Shillong part deux

So, we attended the ISFNR (International Society for Folk Narrative Research) interim conference held at NEHU in Shillong. There were three of us from Mizoram University- me, Jamie and Dr. Margaret L. Pachuau. We presented papers on our folktales (it being a folktale seminar, d-uh)- Dr. MLP on the identity of the Mizos within folk narratives, emphasising on the pre and post colonial religion of the Mizos; Jamie on the archetypal portrayal of Chhurbura within the "fool" or "trickster" paradigms, and me on the representation of Mizo women in our folklore and consequently,how this reflects society, focusing on three characters- Mauruangi, Tualvungi and Zangkaki.  


Dr. MLP's paper generated comments on the influence of Christianity on the culture of the NE tribes- had Christianity erased or distorted much of our culture? The Mizo tales of creationism- that the earth was created by a female deity called Khuazangnu, and that an earthworm helped multiply mud, that the earth rested on the back of a tortoise and that the felling of a huge tree created vales, mountains and streams- sparked a lot of interest because of the similarity with creationist stories of the Red Indian tribes. Jamie's paper on Chhurbura was also compared to the fool and trickster stories of the Anansi Spider tales from the Ashanti tribes of Africa. 


My paper attracted a rather feministic response. I did try to focus on the representation and not the repression of Mizo women through the characters mentioned, but Mizo society being hugely patriarchal, the responses generated comments from women who wanted to know if a re-reading of those tales from women's perspectives have been done, on whether the history of our Mizo women have documented. Sad to say, only the story of Ropuiliani, the chief who made the last stand against the colonialists, has been well-documented. Then there was that man who so diplomatically and roundaboutedly commented on the 'sexual freedom' of Mizo women, asking if we now had the option to choose our own partners; so I had no choice but to diplomaticaaly answer back that, yes, nowadays we Mizo women have, for the most part, the option to choose the partner we want, and that the our seeming 'sexual freedom 'is actually a free and innocent mixing of the sexes, something which those coming from more conservative communities would misconstrue and misunderstand. Okay, I wasn't quite as eloquent, this being my first attendance in a seminar, but I managed to mumble something to that effect.  Afterwards, three women came up to me to complain about the attitude of that man and his ilk and their bigoted views about NE women and they wanted to know why I hadn't been more forceful. But when your'e on that stand for the first time, and the comment is phrased so roundaboutedly, well, its rather hard to breathe fire, sorry :( 


The responses we generated made me aware of the universality of our stories and the academic appeal they hold not only to the literary field but to sociologists and anthropologists, and also on the woeful lack of documentation that is available. I've met people from academic circles who say that we Mizos lack literary prowess and that our stories are not really worth being told. Some have even gone on to say that we should focus on stories that depict Mizo valour, bravery and tlawmngaihna, and omit stories like Chhurbura, since they could create a bad impression of our Mizo forefathers and people might think we Mizos are all like that wtf???? 


Literature is not just about Shakespeare and the classics and the romantics and the epics and the dramatis personae and the three unities bleh! Granted, our literary output in no way measures up to theirs, but they have had centuries of practice and all we've had till a hundred years ago were weathered men and women, sharing stories they've heard from their parents and their parent's parents. And maybe, they are not interested, but those that have sampled literary outputs the world over are interested in our stories, our history and our people. Funny thing that- at seminars and conferences like the one I've attended, it is the outsiders who take umbrage at words like insurgency ("You were not insurgents, you were a people fighting for your basic rights and the Indian government should be ashamed to label you as insurgents"), tribal ("the word has a negative connotation; in fact, all communities are tribal to start with), headhunters (you people should never be ashamed of being headhunters. You did not venture out with the specific aim of hunting heads). 


Heh, about headhunting, there's this story that Vanglaini posted on March 3rd. During the 1890's, the British administrators often ordered the Mizo chiefs to supply them with local maidens. Many of the chiefs reluctantly complied because the Brits would burn their fields and villages if they refused. Zakapa Fanai, the chief of Khawhri village valiantly defended the virtue of his womenfolk against C.S Murray in 1891 when this "Marliana" came and demanded that he and his men be supplied with the local maidens. During a heated argument, Zakapa not only refused but also wrested Marliana's rifle from him. Marliana and his soldiers retaliated by burning the village granary. The incensed chief Zakapa took a few of his men with him and ambushed Marliana and his soldiers. Zakapa managed to take the heads of six soldiers while the defeated and petrified Marliana fled to Lunglei. 


Ashamed of our headhunting past? Oh no, not I :D