The Kusundas are known as kings of the jungle. Not only, they are dependent on forest products like roots and bulbs but they also live in it. Hunting is a mainstay of their traditional economy. They hunt down wild animals, mostly pheasants and other birds. They trap pheasants alive and exchange them with money and food grains. After being attacked and forced out of the jungle, their ancestors living reclusive life. Their culture is similar to those of Nepal's other indigenous nationalities. They worship goddesses in the jungle. But with passage of time, our culture came under the influence of other cultures. They celebrate Dashain festival as the Nepali state gave importance to it. Their language also faced threats. Today, Kamala Kusunda, only one who could speak Kusunda language. Kusunda language is on the verge of extinction.
NowHere Media recently produced, KUSUNDA a documentary about the Kusunda language and community and an interactive virtual reality (VR) experience about the sleeping Kusunda language in western Nepal.
NowHere Media recently produced, KUSUNDA a documentary about the Kusunda language and community and an interactive virtual reality (VR) experience about the sleeping Kusunda language in western Nepal. Co-created by Kusunda shaman Lil Bahadur and his granddaughter Hima, this intergenerational story invites you to support the challenging task of revitalizing a dormant indigenous language. In this episodes, I have invited co-founders of NowHere Media, Gayatri Parameswaran and Felix Gaedtke to discuss about their project which aimed at preserve the Kusunda language and spread the word of Gyani Maiya's efforts for her community to a global audience.