Talk:Community Resources and Partnerships/India Rapid Project/Educational Documentation of Deori Cultural Practices through Wikimedia Commons

Follow up on Project Proposal

Hi @Medhi jyoti,

Hope you are well. Thank you for applying for rapid project fund. Before reaching a final decision, I have below clarifying questions related to the submitted project proposal:

1. You have mentioned discussing the project with the Deori community and shared the importance of open knowledge in the educational documentation of their culture and language. Can you please share the link?

2. What measures will be taken to ensure ongoing engagement with the Deori youth after the training workshop ends?

3. Could you elaborate on how informed consent will be documented and respected, especially for sacred or sensitive rituals?

4. Is there any previous documentation work done by Boli Cheto Foundation or the team with the Deori community that you can link to?

5. How will the ownership and representation of the Deori community in the final content be maintained, for example, will Deori participants be included as contributors or credited?

6. How will the sustainability of this initiative be ensured beyond the current funding cycle?

Looking forward to your response. Kindly share your response by 29th July 2025.

Thanks, Praveen PDas (WMF) (talk) 19:30, 24 July 2025 (UTC)

Hello @PDas (WMF),

Thanks for sharing the questions, here are my answers to each of them:

1) Dr. Palash Kumar Nath, Assistant Professor at ABILAC (Anundoram Borooah Institute of Language Art & Culture, Assam) & Advisory member at Boli Cheto Foundation, had an interaction with the Deori community during the Dictionary Production Workshop held at ABILAC. During the workshop Dr. Nath & I conveyed about the Open knowledge and Wikimedia projects to the community, and the community has shown enthusiasm to work with Wikimedia projects.

Here is a link to Social media post : LinkedIn post

2) To ensure ongoing engagement, we will form a Deori Youth Documentation Group and conduct regular virtual check-ins. Mentorship will be provided by project leads, along with digital guides and learning resources. Certification will be provided by Boli Cheto Foundation to active contributors. Their work will be showcased on Wikimedia platforms, and they will be connected with broader Wikimedia campaigns to sustain long-term involvement in documenting Deori cultural heritage.

3) Informed consent will be guided by the principles of Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) a cornerstone principle of indigenous peoples right's, ensuring that all documentation is voluntary, respectful, and community-led. We will clearly explain the purpose, scope, and public nature of Wikimedia platforms. Consent will be recorded in written or verbal form, depending on participant preference. For sacred or sensitive rituals, we will consult cultural custodians and respect community decisions. No content will be documented or shared without explicit, ongoing consent and cultural approval.

4) Dr. Palash Kumar Nath, has been engaged with the community for the generation and production of Deori - Assamese - English trilingual dictionary at ABILAC. Dr. Nath also has worked on training and mentoring Deori youth for linguistic & cultural documentation on behalf of the Department of Assamese, Madhabdev University.

5) The Deori community will be actively involved as contributors to ensure ownership and accurate representation. Participants will be credited for their contributions, and some will create their own Wikimedia accounts to upload and manage content directly. This approach empowers them to represent their culture authentically and maintain agency over shared knowledge.

6) We will closely work with Deori Sahitya Sabha and other community led organizations as a key stakeholder in the project, to ensure sustainability through community led action.

Alongside community led organizations, We will also extend support from Boli Cheto Foundation, for time to time mentoring to Deori Youth and strengthening the community led action to foster free knowledge presence about their culture on Wikimedia sister projects. We will have trained participants under this project who will act as catalysts for free knowledge resource development about Deori cultural practices.

Thank you again, looking forward to hear back from you.

Regards Medhi jyoti (talk) 17:55, 29 July 2025 (UTC)

Your Project Application is Rejected

Hi Medhi jyoti

Thanks for submitting the rapid fund application. We appreciate the thought and effort put into developing the proposal.

According to the eligibility guidelines, the applicant is currently the Executive Director of the Boli Cheto Foundation, which is an active recipient of a General Support Project Fund. This means you are not eligible for a Rapid Project Fund at this time.

Thanks PDas (WMF) (talk) 08:31, 14 August 2025 (UTC)