Ecofeminist Consciousness in Select Folktales from Northeast India

Abstract

Radical green theory proclaims that the origins of environmental catastrophe lie in the anthropocentrism of modern capitalism. This necessitates the formation of healthier societies wherein humans perceive their selves 'in relation' to nature. The theory of deep ecology (Naess, 1972) calls for reinforcing our sense of empathy with all life forms and brings about the philosophy of “Gaia” (James Lovelock, 1979). This idea of Earth as a living entity can also be found in The Atharva Veda, ancient Indian Vedic text (10th c. BCE) that perceives nature as 'earth-spirit' or a living organism. The theory of ecofeminism advocates the cessation of all kinds of coercion. In this Karen Warren (Ecofeminist Philosophy 2000), Mary Vidya Porselvi (Nature, Culture and Gender, 2016) are among the key figures to have given a new direction to the tenets of ecofeminism. Notably, folk ontology provides templates for living well based on reverence, reciprocity and responsibility which are close to ecofeminist ideologies. Through select folktales from Chandrica Barua's Stories by the Fire on a Winter Evening (2020), Pallabi Barua's Grandma's Tales. (in translation (2011), Fresh Fictions: Folk Tales, Plays, Novellas From the Northeast by Katha(2005) and Fungari Singbul (in translation) (2012), and Funga Wari, Vol. 3 (in translation) (1999), K.U. Rafy's Folk-Tales of the Khasis (2011), and D.K. Tyagi's Tribal Folktales of Tripura (2020) this paper attempts to examine the legends of the (silenced) women and their relationship with nature that might offer possible solutions to a sustainable and peaceful life while propagating ecological spiritualism.