Abstract

Tharus are an ethnic group who live in some parts of India and the south plains of Nepal. The ethnic group is rich in its cultural traditions which are expressed through oral tradition, art, music, dance, ritual and traditional knowledge etc. However, the processes of globalization, urbanization, migration and technological innovations are becoming an obstacle for keeping the culture alive, since many young people prefer to use technology. Digital media thus is an effective way to preserve and disseminate the traditional knowledge about the Tharus. The paper investigates the use of digital media in preservation and enrichment of cultural knowledge of the Tharus apart from language preservation. The research is qualitative in nature and uses information taken from books, research articles, governmental documents, digital archives and other trustworthy sources found on the Internet. The research method is thematic content analysis which helps to reveal the roles played by digital media in preservation and dissemination of culture. The results show that social media, digital stories, videos and digital archives are important elements in creation of cultural identity, raising awareness and involving young people into cultural heritage. Moreover, the research reveals the main challenges faced by the use of digital media such as inequalities in access to technology, issues of authenticity of the digital content and commercialization of the traditional culture. Thus, digital media is viewed as an effective tool for preservation of the intangible culture of the Tharus in case of cooperation between the community, cultural organizations and educational institutions. It should be noted that the research has revealed that the combination of traditional knowledge and modern technology can be helpful in the protection and promotion of the Tharu culture. The method also proves to be efficient for investigation of indigenous cultures, cultural heritage preservation and digital humanities etc.