ROING, Apr 28: A two-day workshop on Documentation of Sajolang (Miji) Oral Tradition and Language was successfully organized at RIWATCH on April 27–28.
The workshop aimed to undertake audio-visual documentation of oral narratives and linguistic data, authenticate and verify data collected during a field study conducted at Nafra in July 2025, and conduct an in-reach awareness programme focused on the preservation and revitalization of Sajolang language and its rich cultural heritage.
Over the course of the workshop, significant progress was achieved in the documentation process. Authentication of 35 folktales of Sajolang was completed in consultation with native speakers and traditional knowledge holders. In addition, a comprehensive lexical database comprising approximately 1,000 wordlists various semantic domains was elicited, along with a 200 sentence lists to support grammatical and syntactic analysis. High-quality audio-visual recordings of the linguistic material were carried out at the RIWATCH recording studio for phonetic analysis and digital archiving.
The workshop brought together six distinguished resource persons from the Sajolang community of Bichom district, including Dr Rijin Deru, Leikharu Rijiju, Solung Rijiju, Sanjay Chongroju, Brijung Rijiju and Richang Rijiju. Their active participation and expertise were instrumental in ensuring the authenticity of the documentation.
Speaking at the inaugural session, Sajolang Indigenous Faith and Culture Preservation Society president Dr Rijin Deru expressed his appreciation for RIWATCH’s initiative in documenting the critically endangered oral traditions and language of the Sajolang community. He emphasized the importance of such collaborative efforts in safeguarding indigenous knowledge systems for future generations.
Dr MS Awan, Centre Head of RCML, acknowledged the invaluable cooperation and enthusiastic engagement of the Sajolang native speakers throughout the documentation process. He highlighted that community participation remains central to the success of RIWATCH’s initiatives in preserving and promoting the endangered language and oral narratives.
As an outcome of this initiative, a volume of Sajolang folktales is currently under preparation.