600 International Delegates at Indigenous Terra Madre 2015, Including Siberian and central Asian Tribes and Communities

Representatives of Siberian and central Asian tribes and communities will contribute to the event by sharing their knowledge and experiences

A large delegation of representatives of indigenous communities from the Slow Food Terra Madre network and beyond will be participating in Indigenous Terra Madre (ITM 2015), which will take place from November 3 to 7, 2015 in Shillong (Meghalaya, India). The event is the result of a collaboration between Slow Food, the Indigenous Partnership for Agrobiodiversity and Food Sovereignty (Indigenous Partnership) and the North East Slow Food and Agrobiodiversity Society (NESFAS).

International representatives will be coming to the event from five continents, from 14 African countries, 17 Asian countries, 8 European countries, 12 American countries and 7 Oceanian countries.

Representatives from several Siberian and Central Asian communities will be attending:

– the Khongodor clan of Buryat-Mongolian people (Lake Baikal region). They belong to the largest ethnic group in Siberia. Meat and milk are the main components of their traditional diet. For thousands of years “Sagaan Idee,” meaning white foods or dairy products, were an essential part of their lives; these foods are considered alive and treated with a huge amount of respect (milk is considered sacred). Buryats strongly believe that during ceremonies that worship ancestral spirits and their gods, the inaugural offering should be made of milk and milk products.

– the Pamiri people (Tajikistan). Pamiri history is marked by conflicts over territory and scarce natural resources. By 1904, Russia had annexed the Pamiri lands from the emir (king) of Bukhara. In total, the Pamiri population reached about 120,000. Most live in the high valley of the Western Pamirs Mountains. These mountains are known as the “Roof of the World” in Persian. They are the second highest in the world after the Himalayas. Pamiri are involved in the production of Pamiri Mulberry, a Slow Food Presidia.

– the Crimean Tartars (Crimean Peninsula). The Crimean Tartars are famous for their rich variety of wild plants and medicinal herbs, traditionally used to make teas and balsam liqueurs. Included among their most notable products are a wild rose tea and a beverage based on dandelion root and bramble leaf.

– the Tubalars community (Altai Republic). They were hunters, fishermen and gatherers of pine nuts, berries and mushrooms, but encroaching civilizations have destroyed their former way of life. The Taiga forest was subjected to cutting, and mountain rivers were turned into channels for the transport of timber. The community includes beekeepers who produce honey and safeguard local species of bees.

– the Evenk people (formerly known as Tungus, in Eastern Siberia, Russia). The traditional Evenki economy was a mix of pastoralism (of horses or reindeer), fishing and hunting.

Representatives from several groups and organizations from Siberia and Central Asia will be present, such as the Baikal Buryat Center for Indigenous Cultures (which works on cultural rights of Indigenous Peoples of the Baikal region, environmental protection, biodiversity conservation and the revival of traditional knowledge and spirituality); the Union of Beekeepers of the Altai Republic (which promotes bee products and markets products from local producers); the Institute for Sustainable Development Strategy Public Foundation (which promotes the concept of biocultural diversity in Kyrgyzstan and provides informational, organizational and financial support to NGOs and CBOs); the Agency of Development Initiatives – ADI (which contributes to rural development by providing support through community development initiatives and which is present in all seven regions of Kyrgyzstan); the Russian Association of Indigenous Peoples of the North, Siberia and the Far East – RAIPON (an umbrella organization uniting more than 40 different nationalities living in Russia) and the Association of Indigenous People of Russia and Far East Indigenous People community “Tiger.”

You can find the program of the event here: http://bit.ly/1LWZaxh

Indigenous Terra Madre 2015 gratefully acknowledges funding support from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), The Christensen Fund and the Government of Meghalaya. Indigenous Terra Madre 2015 is also thankful for the contributions made by Tamalpais Trust, Swift Foundation, AgroEcology Fund, Bread for the World and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). 

Terra Madre is a worldwide network, launched by Slow Food in 2004, which unites small-scale producers from 163 countries involved in the sustainable production of food. Among these, to date the Indigenous Terra Madre Network comprises 372 indigenous food communities, 41 indigenous Presidia projects and 308 indigenous Ark of Taste products.  For more information: http://localhost/slowfood/international/149/indigenous-terra-madre-network

Discover the stories of Indigenous Peoples from around the world on Slow Food website in the ‘Indigenous Voices’ section! http://localhost/slowfood/international/food-for-thought/slow-themes/260987

For further information, please contact the Slow Food International Press Office:

Paola Nano, +39 329 8321285 [email protected] 

Ajay Nayak, +91-9820535501 [email protected]

Slow Food involves over a million of people dedicated to and passionate about good, clean and fair food. This includes chefs, youth, activists, farmers, fishers, experts and academics in over 158 countries; a network of around 100,000 Slow Food members linked to 1,500 local chapters worldwide (known as convivia), contributing through their membership fee, as well as the events and campaigns they organize; and over 2,500 Terra Madre food communities who practice small-scale and sustainable production of quality food around the world.