Using Sama-Chakeva Folk Performance to Teach Environmental Ethics: An Approach to Sustainable Arts Education

Abstract

Environmental education increasingly calls for pedagogies that seek to connect ecological knowledge to experiences, creativity, cultural memory, and ethical values. This paper explores the pedagogical potential of Sama-Chakeva folk performance of the Mithila region as a means of teaching environmental ethics through visual and performing arts. The research problem addressed in this paper is the underutilization of living folk performance traditions as pedagogical resources for sustainability and environmental education. This study aims to identify how the artistic, seasonal, material, symbolic, and communal features of Sama-Chakeva can facilitate experiential learning and contribute to cultural heritage education. The study adopts a qualitative research design that relies on secondary sources of information. The sources include research articles, books, folklore, cultural heritage resources, and educational literature on Sama-Chakeva, folk performance, environmental education, indigenous and traditional knowledge, and artsbased pedagogy. The analysis reveals that clay figures, bamboo baskets, bird symbolism, seasonal references, songs, storytelling, movement, craft, and communal participation can be used as points of entry into biodiversity, ecological relationships, responsible material use, respect for non-human life, community, and intergenerational knowledge. The paper suggests a five-stage Sustainable Arts Education Model that builds from cultural encounter, ecological inquiry, artistic creation, collaborative performance, and ethical reflection. The study argues that Sama-Chakeva should not be used as a mere cultural exhibit or a festival performance; instead, it should be engaged as a pedagogical resource that connects folk knowledge, environmental ethics, creative practice, and sustainable education. At the same time, the study notes that traditional practices should not be presented as inherently sustainable and that future research should explore the perspectives of performers, teachers, and students.