Concept note on Establishing Academic Institutions for Native1Arts and Culture Summary: Nepal is a country of diversity with Dalits (13% of population) and indigenous people (35%) who have their own cultures, traditional knowledge, skills and occupations. In fact, around the world, these are the drivers of human civilizations over ages, inventing weapons, agricultural equipment, clothing, housing, health healing and even the community-ruling mechanisms. Certain occupations have specific ritual, ceremonial or spiritual dimensions or functions.2 Sadly, in Nepal, many of these traditional skills and knowledge are under threat and disappearing. Despite Nepal being rich in traditional knowledge, skills and culture, no academic institutions exist to protect and promote such important knowledge, skills and culture as yet. *** Nepal is a country of diversity with Dalits (13%), indigenous people (35%) and tribal communities who have their own cultures, native3 knowledge, skills and culture. In fact, these are the drivers of human civilizations over ages, inventing weapons, agricultural equipment, clothing, housing, health healing and even the community-ruling mechanisms. Certain occupations have specific ritual, ceremonial or spiritual dimensions or functions4 which institutionalize the culture. There is a deep divergence in trends around the world, while it is clear that a majority of native artifacts and culture were in decline. However, it is observed that there has been a trend of restoring the practice of such native artifacts and culture in their communities. It is no doubt that the sacrifice made by these communities is incredible for advancing human civilizations. And whatever inventions are coming up in the modern-era, they are originally based on those native knowledge and skills. Nevertheless, throughout the passage of advancing civilizations, they remained as the working class and deprived of socio-economic advantage due to the systemic barriers, such as apartheid, casteism, racism, colonialism, imperialism etc. The modernizations especially the open market system through globalization captured and distorted such native skills, knowledge and culture for the benefit of few. Nevertheless, there are some shining examples of efforts to preserve such native knowledge, skills and culture. In the USA before the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the state had established black colleges and universities to serve the black communities5 as there was the principle of ‘equal but separate’. Even now they are recognized as the historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) the oldest one being Alabama State University established in 1867. Before that the African Institute which was sooner renamed the Institute for Colored Youth had been established in 1837 to educate people of African descent and prepare them as teachers. It was established through the bequest of Richard Humphreys. In 1902, the Institute was relocated to George Cheyney’s farm and became Cheyney University of Pennsylvania in 1983.6 1 Originated in the country basically by the aboriginal communities. i.e. Dalits and indigenous people. Forest Peoples Programme (2016), Status and Trends in Traditional Occupations: Outcomes of Rapid Assessment, England. 3 ‘Native’ is used here as originated in the own soil and inherited from the ancestors, i.e. traditional knowledge, skills, practices and occupations 4 Forest Peoples Programme (2016), Status and Trends in Traditional Occupations: Outcomes of Rapid Assessment, England. 5 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historically_black_colleges_and_universities visited on 9/28/2021. 2 6 https://cheyney.edu/who-we-are/the-first-hbcu visited on 6/13/2022 Several such HBCUs had been established as land grant universities. United States designated land-grant university (also called land-grant college or land-grant institution) to receive the benefits of the Morrill Acts of 1862 signed by President Abraham Lincoln which focused on the teaching of practical agriculture, science, military science, and engineering.7 A 1994 expansion gave land-grant status to several tribal colleges and universities. Today’s giant universities like MIT, Michigan State University, Alabama University, Cornell University etc have been evolved through land-grant scheme. Even today the US Department of Education has identified 107 colleges and universities as the HBCUs.8 The community colleges are complementing to the agenda of HBCUs in USA. Likewise, similar practices are also found in the European countries. Even recently a PhD scholar Ms Melz Owusu has been campaigning to establish a Free Black University in UK to “redistribute knowledge”.9 In India there are more than two dozens of universities and colleges in the name of Babasaheb Dr. Ambedkar.10 However, despite Nepal being rich in native knowledge, skills and culture, there are no such academic institutions focusing on it. CTEVT has the mandate for technical education and vocational training but it has not been able to incorporate such skills in its curriculum. Dr. Mahabir Pun, the Roman Magsaysay Award (2007) winner has established the ‘National Invention Center’ especially for advancing technical innovation, however, it does not have the academic courses. Though Nepal Open University was originally conceptualized for inclusive education for remote, rural and marginalized people, once it was established through the state law, it simply adopted regular courses for all as a distance learning institution.11 In Nepal, indigenous people (125 groups) are estimated to account for approximately 35 percent of the country’s total population12 with some 250 traditional occupations. Likewise, out of 13 percent of the population around 42 percent of Dalits are still engaged in their twenty-three traditional occupations associated with them.13 So, these ancestral arts and artifacts were not only the lifeline of the people but historically the pillars of the civilizations and the backbone of the state economy. It is the concept to restate and strengthen the local systems that could be the cornerstone for contemporary federal Nepal, a path forward for the socialism oriented economy, i.e. liberal socialism.14 With this background at least an academic institution is needed to generate and redistribute emancipatory knowledge based on critical race theory15 as the ‘critical caste theory’ that can transform the world into an egalitarian green society, explore history and create knowledge on Native Artifacts and Culture, reimage the identity of Native communities in an egalitarian social status; and preserve, promote and commercialize their native knowledge, skills, arts and culture for the country's prosperity. Its overall objective would be transforming people into an equitable green society in new-normal world. The specific objectives of the envisioned institution are as follows;  7 Preserve, promote and innovate the ancestral arts and artifacts associated with the Nepal’s Nativecommunity. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Land-grant_university visited on 10/3/2021. http://www.thehundred-seven.org/hbculist.html visited on 9/28/2021. 9 https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/free-black-university-melz-owusu-racism-education-a9590796.html visited on 9/29/2021 10 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_things_named_after_B._R._Ambedkar visited on 9/29/2021. 11 https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/nsc_research/38/ 12 LAHURNIP (2014), A Study on the Socio-Economic Status of Indigenous Peoples in Nepal. 13 ILO (2005), Dalits and Labour in Nepal: Discrimination in Forced Labour, Series 5. 14 Bk, Man Bahadur (2018), Eradicating Hunger: Rebuilding Food Regime, EKTA Books, Kathmandu Nepal. 15 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critical_race_theory visited on 9/29/2021 8  Provide practical base of learning on native knowledge, skills and culture associated with the Native-communities.  Create special sphere on native artifacts and enhance access to the scholars from the Native communities in higher education. So, our motto goes as follows:  Our work: For our generations to come  Our action: For our nation to rebuild  Our exploration: For our history to count on  Our achievement: For prosperity of the people and planet  Our innovation: For humanity beyond the status quo. Way forward               Develop initial concept paper and/or presentation to kick off the idea Have a consultation with the associated communities and build consensus on the concept Seek advice from the pioneer academicians. Consult with the political party’s influential representatives Negotiate with concerned government agencies (Ministry of education, UGC, MoF, PRI, Provincial/Local Governments etc) Share concept with the concerned development partners, universities and institutions Explore and develop modality of the institutional set-up (Cooperative, Trust, NGOs etc) Fund raising campaigning (National and international, crowd-funding) Explore the location to start-up and get affiliation or separate faculty for the courses (LBU, KU, AU, MSU etc) Design courses and run the non-academic courses as a piloting Design courses and Start academic courses Form a Donors’ Consortium with Multilateral and Bilateral donor community Continue advancement towards establishing a University Job outlook/occupational information (Graduates/further studies) The matter has been discussed formally and informally several times among the associated academicians and professionals. The inclusive education including native knowledge, skills and culture are the focused areas of the State’s education policy. There are a few studies on native-artifacts. The recent one from the government side is by the Ministry of Social Development (MOSD), Karnali Province which recommends for such academic institutions.16 In this regards, on September 15, 2021 a consultation meeting was held with likeminded academicians and professionals. The meeting had a formal discussion on the matter and formed a committee to move forward for exploring the way out. This concept paper is developed based on the discussion on the meeting. 16 MOSD (2019), Karnali ka Shilpi/Dalit Samudaye ko Samajik Sanskrit Sampada, Ministry of Social Development, Karnali Province available at https://www.academia.edu/41789980/कर_णालीका_शिल_पी_दशलत_समुदायको_सामाशिक_सास_कृ शतक_सम_पदा So, let’s put our effort for building prosperous, dignified, egalitarian, green society dedicating to our ancestral artifacts and culture. Man Bahadur Bk, PhD (Former Secretary of GoN, Former Fulbright Scholar) Convener of the Committee 9/29/2021 modified on 6/13/2022