FROM STEPPE TO FOREST
Preserving Living Heritage Through Trust, Documentation and Cultural Exchange
Pilot Phase 2026–2027
“Living heritage survives not only in museums or written history, but in people, relationships and the knowledge passed from one generation to the next.”
FOREWORD
Throughout history, humanity has preserved its knowledge in many different ways.
Some traditions have been recorded in books, libraries and museums.
Others continue to live through stories, music, craftsmanship, ceremonies, practical experience and the close relationship between people and the landscapes they call home.
These living traditions represent an irreplaceable part of our shared cultural heritage.
Across the world, many of these knowledge systems continue to exist today. Some have been passed from parent to child for generations. Others have survived for centuries, or even longer, through oral tradition, practical learning and community life.
Yet many of these traditions now face increasing challenges.
Globalisation, urbanisation, migration, environmental change and the gradual loss of elder knowledge holders are contributing to the disappearance of cultural practices that may never again be fully recovered once they are gone.
At the same time, there is growing international recognition that living cultural heritage deserves not only protection, but active participation, respectful documentation and meaningful collaboration with the communities who continue to carry this knowledge forward.
From Steppe to Forest was created in response to this need.
The initiative is founded on a simple belief:
That some of humanity’s most valuable knowledge still lives in people rather than institutions.
Rather than approaching communities as outside observers, the project is built upon relationships that have developed over several years through mutual respect, cultural exchange and shared experiences.
These relationships have already opened doors to communities and knowledge holders across several countries, creating opportunities for dialogue and documentation that would not otherwise exist.
The purpose of the project is not to interpret these traditions for others.
Nor is it to present one worldview above another.
Instead, From Steppe to Forest seeks to document, preserve and respectfully share selected aspects of living cultural heritage while recognising that not every tradition is intended to be recorded, published or explained.
Some knowledge belongs only to the communities who safeguard it.
That principle lies at the very heart of this initiative.
The pilot phase represents the beginning of a long-term international effort to document living cultural heritage through cooperation, trust and reciprocity.
It is intentionally limited in scope.
Rather than attempting to document every tradition or every community, the pilot will establish methods, strengthen international partnerships and demonstrate how respectful cultural documentation can contribute to safeguarding living heritage for future generations.
Equally important, the documentation created during the pilot phase will provide practical evidence of the project’s methodology, societal relevance and long-term potential.
This material will form the foundation for future applications to larger international heritage programmes and long-term cultural initiatives.
The journey begins with listening.
VISION
The world possesses an extraordinary diversity of cultures, languages, traditions and ways of understanding life.
Despite this diversity, communities across continents often preserve remarkably similar values.
Stories are passed from one generation to the next.
Traditional craftsmanship continues through apprenticeship.
Music strengthens identity and belonging.
Knowledge of nature is learned through experience rather than textbooks.
Communities gather to celebrate, remember, teach and support one another.
These practices are expressions of living cultural heritage.
From Steppe to Forest exists to help preserve this heritage by documenting selected examples of how traditional knowledge continues to live today.
The project seeks to connect communities rather than compare them.
It recognises that each tradition is unique while also acknowledging the shared human experiences that unite people across cultures.
The vision is to establish a long-term international initiative where knowledge holders, cultural practitioners, educators, storytellers, musicians, craftsmen and local communities contribute to a growing archive of living heritage through cooperation built on mutual trust and respect.
The project is guided by five core values:
Respect
Every community has the right to define its own cultural heritage and determine what may or may not be documented.
Reciprocity
Knowledge sharing should benefit both the participating communities and the wider public through respectful collaboration and educational outreach.
Authenticity
Documentation should reflect living practice rather than staged representation.
Responsibility
Cultural documentation carries ethical responsibilities towards both present and future generations.
Connection
The project seeks to build bridges between people, cultures and generations through dialogue, participation and shared experience.
Living heritage is not simply something inherited from the past.
It is something continuously created, protected and renewed by the people who carry it forward.
From Steppe to Forest exists to help ensure that these voices continue to be heard.
WHY NOW?
The world is changing at an unprecedented pace.
Technological development, global mobility, urbanisation and social transformation continue to reshape communities across every continent.
While these changes create new opportunities, they also place increasing pressure on many forms of living cultural heritage.
Traditional knowledge is often transmitted through personal relationships rather than written documentation.
When older generations pass away, when younger generations leave their communities or when traditional ways of life change rapidly, knowledge that has existed for centuries may disappear within a single generation.
Not because people wish to lose it.
But because the conditions that allowed it to survive have changed.
At the same time, there is growing international recognition that cultural diversity represents one of humanity’s greatest shared resources.
Communities around the world continue to preserve remarkable knowledge relating to craftsmanship, storytelling, music, environmental stewardship, local history, traditional food, architecture, community life and relationships with nature.
Many of these traditions remain vibrant today.
Others are becoming increasingly fragile.
The present moment therefore offers both an opportunity and a responsibility.
The opportunity lies in documenting selected examples of living heritage while many of these traditions continue to be actively practised.
The responsibility lies in doing so respectfully, collaboratively and in ways that strengthen the communities themselves.
From Steppe to Forest has emerged during precisely this moment.
Not because every tradition is disappearing.
But because many communities have expressed a willingness to participate in documenting selected aspects of their living heritage while it is still actively lived rather than remembered.
The initiative therefore seeks to work alongside communities today, creating documentation that future generations may one day regard as an important cultural resource.
The best time to document living heritage is while it is still living.
UNDERSTANDING LIVING HERITAGE
Living cultural heritage is often associated with traditions that have survived for generations.
Yet heritage is not preserved simply because it exists.
It survives because people continue to practise it, adapt it and pass it on.
Across the world, knowledge continues to be shared through conversation, observation, participation and everyday life.
A craft learned from a grandparent.
A traditional song remembered by a community.
A story told around a fire.
Knowledge of local plants, landscapes and seasonal rhythms.
Traditional building techniques.
Music, celebrations, rituals and community gatherings.
These are all examples of living heritage.
Unlike objects preserved in museums, living heritage continues to evolve.
Every generation contributes to its continuation while remaining connected to those who came before.
For this reason, preserving living heritage is not about freezing traditions in time.
It is about supporting the people and communities who continue to keep those traditions alive.
From Steppe to Forest is built upon this understanding.
The initiative seeks to document selected examples of living heritage while recognising that communities themselves remain the custodians of their own knowledge.
Documentation should never replace living traditions.
Instead, it should strengthen awareness, appreciation and understanding while encouraging future generations to recognise the value of cultural diversity.
The initiative therefore approaches documentation as a collaborative process rather than an act of collection.
The objective is not simply to record traditions.
The objective is to help preserve the conditions that allow those traditions to continue.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
From Steppe to Forest is an international initiative dedicated to documenting, preserving and sharing living cultural heritage through respectful collaboration with communities, tradition holders and cultural practitioners across multiple continents.
The project is founded by Zeldi Kvalvik (Sweden), Thomas Liljevold (Norway) and Emilio Diaz (Brazil), whose combined experience and international relationships have established trusted connections with communities in the Nordic countries, Brazil and Mongolia.
During the pilot phase, the project will undertake carefully selected fieldwork focusing on documentation of living cultural heritage through photography, film, interviews and documentation of living practices.
The pilot will also establish methodologies for ethical documentation, strengthen international partnerships and create educational material for public lectures, workshops and future cultural initiatives.
The pilot phase is intentionally limited in scope.
Its primary objective is to develop a strong methodological and documentary foundation that can support a significantly larger international programme in the years ahead.
By documenting selected examples of living heritage through relationships already established with local communities, the project aims to demonstrate both the practical feasibility and the societal value of this approach.
The knowledge gathered during the pilot phase will be returned to society through lectures, educational activities and future documentary work while also forming the basis for future applications to larger international cultural heritage programmes.
Ultimately, From Steppe to Forest seeks to contribute to the safeguarding of living cultural heritage by documenting not only traditions themselves, but also the relationships, communities and people through whom that heritage continues to live.
WHY ACCESS MATTERS
One of the greatest challenges in documenting living cultural heritage is not the act of documentation itself.
It is trust.
Across the world, countless cultural traditions continue to thrive within families, local communities and traditional knowledge systems. Many of these practices are shared only within the communities that preserve them and are rarely accessible to outside researchers, filmmakers or visitors.
For good reason.
These traditions are often deeply connected to identity, family history, spirituality, local landscapes and generations of lived experience. Respect for cultural boundaries is therefore essential.
From Steppe to Forest does not begin by asking for access.
It begins with relationships that already exist.
Over several years, the members of the project team have developed friendships, collaborations and mutual trust with cultural practitioners, educators and tradition holders across several countries.
These relationships have been built gradually through dialogue, cultural exchange, shared experiences and continued cooperation rather than through short-term visits.
This foundation makes it possible to approach documentation differently.
Instead of observing communities from the outside, the project seeks to document living heritage together with the people who continue to carry it forward.
The communities themselves remain the central voices.
The project team acts as facilitators, listeners and documentarians.
BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS BEFORE DOCUMENTATION
The pilot phase has already demonstrated the importance of this approach.
During participation in the Tenger World Shaman Festival in Mongolia in 2026, the project team was invited not only to participate in the international gathering itself, but also to develop relationships that continued beyond the festival.
These relationships resulted in invitations to future collaboration and to return for subsequent festivals.
One member of the project team was welcomed into the private home of a Mongolian tradition holder and their family, where permission was given to observe and participate in a ceremonial gathering.
Selected parts of this experience were documented through photography and film with the knowledge and consent of those involved.
More importantly than the documentation itself, the experience demonstrated something fundamental:
Trust cannot be created during a single expedition.
It is built over time through respect, reciprocity and genuine human relationships.
This philosophy forms the foundation of the entire initiative.
The project’s role is not to collect traditions.
Its role is to build lasting relationships through which communities themselves decide what they wish to share with future generations.
OUR ROLE
From Steppe to Forest does not seek to become the owner of cultural knowledge.
Knowledge always remains with the communities from which it originates.
The project’s responsibility is to document, preserve and communicate selected aspects of living cultural heritage in ways that are respectful, accurate and beneficial to both participating communities and future audiences.
The initiative therefore functions as a bridge between local knowledge holders and the wider public.
By documenting stories, craftsmanship, music, practical knowledge, oral traditions and everyday cultural practices, the project seeks to create opportunities for greater understanding across cultures without changing or interpreting the traditions themselves.
OUR PROMISE
Every activity undertaken within From Steppe to Forest is guided by a shared commitment to ethical collaboration.
The project commits itself to the following principles:
• Documentation takes place only with informed consent.
• Communities determine what may and may not be documented.
• Sensitive knowledge remains under the ownership of the communities themselves.
• Reciprocity is fundamental to every collaboration.
• Long-term relationships are valued above one-time access.
• Documentation should strengthen cultural preservation rather than replace living traditions.
• Every participating community will be treated with dignity, respect and gratitude.
Not everything that can be documented should be documented.
Recognising this distinction is one of the project’s most important responsibilities.
WHY A PILOT PROJECT?
The pilot phase has been intentionally designed as a focused and carefully managed first step.
Rather than attempting to document every tradition or every community, the initiative will concentrate on refining its working methods, strengthening partnerships and evaluating the practical realities of international field documentation.
The pilot also provides an opportunity to establish ethical standards, documentation protocols and collaborative working models that can guide future international activities.
Equally important, the documentation produced during this phase will provide tangible evidence of the project’s methodology, societal relevance and long-term potential.
The pilot is therefore not considered an end in itself.
It is the beginning of a larger international initiative.
The experiences, partnerships and documentation generated during this phase will form the foundation for future applications to larger cultural heritage programmes, documentary funding initiatives and international cooperation projects.
By beginning with a carefully defined pilot rather than an overly ambitious global programme, the project aims to establish credibility, demonstrate practical feasibility and ensure that future expansion is built upon genuine experience rather than assumptions.
FROM FIELDWORK TO PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT
From Steppe to Forest is founded on the belief that cultural documentation carries a responsibility beyond the act of recording.
The purpose of the initiative is not simply to collect knowledge, but to contribute to a broader understanding of living cultural heritage by sharing carefully documented experiences in ways that are respectful, educational and beneficial to society.
Public engagement is therefore considered an essential part of the initiative.
At the same time, meaningful communication requires time.
The pilot phase has been intentionally designed to prioritise relationship-building, fieldwork and documentation before extensive public dissemination begins.
Rather than organising lectures or public events after every individual expedition, the initiative will allow experiences, documentation and perspectives from multiple countries to be brought together into a more complete and coherent body of work.
This approach ensures that public presentations are based on broader understanding rather than isolated experiences.
As the pilot progresses, selected public lectures, presentations and cultural events are expected to take place in Norway and Sweden.
These activities will primarily be organised during the latter stages of the pilot phase and following its completion, when sufficient documentation has been gathered to communicate the project’s findings in a meaningful and balanced way.
Helhetsmässan in Karlstad will continue to serve as one of the initiative’s most important platforms for cultural exchange and public dissemination.
It was through participation in Helhetsmässan that relationships were first established with representatives from Mongolia, ultimately leading to participation in the Tenger World Shaman Festival and the international collaborations that now form the foundation of this initiative.
Future dissemination activities may include:
• Public lectures
• Educational presentations
• Documentary screenings
• Panel discussions
• Museum collaborations
• Cultural festivals
• Educational partnerships
• Digital publications
• Articles and interviews
• Future documentary productions
The exact format and timing of these activities will be determined by the progress of the pilot phase and the quality of the material collected.
The initiative recognises that meaningful public engagement should emerge naturally from the documentation process rather than being driven by predetermined schedules.
In this way, the pilot phase contributes not only to the documentation of living cultural heritage, but also to creating thoughtful and well-founded opportunities for dialogue, education and cross-cultural understanding.
OUR PRINCIPLES
Building Trust Before Documentation
From Steppe to Forest is founded on a simple conviction:
The most valuable cultural documentation begins not with cameras, but with relationships.
Throughout the world, living cultural heritage continues to survive because communities choose to preserve it.
It is shared through trust, family, friendship and lived experience rather than through institutions alone.
For this reason, every relationship established through the initiative is regarded as more important than any single photograph, interview or film recording.
The project is therefore committed to building genuine, long-term relationships before documentation takes place.
The objective is not simply to visit communities.
It is to become trusted guests.
Only through trust can meaningful dialogue develop.
Only through dialogue can respectful documentation take place.
ETHICAL DOCUMENTATION
Living cultural heritage belongs to the communities who preserve it.
From Steppe to Forest recognises that documentation carries significant ethical responsibilities.
The initiative therefore follows several guiding principles.
Documentation takes place only with informed consent.
Communities determine what may be documented and what should remain private.
The initiative recognises that not all knowledge is intended for publication.
Sacred traditions, private ceremonies or culturally sensitive knowledge will never be documented without explicit permission from those directly responsible for safeguarding that knowledge.
Respect for people will always take precedence over documentation.
If a situation calls for putting the camera away, then the camera is put away.
RECIPROCITY
The initiative is built upon reciprocity rather than extraction.
The purpose is not to collect stories.
The purpose is to create meaningful exchanges where both the participating communities and the project benefit from long-term relationships.
Whenever appropriate, participating communities will receive copies of photographs, films and documentation produced during the collaboration.
Where possible, the project will also support local communities through practical assistance, educational collaboration, gifts, fair compensation where appropriate and continued dialogue beyond the duration of each field visit.
The initiative recognises that hospitality should always be met with gratitude.
CULTURAL RESPONSIBILITY
From Steppe to Forest does not seek to interpret, redefine or speak on behalf of any culture.
Every tradition exists within its own historical, geographical and cultural context.
The initiative therefore seeks to present each community through its own voice whenever possible.
The project’s role is to facilitate documentation, preserve stories and create opportunities for greater understanding rather than to present universal explanations.
Cultural diversity is regarded as one of humanity’s greatest shared resources.
The initiative seeks to celebrate this diversity while acknowledging the many human experiences that connect people across cultures.
LONG-TERM RELATIONSHIPS
The pilot phase marks the beginning of relationships rather than their conclusion.
Whenever possible, the initiative intends to return to participating communities over time, allowing trust to deepen naturally through continued collaboration.
Long-term relationships create better documentation.
They also create stronger friendships, greater cultural understanding and opportunities for future generations to continue the dialogue.
The project therefore values continuity above geographical expansion.
A small number of meaningful relationships will always be considered more valuable than a large number of brief encounters.
RESPONSIBLE STORYTELLING
The initiative recognises that stories shape how cultures are understood.
Every photograph, interview and film sequence therefore carries a responsibility.
The project is committed to portraying participating communities with honesty, dignity and respect.
The purpose is never to create sensationalism or reinforce stereotypes.
Instead, the initiative seeks to document everyday life, traditional knowledge, craftsmanship, music, oral history, relationships with nature and the people who continue to carry these traditions forward.
By allowing communities to speak through their own experiences, the project hopes to contribute to greater cultural understanding while preserving valuable knowledge for future generations.
A Complementary Partnership
The initiative was not created through an institutional partnership.
It grew naturally through friendship, shared experiences and a common desire to contribute to the preservation of living heritage.
Each founder contributes different strengths.
Together, these strengths create a balance between organisation, documentation, communication and long-term relationship-building.
Rather than representing a single discipline, From Steppe to Forest brings together practical experience from cultural exchange, storytelling, education, traditional knowledge, documentation and public engagement.
This diversity enables the initiative to approach communities with openness, humility and respect while remaining capable of communicating the project’s work to wider audiences.
Growing Through Relationships
Although the initiative currently consists of three founding members, it is not limited to them.
Throughout the pilot phase, additional collaborators, advisors, researchers, documentary professionals, photographers, cultural practitioners and partner organisations are expected to contribute according to their own expertise.
The initiative is intentionally designed as an open and collaborative platform.
Its future development depends not upon expansion for its own sake, but upon meaningful partnerships established through mutual trust and shared values.
A Growing International Network
The three founders represent only the beginning of the initiative.
The project’s true strength lies in the wider international network that has gradually developed through years of cultural exchange, collaboration and personal relationships.
Many of these relationships have already evolved into long-term dialogue, reciprocal visits and invitations to continue working together.
Others are expected to emerge naturally as the initiative develops.
From Steppe to Forest is therefore best understood not as a fixed organisation, but as a growing international network connected by a shared commitment to preserving and sharing living cultural heritage.
BUILDING THE FOUNDATION FOR A LARGER INITIATIVE
The methodology developed during the pilot phase is intended to become one of the project’s most valuable long-term contributions.
Beyond the documentation itself, the initiative seeks to establish a practical model for respectful international collaboration in the documentation of living cultural heritage.
The pilot phase will therefore provide both cultural documentation and organisational experience.
Together, these elements will form the foundation for a significantly larger international programme involving additional communities, educational institutions, museums, documentary partners and cultural heritage organisations.
The methodology will continue to evolve throughout the life of the initiative, ensuring that future expansion remains grounded in practical experience, ethical responsibility and long-term relationships.
PILOT TIMELINE
Building the Foundation
The pilot phase represents the first structured stage in what is intended to become a long-term international initiative for the documentation and preservation of living cultural heritage.
Rather than following a rigid schedule, the pilot has been designed as a flexible process in which each stage informs the next.
This approach allows the initiative to adapt to new invitations, strengthen emerging partnerships and respond responsibly to changing local and international circumstances.
Phase 1
Establishment and Network Development
Completed
Activities included:
• Formation of the founding team.
• Development of the project’s vision and methodology.
• Participation in the Tenger World Shaman Festival in Mongolia.
• Establishment of international relationships with cultural practitioners and tradition holders.
• Initial documentation through photography and film.
• Invitations for continued collaboration in Mongolia.
• Expansion of the international project network.
Phase 2
Pilot Field Documentation
In Progress
Planned activities include:
• Continued cooperation in Mongolia.
• Field expedition in Brazil.
• Documentation of multiple cultural environments.
• Nordic documentation journey through Norway and Sweden, with potential activities in Finland.
• Visits to selected living heritage environments.
• Meetings with local tradition holders in Malta.
• Continued development of international partnerships.
Throughout this phase, the order of travel may change according to invitations, practical considerations and opportunities that best support the objectives of the initiative.
Phase 3
Analysis and Consolidation
Following completion of the principal fieldwork, the project team will:
• Organise documentary material.
• Review field experiences.
• Evaluate methodology.
• Develop educational content.
• Continue dialogue with participating communities.
• Prepare the foundation for future international collaboration.
Phase 4
Public Engagement
As the pilot approaches completion, selected findings and experiences will gradually be shared through lectures, presentations and cultural events in Norway and Sweden.
The timing of these activities will depend upon the progress of the pilot and the readiness of the documentary material.
The objective is to present a comprehensive and balanced account of the initiative rather than isolated experiences from individual field visits.
Phase 5
Preparing the Next Stage
The final stage of the pilot focuses on transforming the experience gained into a larger international initiative.
The documentation, partnerships and methodology developed during the pilot will support:
• Applications to larger cultural heritage programmes.
• Documentary development.
• Museum and educational collaborations.
• Expanded international partnerships.
• Future fieldwork in additional countries.
• A long-term programme for documenting living cultural heritage.
CONTACT & PARTNERSHIP INFORMATION
Join the Journey
From Steppe to Forest is an evolving international initiative built upon collaboration, trust and shared responsibility for preserving living cultural heritage.
We welcome dialogue with communities, cultural organisations, museums, universities, researchers, documentary professionals, foundations, businesses and individuals who wish to contribute to the initiative.
Whether through collaboration, professional expertise, documentation, sponsorship or practical support, every partnership helps strengthen the project’s ability to preserve and share living cultural heritage for future generations.
Follow the Journey
As the initiative develops, selected updates, photographs, documentary material and project milestones will be shared through the project’s official communication channels.
Supporters and partners are invited to follow the development of the pilot phase as it progresses across participating countries and communities.
“The preservation of living heritage is not the responsibility of one organisation or one generation.
It is a shared commitment that grows through trust, collaboration and the willingness to learn from one another.”
From steppe to forest 