Have you ever come across a beautiful painting or a unique tradition, that raises the thought that only a few individuals will be able to understand the message or the nature of the tradition? That arises mainly because some knowledge, whether in art, language, or experiential factors, isn’t learned; it is deeply rooted in the culture, history, and identity of the people who carry it. It elevates the question; Does some knowledge only belong to a particular community of knowers? Knowledge, which most people perceive as universally accessible, is deeply intertwined with the identity and context of the knowers who hold it.
Although the world has a salient cultural diversity and historical complexity, some forms of knowledge such as indigenous art, local languages, or lived historical experiences may not be easily transferable or fully understood by the people external to the community that produced them. This blog explores the extent to which knowledge can be said to be “belonging” to specific communities through three real-world examples. By analyzing these through the lens of personal and shared knowledge, and considering ways of knowing such as language, emotion, and sense perception, we can better understand the boundaries between cultural preservation and universal accessibility.
It raises a powerful question: Can everyone truly understand and access all knowledge, or does some knowledge belong only to those who lived it, felt it, or inherited it?
Object 1: Mithila Folk Painting
Growing up, the knowledge that I currently pursue as an Individual knower that is framed by the teachings of my community has shaped the way I understand and seek the world. I have always felt that my identity and opinions are distinguished in contrast to other people’s social formation. As I progressed deeper into my life, I encountered several situations that led me to recognize that some knowledge is exclusive to a certain group of people who possess it.
As belonging to an Indian Hindu Community, Indian Folk art has always intrigued me as an individual. The use of vibrant and spirited colors and the unique techniques in the creation of such alluring pieces of artwork made me inquisitive to learn more about the contrasting Folk arts.
Throughout these years of exploring, one of the folk paintings that fascinated me is Mithila Painting, also known as Madhubani art, which originated from the Mithila region of Bihar. The artwork is created using natural and vegetable colors. Folk art has been transmitted from one generation to the next and has been present for almost an eternity. As recorded in our history, Mithila painting dates back to the time of the Hindu epic Ramayana, when King Janaka commissioned artists to create these artworks for his daughter Sita’s wedding. Today, this traditional art form survives in just a small region of Mithila, and only a handful of women possess the skills to create it with true mastery.
As an individual, the thought that although the art form is characterized by complex geometrical patterns that are created by talented humans and the notion that technological advancement can’t replace the expertise capability of creation had led me into teaching that only a few consisting community of knowers are capable enough and have skills to perform such a Folk art.
As the years have evolved, the younger generation has increasingly moved away from practicing this ancestral art form, and instead opting for modern styles of art. This shift has limited the transmission and spread of the traditional heritage within the community. The amount of the consignment of skills and specialization has been limited as the generations pass. The blossoms of folk art are now only limited to a particular community of knowers. As new advancements are emerging, Mithila art has been fading away into the shadows, its wisdom now held by only a chosen few, whispered from hand to hand, as the stream of knowledge slowly runs dry.
Though efforts are being made to keep even the smallest thread of this folk knowledge alive, through various personal classes and workshops, the rising concern is that students who are learning the art form aren’t experts or professionals carrying forward the heirloom causing lack in the depth of true inheritance of the dissemination of knowledge to not be passed on as an heirloom, hence restricting the knowledge to only a specific community of knowers.
Object 2: Turkish Whistling Language
There are thousands of languages spoken around the world, each language that we as an individual enunciate shapes our identities and articulates us in creating and using signals in a flexible way known to a specific community of knowers. The language verbalized by a knower within a specific community shapes their behavior to align with that of their group, setting them apart from others and fostering a strong sense of identity and belonging within their society. Languages manifest our true personality and help in explore our emotions and thoughts in a personalized and confident manner.
One of the most fascinating languages that captivated my interest is the Turkish Whistling Language. Also known as Kus Dill. A language spoken in the remote mountains of northern Turkey for almost three centuries. Kus Dill is a great medium to cover communication through long distances to simulate and articulate words using high-pitched whistles and melodies. The language was developed due to the lack of a medium to communicate through the steep mountains and rugged topography of the region. The practice of the whistle language has been a key reflection of their cultural identity, and the reinforcement of interpersonal communication and solidarity. The language is limited to Northern Turkish citizens.
Yet, the increasing utilization of mobile phones and technological advancements has led to a decline in the number of practitioners being a key threat to the survival of the whistling language, limiting the specialization and the heritage value of the specific language, and further restricting the use of language to only a particular community of knowers. Yet the question arises, ‘Is the language required to be acquired and learned by every individual that does not counter similar situations’.
Object 3: Horrors of the Holocaust
I believe that unless we experience and comprehend the feeling of a tense period of time, we might never fully understand and acknowledge the tension of a situation. The surrounding environment plays a consequential role in the way we perceive different situations.
It is profoundly sorrowful and distressing to reflect upon one of the most harrowing episodes in human history, the Holocaust, also known as the Shoah. The Shoah was a catastrophic genocide that led to the systematic extermination of approximately six million Jews across Europe during World War II. The history offers a sobering glimpse into the brutal methods employed against the Jewish population such as Mass Extermination, where over 6 million Jews were systematically murdered by the Nazis through gas chambers, mass shootings, starvation, forced labor and medical experiments, Concentration and Death Camps, was another inhumane method were camps like Auschwitz, Treblinka and Sobibor became sites of industrialized killing, where families were separated, starved, tortured, and executed. Various Inhumane Medical Experiments were conducted where victims, including children and twins, were subjected to cruel experiments by Nazi doctors like Josef Mengele, often without anesthesia or regard for their lives. Forced Starvation and dehumanized propaganda in which Jews and other victims were portrayed as subhuman through Nazi propaganda, stripped of rights, dignity, and even names replaced by numbers. Highlights, the sheer horror and cruelty that defined this dark chapter. Various articles offer a faint window into the unimaginable suffering and inhumane atrocities that might have occurred during that time, events that defy comprehension and continue to haunt the conscience of humanity.
As a community of knowers living in a society full of human rights and equity, we might never understand the suffering and the pain the Jews went through, thus restricting the knowledge to only a single community of knowers at a specific period of time. Yet as drastic and catastrophic as the tragic event is, the knowledge of the catastrophe is known to numerous people shared through the forms of books, movies, articles, museums, and photos. The knowledge is understood by humankind and as a result, a lot of governments laws and rights are implemented to stop such calamity from occurring in future generations, hence the repercussions of World War II contributed to the forming of an international organization known as the United Nations, where 51 countries conjoined hands to maintain international peace and security, better standards of living with developing friendly relations among nations.
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