• Introduce indigenous refreshing drinks to schools and melas .

Folklore Museum and Library

Folklore Museum and Library 

Folklore museum:

Bringing together the extensive material collected by the local community, a small and very special folk museum has been created.

The ethnographic collection is  presented.  During the extensive field among the tribes, the team collected objects from the daily and ceremonial life of the people. It includes kitchen equipments,(wooden ,earthen and metal) Agriculture related items, craft materials like baskets,grass mats,containers, measuring units of different times, tribal ornaments  and beads collections ,wooden masks and dolls etc. 

 Library:

The founding members  have been documenting on folk culture and heritage for the last 45 years. Together they have authored over 60 books in Kannada on topics like  the tribes of Uttara Kannada including Halakki, Kare okkalu, Siddis, Gamokkalu, Kunubis, aagers,THe other publications are related to folk games and toys , Folk arts , oral traditions,(including tribal Ramayana and Mahabharat) , dance forms , local cuisine , drinks, rituals, ceremonies, local festivals, folk gods , healing plants and folk healers, costumes, ornaments etc. 

This well researched database is a treasure trove of knowledge and understanding the folklore of Uttara Kannada Region .

Apart from this the folklore center has huge collection of books related to folklore. 

OUTREACH PROGRAMMES-Retreats,Camps, Treaks

Escape to Honnavar

Buda Folklore and Gaia Wilderness Learning  Center  offering a 3 day programme on 5th, 6th & 7th of November, 2011  at Honnavar, a coastal town in the Uttara Kannada district.

Three days in Honnavar gives an opportunity to experience the essence of  environment and culture in the Coastal Belt region.

What makes thisprogramme special is that the participants get an opportunity to interact with tribal families, understand their living traditions, learn about their environment, food, art and craft, eco - friendly waysof living, biodiversity, etc. Also interesting are the study of the islands, river and sea through treks and beach camps.

The trip will also be a great community living experience

 

This programme has been designed with care to suit children / adults to have an experience of the rich heritage and folk culture of the coastal belt. There will be activities for both children and adults. As a community of people from diverse backgrounds, we expect a rich shared experience of learning and earth reverence at Honnavar..
Please write to us if you are interested  folkloreindia@gmail.com