Author:
Nzanmongi Jasmine Patton
Publisher:
Adivaani, Kolkota, India
ISBN:
978-93-84465-08-7
Month/Year
of publication: April, 2017
Pages:
211
One
of the first impressions about the book A girl swallowed by a tree
by Nzanmongi Jasmine Patton is the title. Though I've come across two
retellings of the same story, this narrative appeals differently to
the reader because narrator-facilitator powerfully uses her
imagination while retelling the story. And that, I think, is one of
the strengths of book. Often we come across folktales being told in
short and simple manner, and they too work magic that way. But a more
elaborate narratology also adds another level of information which is
essential because folklore is a primary derivative of history in the
oral society. However, I shall not digress further into that
discourse as Jasmine has given an excellent introduction to the book
on the same. I leave that for critical academic engagement and
discussions.
The
thirty folktales makes an interesting collection! The range of themes
the narrator-facilitator has chosen tells a lot about the wide
significance of these tales. The origin stories form an important
component in folktales as they, in a way, explains the cosmology of
the people. Thus, from the story of “The Story of the Sun and the
Moon” to “The Duel between Wind and Fire” to “How Chilli was
discovered” to “The Legend of how Men became Monkeys” we are
enlightened of the different narratives which work its way in the
establishment of a worldview. From the stories of “Arilao”,
“Ranphan, the Brave”, “Rapvuthung and the Tsungrhamvu”, and
“The Tiyilong Legends” we see heroes and legends of the people
that continues to find resonance even today because they form an
important phase in the people’s memory. In “Humchupvuli Eloe”,
“The Emi and the Forty Young Men”, “Sheriithii Friends”, “The
Sterile Wife”, etc. we see the dynamics of human relations and
lessons on how a cordial relation or a deviation from it can have
their own consequences on the individuals and the society, at large.
The interface between the worlds of human and the supernatural is
well exemplified in “The Man who travelled to Echu Li”, “The
Strange Marriage between a Woman and a Momon”, “The Tale of the
Fortunate Sister”, “The Tiger Bridegroom and the Human Bride”,
etc. Also, the few animal stories like “The Crab’s
Sideways-Tilted Walk”, “The Erstwhile Friendship between the
Sepvu and the Otum”, etc. and trickster stories like “Apvuho and
Mesa: Four Mini-Tales”, “Apvuho and the Emi”, etc. are not just
fun reading but helps us to draw anecdotes on life.
In
retelling these stories, Jasmine is also helping her own people, the
Lothas, or Kyongs as they call themselves, unearth treasures which
have long been neglected or overlooked. She even underlined that the
need to revive and restore the “invaluable treasured legacy” of
storytelling which is slowly “dying” due to non-performance is at
the core of her zeal to undertake the translation project. I think
this zeal should be cultivated by other Naga scholars too. Oral
tradition, by virtue of being dependent on memorialization and
passing it down from generation to generation, is heavily reliant on
the older members of the society who have knowledge of the stories
and songs. To that extend, Jasmine went on to say, “Our old
storytellers are our tradition-carriers, who with their deaths are
incinerating the living libraries of a community.” Hence, what this
generation needs is the passion to undertake field works to record,
archive and translate these stories with the effort to pass on the
legacy of storytelling.
I’ve
mentioned elsewhere and now mention again that one of the drawbacks
for young Nagas not being able to derive an importance in their own
culture and tradition is because the modern education system does not
have an aspect of our own oral tradition. A huge difference could
have been made had some of our own stories made headway into the
curriculum early on. How wonderful it would have been if our own
folktales were read alongside Aesops Fables, Jataka Tales and other
fascinating tales! I’m sure a lot of my attitude would have changed
to the stories I’ve heard as a young boy from my grandmother. We
could hear the same stories over and over again in the evenings
sitting around the fireplace. We knew the stories, but we could still
listen with the same awe of listening to it for the first time. But
then, school happened. Somehow, we never read about those stories
anymore. Though the holidays would give us chance to listen to the
storyteller, somehow other things drew us away from sitting around
the fireplace and listen to stories.
I
don’t mean to rue over things undone. Nevertheless, we can still
make up for the loss if we introduce these stories into the school
curriculum for the generations to come. By now, we already have ample
selections to choose from, besides Jasmine’s book. This generation
only needs the will to do. The wonderful thing about folktales is
that it leaves space for improvisation. In most cases, as I mentioned
above, we’ve seen a plain narration of the tales. But in this book,
A girl swallowed by a tree, we see a bit more than that. There
is creativity employed to expand the imagination while retelling.
Many of our stories have powerful storyline and intriguing sub-plots,
and they can be developed into fictions or other genres. What we lack
is the belief in its possibility. I am a believer in that. Are you?
People are going places in search of stories, and we have right in
front of us! Think about it.
One
of the things that many Nagas will also find while reading this book
is a sense of familiarity with many of the stories. Interestingly
enough, we have many shared stories. Or variants of them. This, I
think, tells a lot about our own commonness. Often, different
communities within the Naga fold are left to battle out things as
though we have nothing to do with each other. Perhaps, we have even
gone to the extent of saying ‘that is our story’, ‘this is our
song’, etc. But, rather than joining the chorus of ‘owning’
stories we should celebrate in the ‘sharedness’. Our stories and
songs can be a pointer to our commonness. Let them bind us together.
Enjoy reading this collection of marvellous stories!
Published in Morung Express, 30 June, 2017. http://morungexpress.com/marvellous-stories/
