Veroli Zhimo
In the year 1997, Japanese filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki wrote and directed one of the most iconic anime films—Princess Mononoke. The film revolves around Ashitaka, an Emishi prince who embarks on a journey to discover why a boar god became a demon that attacked his village. During his quest, Ashitaka comes across Iron Town and its leader Lady Eboshi who is hell-bent on stripping the surrounding forest of its resources and developing her town into a booming industrial city. And in the forest, Ashitaka meets Princess Mononoke or San, a human girl who was raised by wolves and is determined to kill Eboshi and save her home from destruction.
In many ways, Princess Mononoke is a story as old as time, with human beings fighting to secure their survival and advance their interests, often at the expense of others and the natural world. But watching the film again decades later, one cannot help but notice that the parallels between the film and the present day ‘man versus nature’ conflicts are stark.
Take for example, the horrific wildfires, floods and other natural disasters that have been occurring over the past few years. Globally, various governments and businesses have been working to weaken environmental agencies and existing protections for nature reserves and indigenous territories, paving the way for miners, loggers, and farmers to exploit the forest and land for commercial gain. And while debates around the exact cause of the catastrophes continue, it is almost certain that they were man-made and most likely a consequence of land and resource exploitation in the name of development and industry.
It would also not be farfetched to draw parallels between the Nagaland state government and Lady Eboshi—both nonchalant about the trees or their living and breathing inhabitants. Several natural disasters in the state can be attributed to warming temperatures exacerbated by deforestation, unregulated or poorly regulated construction, hill-cutting and riverbed mining, all of which are prevalent in the state owing to the robust push for ‘development’ activities. For the government and businesses, it would seem that growing an economy outweighs growing forests.
But this is not to say that developmental activities should not be taken up anywhere in the world. Rather, it is a reminder of the consequences of destroying nature.
In the film, it is not only humans, in the form of Lady Eboshi, who perpetrates violence against nature. With repeated attacks on Iron Town, inhabitants of the forest (Nago, Moro, Princess Mononoke, the apes, the boar-tribe and the Forest Spirit) spell out that nature can be violent and savage as well.
By the end of the film, the town itself returns to nature as the buildings and fortifications are all taken over by trees and vegetation, dispelling the notion that humans have dominion over nature.
However, despite the environmental theme, the film delivers the message that industry or development as such, is not necessarily evil. Instead, it shines the light on the way humans protect their industry with violence, thereby upsetting the balance between human and nature.
In light of Nagaland’s own environmental crises, ranging from the recent drought situation to landslides and floods caused by extreme unprecedented climatic conditions, or even the discourse positioning ‘development versus the environment,’ this anime film from 25 years ago can perhaps be a source of inspiration for the Nagas as a people, to analyse their professed deep connection with the lands and natural resources.
Yes, the conflict between humans and nature will persist for as long as the world exists but in the quest for a ‘better’ world, where does humanity draw the line and define the limits of growth given that it costs the contamination of the earth? That’s a question the humans need to find an answer to.
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