Designing Knowledge Futures Around Tribal Epistemology
Tejgadh, Chhotaudepur, Gujarat
9–11 March 2026
25 Participants • 5 Labs • Limited Seats
The TDF Epistemic Design Lab – Tejgadh is a working Lab, not a conference, showcase, or bootcamp. It is designed for serious practitioners committed to building tribal futures from within tribal epistemology.
Tejgadh has long been a foundational site for indigenous knowledge, language, oral traditions and community-led research. This Lab builds on that legacy by creating a space where tribal knowledge systems govern how design, technology and local economies are imagined, used, or refused.
Technology is not treated as neutral or inevitable. It is examined as a designed system that must remain accountable to authorship, consent, cultural logic and community governance.
Lab Structure
- 5 Epistemic Labs
- 5 participants per Lab
- 25 participants total
- One collective framework document emerging from Tejgadh
Lab Verticals
Participants will apply to one primary Lab:
- Agricultural Produce
- Food Practices
- Textile & Apparels
- Jewellery & Accessories
- Exhibitions & Living Museums
Who Should Apply
- Tribal professionals or practitioners with long-term, accountable engagement with tribal communities.
- Designers, educators, researchers, artists, architects, food practitioners, and technologists.
- Those interested in building local economies not extracting cultural content.
- Individuals willing to listen deeply, work collaboratively and accept ethical limits.
Who Should Not Apply
- Those seeking certificates, visibility, branding or networking
- Those expecting tribal knowledge to function as content or data
- Those unwilling to work within community governance or accept refusal.
Presence implies responsibility, not performance.
Important Dates
Registration opens: 12 February 2026
Registration closes: 28 February 2026
Selection intimation: By 28 February 2026
Lab dates: 9–11 March 2026
Limited seats. Selection is based on what applicants are willing to bring to the table as tribal professionals.
