Gypsy Goddess: Writing Resistance https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10794674
Author(s): Sakshi Thakur
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10794674
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Volume 15 | Issue 1 | Feb 2024
Pages: 29-39
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The Criterion: An International Journal in English Vol. 15, Issue-I, February 2024 ISSN: 0976-8165
www.the-criterion.com
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10448030
Preserving the Past, Envisioning the Future: Exploring Erosion of Oral
Tradition in the Naga Community through Easterine Kire’s Son of the
Thundercloud
Shubhangi Singh
Research Scholar,
Department of Humanities and Liberal Arts,
DIT University, Dehradun, Uttarakhand.
&
Dr. Vijay Negi
Professor,
Department of Humanities and Liberal Arts,
DIT University, Dehradun, Uttarakhand.
Article History: Submitted-08/01/2024, Revised-15/02/2024, Accepted-20/02/2024, Published-29/02/2024.
Abstract:
Nagaland, a Northeastern state in India, is deeply rooted in its oral tradition. This
research paper aims to discuss the oral traditions of Nagaland by discussing their significance
as a means of preserving the cultural and traditional identity of the Naga community.
Considering Easterine Kire’s novella Son of the Thundercloud, this study examines how the
erosion of oral tradition has led to the degradation of the Naga culture. Through the analysis
of the novella, this paper highlights the need to preserve the past in order to safeguard the
cultural legacy for future generations. It explores how the decline of oral tradition has
resulted in the gradual disappearance of Naga cultural practices and beliefs. Moreover, the
study emphasizes the role of stories passed down from generations as a vital tool for
preserving the essence of nature. The findings of this research contribute to the growing
discourse on cultural preservation and press upon the urgency of revitalizing oral tradition as
a means of safeguarding Naga heritage.
Keywords: Cultural Ecology, Folktales, Naga community, Northeast India, Oral
Tradition.
Introduction
We are part human, part stories.
Stories can be either bacteria or light: they can infect a system, or illuminate a world.
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Preserving the Past, Envisioning the Future: Exploring Erosion of Oral Tradition in the Naga Community
through Easterine Kire’s Son of the Thundercloud
www.the-criterion.com
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10448030
When we start telling stories we give our lives a new dimension: the dimension of
meaning – apprehension – comprehension (Okri 114).
These lines by Ben Okri- a Nigerian storyteller in his essay The Joys of Storytelling
(1998) speaks a lot about the tradition of telling stories and folklore. Now before we discuss
more about the oral narratives and folklore, let’s understand what folklore actually means?
According to Dundes “folk” (Dunes 2) can refer to “any group of people whatsoever who
share at least one common factor. It does not matter what the linking factor is-it could be a
common occupation, language, or religion-but what is important is that a group…have some
traditions that it calls its own” (Dunes 2). These oral mythical narratives and folklore
remained the source of information about the tribe for many years. Mythical stories are
narratives created by cultures to explain their origin, beliefs, and worldview. These stories
based on myths have symbolic meanings which reflect the values and beliefs of the culture in
which they have been created. It has been through the stories throughout history to provide a
framework for understanding how humans relate to the natural environment and their
surroundings. Cultural ecology expresses the idea that stories like these play an essential role
in shaping how humans interact with the natural environment. Since, oral narratives form a
significant part of the lives of these tribes; the tradition, cultures, myths, legends, etc. are
passed onto them in the oral form. This leads to the emergence of various versions of a single
story. The origin of these stories remains the same yet diverts into numerous myths with
respect to the people, mood, situations, festivities, etc. “To write them down is to transform
them, to endanger them, and ultimately may serve to deactivate them” (Brown 8). The
dialogic conversation within the community, while a person is telling a story leads to yet
another chain of stories, the essence of which dies when jotted down with ink. This also
instils the sense of one community; one tradition in the people. These oral narratives and
mythical stories have played a crucial role in shaping cultural ecology, providing a
framework for understanding the relationship between humans and the environment. These
stories in a way have been used throughout history to provide a means of connecting with the
natural world on a deeper level, developing a sense of wonder and respect for it, and
transcending the boundaries between humans and the environment.
Discussion
Over the period of time, this tradition of oral narratives and mythological storytelling
is dying with the death of the storyteller or more appropriately the generation of storytellers.
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Shimri- a resident of Nagaland, in an interview to the TOI said, “time is against us. It is
disappointing when we reach a particular village to find a majority of the elderly have passed
away, and along with them stories, that have got buried forever” (Das). The storytellers are
the ones who know some part of the truth and to preserve the truth, they should be necessarily
preserved or at least their stories. The mythical stories and oral narratives of ancient societies
are among the most important records of the society’s history, its religious foundations, and
its value system. These oral narratives are formulated partially or entirely for the purpose of
educating and socializing the listener. It is important to realize that oral narratives, whilst
having a great deal of relevance to the maintenance of meaningful communities, are often
dismissed by scientists on the basis that they are mythical and have no empirical basis. As a
result, knowledge which has helped to sustain certain communities is endangered.
Easterine Kire, belonging to the Angami tribe of Nagaland explains the culture of her
people and the environmental alterations undergone by the region by narrating them from a
cultural and allegorical perspective. She presses on these problems by a simple retelling of
the Naga myths and the role of patriarchal Naga society in oppressing and subjugating the
nature. Through this novella she aims to explain how we heed towards our own degradation
by not giving a thought to the myths and folklore that have been passed on through the
generations one after the other. Kire’s novella is an expression of the dystopian aspect of the
cosmopolitan society and her views are that of an environmentalist. i.e., of interdependence.
Kire, in this allegorical fiction names her characters in such a way that they represent
their sole reasons of survival. For example, she names her character- Rahalie, the hero of the
novella, which means the “The Redeemer”, Mesanuo in Angami means “The pure one”,
Pelevotso means “Faithful to the end” similarly, Kethonuo means “Truth” and Siezde is
synonymous to “Future full of hope”. These names not only carry meanings with them but
also behave appropriately. The story begins with Pelevotso i.e., Pele being told a story by his
grandmother about the tiger widow and the death of her husband and sons by a tiger. The
woman was impregnated by the raindrop which fell on her leading to the birth of the Son of
the Thundercloud who would avenge the death of his father and all his brothers.
‘One afternoon, the woman was drying paddy outside her house when, all of a
sudden, the sun disappeared and a raindrop fell on her from the sky. She became
pregnant and gave birth to a son. She was happy again, and the son grew up to be a
mighty warrior who avenged his father and seven brothers.’ (Kire 9).
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According to Temsula Ao, a Naga writer and academic, “Nagas have an oral tradition
that is rich and vibrant, passed down from one generation to the next through storytelling,
songs, and performances” (Ao 101). The oral tradition of the Nagas includes various
elements of folklore such as myths, legends, proverbs, and folktales. The myths and legends
of the Nagas are often associated with their religious beliefs and practices. An important
element of Naga folklore is their belief in the existence of supernatural beings such as ghosts,
spirits, and demons. As A. Lanunungsang Ao, a Naga writer and researcher, explains, “The
Nagas believe in the existence of a world beyond the physical realm, where spirits and
supernatural beings reside” (Ao 73). The Nagas have various rituals and practices to appease
these spirits, including offering sacrifices and performing religious ceremonies. The belief in
supernatural beings is often reflected in Naga folktales and legends, where they are portrayed
as both benevolent and malevolent entities. The Naga folklore is an important part of the
Nagas’ cultural heritage, and it continues to be passed down from one generation to the next
through storytelling, songs, and performances.
According to this Mao-Naga myth, Tiger, Spirit and Humankind (man) were three
brothers who came into existence through the miraculous union between the already
existing first woman and the clouds of the sky. How the first human being, that is, the
woman came into existence is not explained but her existence is taken for granted.
This is perhaps because the earth is already there and its origin cannot be fully
explained. The woman represents the reproductive power of nature…Subsequently
she gave birth to a Tiger, Spirit and Man or human being. By the time the three
children became adults, their mother was quite old and sick. So, the three brothers
took turns to look after their ailing mother. When the Tiger looked after her, the
mother used to become sicker with anxiety and her worry seemed to be intensified.
The reason for this was that the Tiger used to touch the mother’s body to identify the
fleshy, good muscles which he could eat after her death. During the turn of the Spirit,
the mother used to become more feverish and develop acute headaches. The mother
felt at ease and relaxed only when the Man looked after her because he tended his
mother with great care and concern (Mao 10).
The author in order to emphasize upon the importance of oral narratives, takes the
help of above Naga myth of evolution. This myth depicts the story of man, tiger and the spirit
as siblings. According to the myth, the Tiger, the Spirit, and the Man as distinct beings, but in
reality, they are actually three separate facets of the Human. The humanistic component of
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man, including intelligence, is favored over the two wild and supernatural qualities
represented by the Tiger and the Spirit. From an ecocultural standpoint, Kire, in the novella
has masterfully included this tale throughout to maintain alive the essence of a narrator in a
tribe culture. The Naga origin story depicts the envisioned style of life: people together with
the environment and supernatural. A story depicted in isolation and without the mutual
authority by the
The novella also projects towards how the village was suffering from two kinds of
famine: The first one which led to the starvation of the villagers, physically and the other one
which led to their mental starvation. “No, I am talking about the famine of stories and songs.
They killed all the storytellers who tried to tell them about the Son of the Thundercloud. They
killed hope” (Kire 48). Measnuo also tells Pelevotso how once the land was inhibited by
storytellers but with the passage of time, they were killed by the “dark ones” (Kire 64) – the
people who did not want the oral narratives to thrive, propagate and to be passed on to the
coming generations. With the passage of time, people forgot their traditions and the reasons
behind believing in certain myths. This practice, with the passage of centuries led to intrusion
of non- native or more popularly, the “alien ideas” and culture which appears not a good
enough conductor for the progress and preservation of that indigenous community life. In his
book The Culture of Narcissism, Christopher Lasch argues that modern society has become
increasingly self-centered and obsessed with individualism, leading to a loss of communal
values and a disregard for tradition. He writes, “The abandonment of traditional values has
encouraged the spread of narcissism and the erosion of the social fabric” (Lasch 72). Lasch
believes that the lack of respect for tradition and community has led to the adoption of alien
ideas and culture, which can be harmful to society. In her book The Death and Life of Great
American Cities, Jane Jacobs comments that urban planning, that disregards the cultural and
historical significance of a community can lead to its destruction. She writes:
The assimilation of new people into old neighborhoods does not inevitably or
necessarily destroy the old neighborhood. But the greater the dissimilarity between
the old and the new inhabitants, the greater the likelihood that the old will be
destroyed (Jane 137).
Jacobs believes that when new ideas and culture are forced onto a community without
consideration for its history and traditions, it can lead to the destruction of that community’s
identity. A major problem with modernization is that as the world becomes more and more
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dynamic, the relationship between men and nature is also being impacted because of this
modernization. The present society has been adversely affected due to numerous reasons
primarily cosmopolitanism and industrialization in the name of development of society and
the infrastructure. As a result, people have become very materialistic and money minded. In
today’s world, people have not only lost their love and compassion for the environment that
they are living in, but they have also encouraged a decrepit condition of their ancient system
of knowledge, which may have otherwise maintained the link between man and nature.
The so-called dark forces as termed by Kire in the novella symbolized by the tiger are
the geopolitical developments and other ecological distortions by humans which has led to a
considerable change in the way indigenous communities led their lives a few decades ago.
People have moved on and given up the indigenous culture that they’ve been following since
time immemorial which has led to several unwanted ecological distortions. These dark forces
have contributed significantly to the present-day crisis faced by the various indigenous
communities in the world. The various kinds of unwanted droughts, famines or the
environmental changes such as global warming, etc. also have direct relation with the
cosmopolitan way of life that we lead today. These so-called dark forces have turned realities
into stories and further into myths.
They build fences, they hoard and guard, they want the trees and rivers and the stars
to bend to their will…but when the storytellers were killed, one after the other, people
slowly forgot what they had been told, or believed they were just myths, and they
allowed their minds to accept the darkness (Kire 64).
In the novella, Kire also talks about a very intimate relation between the nature and
the preserver of nature to project the natural connection between humans and the nature and
therefore names one of her characters, Mesanuo. The significance of “seed grains” and the
way in which the nature rejuvenates after the rains share a very close cultural bond as well.
The headman gifts these seed grains as present to Mesanuo and enquires how the drought-
ridden village turned into a happy, fertile village overnight to which she replies:
It’s called birthing, headman. The earth has birthed trees, rocks, stones and grain, just
as a mother birth her offsprings. The trees and rocks are the sons of the earth. Take
care of them and they will take care of your children (Kire 46).
There are various ecological elements mentioned, such as the seed grains, the river,
etc. The seed grains are actually the precursors to life “food for the future”, while the river
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was a source of life for the village. “No one came empty handed. There was food in the river
and so the villagers called it ‘our mother’. Then the drought came.” (Kire 45).
Conclusion
People control their destinies. If they choose to believe something dark, they can
bring drought upon themselves. So long as the storytellers were alive, there was hope
and compassion in people’s hearts, and their minds received and accepted that.
However, when the storytellers were killed, one after the other, people slowly forgot
what they had been told, or believed they were just myths, and they allowed their
minds to accept the darkness. So the drought came as a result of people rejecting the
joyful stories and accepting the dark stories (Kire 64).
Every community has its own folk culture, tales, beliefs and traditions. The Man,
Tiger and the Spirit are considered to be the siblings in the Naga mythology, the human, is
just a variation of a degree and not a different kind and therefore, killing a Tiger is considered
a taboo. The novel also showcases how after killing a tiger, one is not allowed to enter the
village directly. The person needs to go through the process of purification before considering
himself free of the animal killing. When Rahalie killed the tiger, he was not allowed to enter
the village premises to which he replied “It was not I, Apuf-o. It was the spear who killed
Tiger” (Kire 131). Such customs such as this or not killing a pregnant deer, etc., are meant to
preserve the environment and ecosystem as a whole. Here Rahalie represents the last
generation of storytellers of the Naga community whose purpose of life is to propagate the
ancient tales and myths in order to protect and maintain the natural ecological order. The
headman and the villagers at the same time represent the world at large, the humankind which
has this innate human nature of dissatisfaction. The novella thereby represents the importance
of a belief system in a community. Rhalietuo is projected as the redeemer, the person who
wishes to save the disappearing Naga culture by killing the spirit tiger but in turn gets killed
by his own people who didn’t have faith in their own stories and myths. Indigenous
communities today need people who take pride in their culture and act as pillars of strength
by keeping intact the knowledge passed on to them by the elders.
The older people of the village would often say, ‘It’s the best place to live in. We are
blessed. Our young should not think there are lands better than this to build a home.
They belong here, they must take the place of their ancestors.’ They feared that if the
young were not taught to love the village, it would soon be abandoned (Kire 12).
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The erosion of traditional social structures has ultimately led to the breakdown of
community ties. As the Naga people navigate the complexities of modernization, it becomes
essential to find a balance between embracing new ideas and preserving their rich cultural
heritage. Only through a thoughtful and inclusive approach can the Naga community hope to
restore a sense of cohesion, while cherishing their unique identity, folklore and their way of
living.
Works Cited:
Brown, Kaaren Dannenmann and Celia Haig. A pedagogy of the land: Dreams of respectful
relations. 2002. p. 8.
Das, Yudhajit Shankar. “Nagas race against time to record their fast-vanishing folklore.”
News. 2018.
Jane, Jacob. The Life and Death of Great American Cities. Vintage Books, 1993, p. 137
Kire, Easterine. Son of the Thundercloud. New Delhi: Speaking Tiger Publishing Pvt LTD,
2016. English, pp. 12, 48, 64, 131.
Lasch, Christopher. The Culture of Narcissism: American Life in an Age of Diminishing
Expectations. New York: Warner Books, 1979. English, p. 72.
Mao, Dr. X.P. “The Origin of Tiger, Spirit and Humankind: A Mao Naga Myth.” Indian
Folklife: From Antiquity to Modern Naga Folklore 33 (2009): p. 10.
Okri, Ben. The Joys of Storytelling. Phoenix Edition. Vol. 3. 1998. English. —. The Joys of
Storytelling. Phoenix Edition. Vol. 3. 1998. English, 114.
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Sakshi Thakur