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About

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LoreKeepers is a collective gathering of oral traditions of our land. It brings together the old and the young to share and build an open online folklore archive. 

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Our oral traditions are dynamic in form and texture. They are playful, funny, cautionary and mysterious. They take the form of songs, tales, riddles, hearsay, and everything in between. They contain much cultural value and inform us of a way of life.

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The LoreKeepers archive is accessible to all, anywhere in the world. 

Faizal and Shabana Foundation

The LoreKeepers Project is supported by the Faizal & Shabana Foundation

  • Educational institutions are key collaborators in this project. We conduct workshops on the importance of oral traditions and folklore, the basics of mobile videography and digital archiving.​​​

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  • LoreKeepers will be open to public participation in its second phase. 

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  • ARPO has a proactive in-house drive for this project, where our associates work with our networks of  folklore communities in Kerala.

View our Gallery below for a glimpse into the stories and tales.

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The song was sung by the Paraya community of Koottalida, Kozhikkode during Thirandukalyanam (a ceremony during menarche). It narrates the commemorations during the Thirandukalyanam of Puthiyara, daughter of Imbichi Thaniyaayi, and all the things she needed during the special day. Performed here by Vimalesh (39) andgroup.

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A song about the festivities during Onam. R N Peettakandi (76) from Punnasserry in Kozhikode District.

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A protest song by farm laborers of the Pulaya community. Here the farmers speak up against getting beaten up by the landlords for wearing clothes below their knees as they were only allowed to wear 'thorthu mund' by the landlords. Sung by Bhaskaran Kottakkal (65) from Punnassery in Kozhikode District.

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A song from the Malaya community. This category of songs are called 'Maaran paatttu' sung during a ritual called 'Balikkala' in north Malabar.

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A folktale about a young boy and his honesty. Narrated by Rajamma (87) from Punnasserry in Kozhikode District.

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A folktale about a leopard who helps a girl to expose the deception of her sisters-in-law who abandoned her in a forest. Narrated by Madhavi (86) from Kavumthara in Kozhikode District.

How to Participate

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  • Anyone can participate in LoreKeepers. 

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  • Once you have identified a ‘lorekeeper’ and the folklore you want to collect, simply use your smartphone to record their song or story as audio/video.

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  • Be sure to get consent from the participants before recording.

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  • Recordings must be of high quality, ideally shot in a well-lit, silent environment.

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  • Title your file in the following format: <YourName_Story/Song Name_YourPlace>  Example: Sundar John_Chillupattu_Thrissur.

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