Conserving a Creative Living Tradition – The Living Root Bridges of North East India
Keywords:
sustainability, conservation, nature architecture, khasi, jaintia, ficus elasticaAbstract
Though they may not be using scientific theories or terminology, common people still practice ‘science’ in their ‘laboratories of life’. They have tremendous capacity to observe, assimilate and learn from the activities of day to day life and the environment around them. One of the many examples to prove this is the interesting case of the Living Root Bridges, which are a remarkable engineering accomplishment of the indigenous tribes of Meghalaya, a state located in the North Eastern part of India. These bridges are built using the living secondary roots of ficus trees (Ficus elastica Roxb. ex Hornem.) planted on either sides of a stream or a gorge and guided across the expanse. The article highlights the efforts of the local tribal communities in pursuing this tradition, and the role of stakeholders in providing an enabling environment for sustenance and propagation of this living tradition.
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