The roots of all things are holding hands. When they cut down a tree in the jungle, a star falls from the sky.
— Lacandón proverb
The Lacandón is a Maya Indigenous group who live in the jungles of the Mexican state of Chiapas. Their homeland is the Lacandon jungle on the bannks of the Usumacinta River in Mexico. One of the most isolated among all native groups, it is believed that there are just a few hundreds of them left. Their belief is that the world will come to an end when the environmental balance is destroyed.
And thats a great reminder for us today as we just observed World Environment Day just a few days ago. Hello and welcome to this issue of Journeys and Jottings. I am sailing the high seas on the Cordelia Cruise and I will tell you all about it in the next issue. We will talk about the Hmongs , another community of indigenous people, who I met during my trip to Laos. We visit Wayanad as I share my experiences of staying in the gorgeous Deja View Lux Unlock Villa . And in People Make Places we meet the versatile Dr Navina Jafa, who is a cultural heritage technocrat, dancer and academician and has just been awarded the prestigious Shakti Award for her outstanding contribution in promoting heritage tourism.
Meet Ms Luang from Luang Prabang
Meet Ms Luang from Luang Prabang. When I asked her name , she said call me Luang. Luang actually means Royal in Thai and Luang Prabang stands for Royal Buddha .
I met Little Luang in the (H)mong Village near the Kuang Si Waterfalls. She is indeed a little princess . (H)Mongs are part of an ethnic group and they live in Laos among other countries . What’s really interesting about them is that they did not have a written language until recently and they used to communicate through their art on textiles called Story Cloth. In fact their dialects were based on their clothing!
Meet this community whose dialects are named after colours and are based on their traditional attire .The communities were divided into sub groups based on their clothing and they were called White (H)Mongs and Green (H)Mongs and their dialects were also named accordingly as well . The women apparently wore skirts with predominantly white or green colours and then you had the Flower (H)Mongs and Rainbow (H)Mongs as well. I wonder if little Luang was from these communities when I look at her bright clothes. There are many more subgroups and clans among them and each has its own traditional attire .
(H)Mongs and Story Cloths
I am however fascinated by their “Flower Cloth “- the embroidery that they create on their textiles . While the subjects may not be about flowers alone , they tell stories with folklore and legends and are called “Story Cloths.” In fact they didn’t have a written language until 70 years ago and they communicated among themselves through the “Story Cloths.” The art was not just their language but it was also their history and it represented their beliefs and was also a symbol of their ancient customs and spiritual traditions. I bought a few embroidered aprons and bags that depicted this beautiful art and gifted them to a few of my friends and family members from here .
The (H)Mongs are one of the ethnic communities of Laos and they are not to be confused with Lao - the people of Laos. They migrated from China and lived in Laos and some of them eventually migrated to the US after the Vietnam War as it’s believed that they sided with the Amercians . Some of the (H)Mongs still live in Laos.
People Make Places
Celebrating women’s empowerment, Women in TAAI and Tourism (WITT), of Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) felicitated women leaders leading from the front with the Shakti award – Dr Navina Jafa, cultural heritage Technocrat, dancer and academician for the outstanding contribution in promoting heritage tourism.
I met Dr Navina Jafa when she was our Experience Architect on a trip to Odisha , organised by Times Passion Trails and I was so much in awe of her knowledge and how she presented it to us through performances. As a dancer, she is focussed on developing ways to factor greater value in the immersive experience of heritage sites.
Dr Navina Jafa told me that her inspiration has been her parents , Manorama Jafa and Virendra Jafa “who taught me to seek knowledge and give it back innovatively to improve the world. “
“My teachers who devoted themselves in narrating the heritage stories of India and their world through means manifested as performances, books, research projects, study tours. These include – Padma Vibhshan Pt. Birju Maharaj the legendary Dancer, Cultural Scholar, Administrator Padma Vibhushan Dr Kapila Vatsyayan, Dr. Richard Kurin my guide during my Fulbright Scholarship at the Smithsonian Institution.” she added.
Dr Navina Jafa is now working on a book, which is a work in progress titled“ Exhibiting India: Dynamics of Heritage Tourism”. She added that its a guide for curating Heritage Walks)
A cultural Heritage consultant with the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India and the Indian Institute of Tourism & Travel Management, Gwalior (IITTM) , she is also initiating Rural Pastoral Tourism for Incredible India
Dr Navina Jafa can be reached on navinajafaheritagetours@gmail.com and on her social media - Youtube : Navina Jafa . Twitter/Instagram: @navinajafa
Where to stay in Wayanad
Some spaces are sheer poetry, an experience, an emotion. There is something lyrical about it. And I found my happy place in Deja View Villa in Wayanad, one of the most charming luxury villas in Wayanad, managed by Lux Unlock.
Cozying up with a cup of warm ginger tea and sliding into the comfortable recliner on the verandah, I was lost in a sea of white. The mist had crept in secretly and for a moment had wrapped everything in its fold. It seemed weightless and fragile but it drifted effortlessly, shrouding the entire landscape in a translucent curtain. And then in a moment, sheets of rain descended, purging the landscape of the ethereal mirage.
And then I saw it and for a moment I felt like I was gazing at a painting. The verdant hillock with deep thickets and dark woodlands, with countless brooks and restless creeks tumbling down its slopes, looked right into my eyes. The sun gently peeped in as the birds sang an ode to the beautiful day. The rains had painted the lush tones a shade deeper and had given them a dark emerald hue. The rainforests lured me with their hidden secrets but I was content to just sit and lose myself in this magical daydream.
Nestled on a hillock in a 14-acre coffee and cardamom plantation, Deja View Villa is one among six luxury villas in Wayanad and it is part of a private gated community. Six friends came together to create an idyllic world, to recreate communal living in the heart of nature. They created Elamala Estate and built charming villas with their unique and personal touch and taste. There are private trails leading to the other residences which are out of bounds for guests but the little sit-out with a landscaped garden in front of the villa leads to a man-made pool. Standing there and looking out into the zillion shades of green that vary from hues of olive to emerald, lime to pickle, I felt that time literally stood still.
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