Mapping Memories: Orality and Aboriginal Cultural Heritage of NE

Participants during a national seminar on ‘Mapping Memories: Orality & Aboriginal Cultural Heritage of Northeast India’ held at St John College, Dimapur on March 6 and 7. (Photo Courtesy: St John College)

Dimapur, March 8 (MExN): The Department of History St John College, with sponsorship from Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR), New Delhi conducted a national seminar on ‘Mapping Memories: Orality & Aboriginal Cultural Heritage of Northeast India’ on March 6 and 7.

The main objective of the conference was to offer a platform where the history and identity of the different peoples of Northeast region could be discussed in reference to oral narratives, a press statement from the St John College Media cell informed on Sunday.

The folkloric term 'oral narrative' encompasses the genres of oral literature narrated in prose, myth, legend, and folktale are major forms of oral narrative. The study of this particular field has increasingly become an accepted tool of studying the history of folk and tribal people, particularly in non-literate and semi- literate communities, the release added.

It is well recognised that most of the historical studies of Northeast hills covering the 19th and 20th centuries are based on archival sources and other anthropological writings prepared by colonial administrators. The almost total unavailability of indigenous literary and other sources, thus, makes most of the studies in these societies unbalanced and reflective of colonial thinking, the release further stated. The increasing recognition of oral sources is allowing modern historians to present a history of the region in counterbalance to the often prejudiced history presented by said colonial writers, the college’s media cell said in its statement.

Around 70 teachers, research scholars, academicians and students from different colleges and Universities of Nagaland, Assam and Meghalaya participated in the seminar. In the three parallel technical sessions held during the two-day long seminar, 35 papers were presented by different scholars covering various topics such as Northeast Indian orality, culture, history, and society.

The seminar was inaugurated by Prof Joy LK Pachuau from JNU followed by introduction of seminar theme by Mukutar R Saikia, Convener and Head, Department of History, St John College.

Prof Shiela Bora, (Retired Head) Dibrugarh University delivered her lecture as guest of honour at the event.

The keynote address was delivered by Prof Meeta Deka, Department of History, Gauhati University.

The presidential address was delivered by Prof ST Janetius, Principal of St John College.

Moameren Ao, founder and Chairman of the college released the seminar proceedings entitled ‘Mapping Memories: The Cultural Heritage of Northeast India’, an edited volume compiled of quality research papers presented during the seminar. 

On the second day, a morning keynote address was delivered by Dr Anungla Aier, Retired Director, Higher & Technical Education, Government of Nagaland, while Prof Visier Sanyu, Founder Head, Department of History, NU delivered the valedictory speech.