SELECTED MIZO FOLK TALES: RE- READING IN THE CONTEXT OF MODERNISATION AND GLOBALISATION

SELECTED MIZO FOLK TALES:

RE- READING IN THE CONTEXT OF MODERNISATION AND GLOBALISATION

Prof Lal Dena      

     Modernisation refers to a global process of cultural and socioeconomic change whereby developing societies seek to acquire characteristics of industrially “advanced” societies. Modernisation and globalization has greatly affected the indigenous peoples worldwide. Throughout North-east India, we are witnessing the widespread removal of traditional activities and the family-community setting; the altered family-structure in the face of the changing labour market; the increased drifting apart of children from family and home on the pretext of higher education; the decline of parental authority since schools have replaced the family as the primary educational unit; moral degeneration; diminishing reverence for elders because they are no longer the repositories of knowledge with the intrusion of the print media replacing oral tradition and exploitation of the natural environment. These are all part of the process of globalization.

            The fast-paced urbanization and modernization seems to have engulfed in its stride, the tribal societies and their set of values held so dearly. Western culture has become the sine qua non of the civilized world under the umbrella of globalization. Every educated Mizo seems to discard everything which is not approved and recommended by an appropriate authority in the west, be it his dress code, attitude, mind-set or religious belief. 

            In the process of modernization, the Mizos are facing the erosion of a number of long-cherished values like ‘Tlawmngaihna’, a noble quality of keeping the others first and the self second. The western concept of individuality is a counterpoint to the Mizo concept of family for whom the clan is but an extended family. It has also created what the anthropologist Paul Magnarella calls a new “culture of discontent” among the Mizos. The present generation of Mizo society, with a foot in both worlds, is in a state of perplexity. It is here that folktales come into relevance. The folktales identify the people, offering a vivid picture of their intrinsic values and their view of life. They give an insight into the tribe’s history. Jan Vansina in his book, Oral Tradition has said that among the peoples without writing, oral tradition forms the main available source for a reconstruction of the past.(Vansina:1)

            In the context of the Mizos, folktales and folksongs are, as it were, the keys to reconstructing the past. The reconstruction of the past is necessary in order to know where you are headed to. In the words of former President John F. Kennedy, “Before we can set out on the

road to success, we have to know where we are going, and before we can know that, we must determine where we have been in the past.”( Josephy:7)

            The larger part of Mizo history has been written in a colonial perspective and the historians have made shockingly little effort to understand the life, the society, the culture, the thinking and the feeling of the Mizos. It is through the folklore that the Mizos ‘tell’ their own history. Whatever may be the findings of the historians and social scientists, the fact remains that

the Mizos have their own history to tell. The Sikpui Hla, one of the oldest Mizo folk songs, gives an account of how the Mizo ancestors crossed a big red sea, reminiscent of the Biblical account of the Israelites’ march from Egypt. The Mizos have their own share of myths, legends and creation stories. The Mizo has a song for every aspect of life- love songs, mourning songs, hunting songs, war songs, hunting songs, healing chants, war chants and so on.

            The tale of how the Mizos had emerged from a hole in the ground, like a plant sprouting out of a mother’s womb tells of man’s intimate connection with the earth. In the tale of Mauruangi, the little girl after the death of her mother, finds sustenance in nature. She finds the mother figure in the dolphin and the tree. But due to her scheming step mother, the dolphin gets killed and the tree is felled. The message is clear. It is a premonition of the catastrophe to be brought in by the step motherly treatment of nature through industrialization and urbanization. There are no more trees and fish left to give man sustenance. The Mizos had a spiritual relationship with nature where the animals are not exempted. In the tale of Tualvungi and Zawlpala, the two lovers turn into butterflies after death. There are also many instances where nature comes to the rescue of those who seek her protection. As a corroborative example, one may refer to the story of Rahtea.

            The Mizos, in the colonial terms were ‘savages’, headhunters who danced around their kill. But a closer delving into the folktales suggests otherwise. Although they may have their fair share of wars and bloodshed, the Mizos were not a band of barbarians roving the hills for heads and scalps nor were they foragers who knew nothing about agriculture and commerce. One of the oldest Mizo folktales, Liandova te unau tells us about the Mizos’ long acquaintance with the cultivation of maize.That the Mizos knew trade and commerce is evident from the humorous story of Chhurbura, who sets out to sell his earthenware in another village and loses his way.

            The Mizo sense of hygiene can also be seen in the story of Chemtatrawta when the villagers rebuke the old widow for excreting near the public water point. The importance given to justice and fairness can be seen in the pains the villagers have taken to book the true culprit.

            Tales such as Thailungi are still very relevant even today in the age of economic globalization. In the story, Thailungi is sold to a merchant from the eastern hills for an iron ball by her own mother. The iron ball is for her brother to play with. In the modern context, the iron ball can mean anything from a car to one of the electronic gadgets which ‘the brother’ hankers for. In order to secure the ‘iron ball’ for the brother, there are many instances of mothers sending their daughters to work in distant lands or should we say ‘the eastern hills’?

            Mizo folktales are not just fabled stories about some heroic adventures of a certain brave-heart or about a beautiful damsel who falls prey to a fire-breathing dragon. The tales and songs form part of the Mizo cultural heritage. They have deep symbolical significance and documenting them in writing will go a long way in preserving the Mizo culture, which is gradually being eliminated in the process of globalization. They have great relevance because they teach us the fundamentals of living with one another and with the earth in ways that are relation-based rather than consumption-based, responsibility-based than right-based. They are the repositories of vast accumulation of traditional knowledge and experience that link humanity with its ancient origins, showing man’s connectedness with the earth and the objects of nature.