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“Land is our mother and its resources are her gifts to us.” This statement by indigenous farmer Redian Syiem per- fectly captures the relationship indig- enous peoples have with the land and our planet. The relationship can be even better understood during the Mei Ram-ew (Mother Earth) Festival, held in the picturesque state of Meghalaya in Northeast India. Held in December, it coincides with the annual Slow Food celebration, Terra Madre Day, which sees diverse events take place across the world to celebrate local food.a touching exchangeMei Ram-ew is a platform provided byNESFAS (North East Slow Food and Agrobiodiversity Society) to enable indigenous peoples to come together to share knowledge and experiences, while discussing issues concerning sustainable agriculture that are his- torically linked to their rich cultures and traditions.In 2013, around 150 community repre- sentatives from Meghalaya, Nagaland, Tripura, Sikkim, South India and Bhu- tan united at the event, held on De- cember 13 and 14, to share a wealth of information and experiences; not only with each other, but also with the 9,000 enthusiastic visitors who joined them at the festival. The communitiesthat participated brought with them a wide range of products, characterized not only by their uniqueness, but also by their risk of extinction.The products were presented as nomi- nations for the Slow Food catalog of endangered products, the Ark of Taste. They included Sha kophi (a local coffee from Meghalaya) and Soh kwit (Citrus medica, an endemic citrus fruit), both typical of the Tyrna and Tongsten eco- regions, in the Meghalaya district. The nominators voiced their fears not only related to the depletion of the indig- enous coffee plants, but also regarding the disappearance of the traditional art of preparing coffee using local resourc- es such as bamboo and arrowroot, and the knowledge of the medicinal uses of Soh kwit, including as a remedy for fe- ver, dysentery and gastric problems. Alongside nominating Ark products, the communities present also did something that struck a chord with visitors and participants alike. The in- dividuals representing their respective tribes and areas came up with the in- novative idea to share and exchange products that were unmistakably linked to their specific region, ethnicity and traditional production practices. This novel idea of exchanging gifts brought about a feeling of solidarity among the participating communities.110099© annElIE BErnharT