Author: Panchali Bhattacharya, Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan (Deemed to be University), India
Email: panchalibhattacharya1990@gmail.com
Published: June 7, 2023
https://doi.org/10.22492/ijl.12.1.02
Citation: Bhattacharya, P. (2023). Understanding Eco-Sustainability through Lotha Naga Folktales: Analyzing Jasmine Patton’s A Girl Swallowed by a Tree. IAFOR Journal of Literature & Librarianship, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.22492/ijl.12.1.02
Abstract
The Lotha Nagas are one of the major Indigenous communities of Nagaland who inhabit the hilly mid-western part of the state. The tribe has a rich reservoir of folktales that have not been written about through the medium of literature. Nzanmongi Jasmine Patton’s A Girl Swallowed by a Tree: Lotha Naga Tales Retold (2017) is the first-ever anthology of Lotha Naga folktales in English which provides the readers with a concise but comprehensive account of the unique Lotha Naga culture. Besides exploring the various aspects of Lotha Naga life in all its complexities and diversities, the thirty folktales in this collection offer an in-depth view of the ecological philosophy of the community which has the potential to offer commonsensible solutions to environmental issues and promote holistic sustainability. The aim of the present study is to unravel the ecological wisdom of the Lotha Nagas as depicted through their oral lore, wisdom that is usually marginalized by the mainstream environmental pedagogy, yet is capable to offer local solutions to the global environmental conundrum. The paper also attempts to draw attention to the rich oral tradition of the Lotha Nagas, traditions that are usually peripheralized but have the potential to be regarded as an invaluable treasure for the other communities living in the country.
Keywords
cultural practices, ecology, folktales, indigeneity, Lotha Naga, sustainability