The Genius Of Indigenous Cultures

By Madhusudan Santosh Chandak

Wandering amidst the medieval streets and rustic alleys of the old cities, gazing upon the intricate carvings, the spatial drama, and its earthen essence; forever entranced me! While the old gramps over the verandah, with a newspaper in his wrinkled hands, blessed me with a cuddling smile, I reminisce about the depth of the culture that nurtured & intrigued me.

All branches entangle as the roots of culture seep deeper, and my search seeks farther!

Seeking cultural integrity with inherent historic curiosity, an appreciation for the transformative ability of spatial compositions harmonized within the individuality of a unique geographical, geological, and climatic context. This molded a native architectural rationale called ‘Vernacular Architecture’, precisely speaking ‘Indigenous Architecture’, quite literally carrying the individualistic genome of a particular space distinct in its existence!

First, a question, yet unknown! Then an idea into bits of known, on and on the curious roams, into the trials where errors adorn!

The essence of Indigenous Architecture is the relentless process of thousands of years of trial-and-error strategies evolving and improving to perfection with each adorned error. Also called “Architecture without Architects”, this indigenous style is the genius of the People, by the People, and for the People of the native! It is rooted in the context of local material resourcing, native human resources, and confining the energy impact radii to the lowest. Deeply engrained with the ethics of responsive sustenance, it is a vast palette of millennial inspirations and many such fancy urban concepts like Sustainability, Eco-Sensitive Co-Existence, Biophilic approach, and water conservation. Simply put, the critical question ‘Indigenous’ interrogates is-

What is Human to Architecture & what is Human in Architecture!

The response to the above simple yet deeply complex question lies in the integrated response, and synergizing of the contextual roots of environmental composition, creation, socialization & civilization, and finally translating them into a tailored product of Time, Place, Space, and Being. This unique expression of contextual identity to the world’s cultural settlements is the ‘Genius of Indigenous Cultures’ which has gifted them their undeniable individualistic sociocultural and architectural identities.

By Madhusudan Santosh Chandak