Representation of Indigeneity in the Folk Narratives of Select North-East Indian Tribes: A Study in Environmental Posthumanities.

Abstract

This thesis has attempted to explore how Indigeneity and Environmental Posthumanities can intersect effectively for sake of a planetary future where existence is shaped by mutual recognition of human and nonhuman agencies. The emphasis has been given on the folk narratives of the three major indigenous tribal communities from North-East India- the Lepchas, Garos and Khasis. North-East India has always been a powerful biodiversity hotspot. At the same time, it is also a socio-cultural hotspot. The indigenous tribes and their cultural representations carry effective portrayals of relationality where all members, human and nonhuman, of the ecological community coexist together benefitting each other. The folk narratives successfully counter the anthropocentric worldviews where man is at the center of the environmental structure. The emphasis is given on generating an ethical treatment toward land and water bodies that constitute indigenous tribal geological models of the Lepchas, Garos and Khasis. Animals and vegetal bodies are given agencies in the folk narratives of the three tribes. They have been portrayed as vital members of the ecological community sharing same value as human beings. The folk narratives also represent the supernatural beliefs of the three tribal communities as major environmental metaphors and tools that structure a posthuman turn. The folk narratives of the Lepchas, Garos and Khasis carry the essence of their indigenous identities which effectively parallel with the ideologies of Environmental Posthumanities to develop a single vision of planetary coexistence and survival.