Paper short abstract:

A Life with Slate vividly conveys the intimate relationship between human beings and the material world in which they live and toil. The film shows geological structure of the slate, miner's knowledge and technological process of slate production.

Paper long abstract:

Alampu is a beautiful and exceedingly remote village in Nepal. The majority of the villagers are Thami, one of the indigenous group of Nepal. More than 90% of Alampu's Thami are involved in the local slate mine as slate miners, contractors and porters. The film follows a team of slate miners in different social arenas: at home, in the village, at the mine and on a slate carrying trip. The film includes technical details about slate production in the mountainside mine and how the slate is worked scientifically prior to distribution. The geological structure of the slate, miner's ideas of expansion of the slate spectrum and implementation of local tools demonstrates the productive power of indigenous environmental knowledge and scientific technology. The film also shows the social relationships and co-operation between the miners, and the intimacy of the mining families. The film also describes the socio-cultural life of the village and its interaction with the environment. The film convey a meaningful connection between natural science and social science, and how visual ethnography can be utilized as a method to research and communication of natural science.