MORPHOLOGY AND BINARY OPPOSITIONS IN NAGA AGRICULTURAL FOLKTALES: A PROPPIAN AND LÉVI STRAUSSIAN APPROACH TO TRADITIONAL ECOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE

Abstract [English]

This article examines agricultural folktales from six Naga tribes. The analyses of agricultural tales were performed using the structures described by Vladimir Propp and Claude Lévi-Strauss. The aim was to identify the role played by traditional environmental knowledge and associated ethical principles of jhum cultivation within the narratives. When dealing with these articles, we attempted to examine them as an organized way of passing on knowledge rather than just cultural products. In this way, all the folktales under discussion were analyzed following the tribe's culture where the story is set and according to its development, paying special attention to the main conflicts represented there- Nature vs. Culture and Individual vs. Community. In each case when analyzing agricultural narratives from these six tribes, it can be seen that there has been some kind of imbalance, shortage, or disturbance in nature followed by ritual intervention aimed to bring harmony both in nature itself and among people. In other words, apart from being an agricultural account, the narrative might actually serve as a guide for tribes during agrarian crisis situations. The bottom line is that all these tales represent the common Naga worldview where sustenance and morality exist together with spirituality. Structural comparative analysis attempts to contribute to the field of ecocritical folklore studies, focusing on the indigenous tales of Northeastern India.