Aswathy GV, People and Nature Collectives

Kudumbashree’s Scheduled Tribe Animators and Bridge Course Mentors gathered for Janagalsa 2026 on 26 and 27 September at OCK Auditorium, Nilambur, Malappuram.The event brought together participants from the northern districts of Kerala and provided a vibrant platform for showcasing and promoting traditional objects, indigenous crafts, food products, and community-based knowledge.

As part of the event, Keystone Foundation’s People and Nature Collectives (PNC) was invited to curate an exhibition featuring traditional objects and tools collected from various indigenous communities of Nilambur. For PNC, which is working towards developing the idea of a Community Museum, this was a valuable opportunity to take the collection beyond the confines of storage and documentation and bring it into a shared public space.

Instead of a conventional display, the PNC team created an experiential exhibition rooted in indigenous cultural spaces. Inspired by the Cholanaickan community’s traditional Ala, the team built a unique exhibition space using bamboo and reed. They covered the structure with black fabric, creating a rocky shelter and an immersive representation of an Ala.

Ala' s structure was constructed using bamboo reed ( pc aswathy)
The team built the Ala structure using bamboo and reed
PC: Aswathy GV
A traditionally designed, decorative, and interactive exhibition space.pc Arjun
A traditionally designed, decorative, and interactive exhibition space, PC: Arjun

Bringing Indigenous Heritage to Life through the Ala:

Creating the structure was a challenging and intensive process that required considerable time, effort, and teamwork. However, the outcome made the two days of hard work worthwhile. The Ala quickly attracted curious visitors, including Nilambur residents and participants from different districts of Kerala.

Inside the space, traditional tools, objects, and material culture from different indigenous communities were carefully displayed. Newly trained Youth Leaders engaged visitors by explaining the significance, traditional uses, and cultural contexts of the objects. Their active participation transformed the exhibition from an artefact display into a space for dialogue and knowledge sharing.

each sentence should have within 20 words without meaning change – The team received encouraging feedback as well as constructive suggestions and critical observations. These interactions offered valuable insights for strengthening future exhibitions and community museum initiatives.

Many visitors showed keen interest in PNC’s efforts to document, preserve, and revitalize indigenous knowledge and material culture.