Reimagining Ecology through Myth: Indigenous Values and
Environmental Ethics in Amitav Ghosh’s Jungle
Nama
Hunjili Katharpi,
Assistant
Professor,
Department
of English,
B.H.
College, Howly,
Barpeta,
Assam, India.
Abstract: In an era
marked by climate crisis, environmental degradation, and the growing threat of
ecological collapse, indigenous worldviews offer crucial alternatives to the
exploitative mindset that often drives modern industrial civilization. Amitav
Ghosh’s Jungle Nama, a verse adaptation of the Bon Bibi legend from the
Sundarbans, reflects this ecological wisdom with remarkable clarity. Drawing on
the cadence and imagery of Bengali folk verse, and brought to life visually
through Salman Toor’s illustrations, Ghosh’s work preserves an oral tradition
that has guided communities along the mangrove delta for generations. In
retelling the story of Bon Bibi, the guardian spirit of the forest, Ghosh
bridges myth and environmental thought, portraying the Sundarbans not as a
resource to be exploited, but as a living system in which humans, animals, and
spirits exist in delicate balance. His adaptation moves beyond folkloric
narration to serve as an ecological fable—one that warns against greed,
foregrounds mutual responsibility, and urges respect for the non-human world.
This paper examines how Jungle Nama reimagines ecological knowledge through
myth, showing how Ghosh draws upon Indigenous ethics to advocate for a
sustained and harmonious relationship between human and environment.
Keywords: Ecology, Myth, Bon Bibi, Indigenous value, Environmental
ethics
Introduction:
In an age marked by climate crisis, environmental
degradation, and ecological uncertainty, Indigenous worldviews provide
essential counter-narratives to the exploitative logic of industrial modernity.
Amitav Ghosh’s Jungle Nama, a verse
adaptation of the Bon Bibi legend from the Sundarbans, captures this ecological
ethic through its poetic and cultural sensibility. Written in the rhythmic
style of Bengali folk verse and accompanied by Salman Toor’s evocative
illustrations, the work revives an oral tradition that has long guided the
forest-dwelling communities of the Sundarbans. By reinterpreting the Bon Bibi
tale for a contemporary audience, Ghosh bridges myth and environmental thought,
emphasizing coexistence, restraint, and respect for the more-than-human world.
As Ghosh observes, “For the people who live in and around the forest, the story
of Bon Bibi is a charter that regulates every aspect of life; the beliefs
associated with it dictate how they relate to the forest and to the beings that
inhabit it, especially tigers” (74). Ghosh’s narrative is not merely a
retelling of a folk tale; it is an ecological allegory that confronts issues of
greed, exploitation, and the moral responsibilities humans bear towards the
non-human world. This paper examines how Jungle
Nama reimagines ecological knowledge through myth, showing how Ghosh draws
upon Indigenous ethics to advocate for a sustained and harmonious relationship
between human and environment.
Reimagining Ecology through Myth
Amitav Ghosh’s Jungle Nama (2021) retells the ancient
legend of Bon Bibi, the guardian spirit of the Sundarbans, in rhythmic verse
that evokes both the musicality of oral storytelling and the moral gravity of
sacred myth. In this verse narrative, Ghosh combines indigenous values and
environmental ethics, using myth as a tool for reflecting on the forest as a
living system where humans, animals, and spirits coexist in mutual dependence.
As Nita Mathur notes:
The myths and images reverberate with the message of
cooperation and ecological integrity among (and not between) different elements
of the ecosystem. The language of the myth does not have to be understood
through reasoning or argumentation but through experience and participation. It
propounds restraint, concern, and control of impulses directed towards
indiscriminate plundering of natural resources for one’s own benefit. (27)
Myth functions as a powerful conduit for ecological
imagination, offering narratives through which humans can understand their
place within natural systems. Ghosh’s adaptation of the Bon Bibi legend embeds
lessons on coexistence, respect, and the moral imperatives required to live in
harmony with the Sundarbans’ fragile ecosystem. Unlike modern scientific
discourse, which often abstracts ecological concerns into data points, myth
conveys these ideas through story, character, and moral tension. In this
context, Mathur observes:
The essence of the myth lies not in the components of earth,
trees, water, and woman themselves but in the infinitesimal calculus of their
integration and differentiation in the processes of nature. They draw energy
and vitality from the interconnection by which each one remains inseparable
from others. This myth in particular is at odds with the proposition of the
nature–culture divide upon which some of the most profound paradigms in
anthropology (structuralism, dialectical materialism, and others) rest. In
fact, the fundamental concept of nature, or prakriti, is founded on the
synchrony between nature and culture. (26)
This idea finds a vivid expression in the Bon Bibi legend,
which reflects precisely such an entanglement: the fate of humans, animals, and
spirits is inseparable from the fate of the forest. By invoking this myth in
the present, Ghosh bridges local epistemologies with global ecocritical
thought, suggesting that indigenous traditions hold crucial resources for
reimagining ecological ethics today. As he writes in The Great Derangement,
“The climate crisis is also a crisis of culture, and thus of the imagination”
(12). Jungle Nama responds to this crisis by presenting the forest not as a
commodity but as a sacred space governed by moral law.
Building on this connection between
myth and ecological ethics, Jungle Nama
presents the forest not as a commodity but as a sacred space governed by moral
law. As Ghosh explains:
The Bon Bibi legend is a marvel of hybridity, combining
Islamic, Hindu, and folk elements with such fluency that it is impossible to
place the story squarely in a single faith tradition. Nor is it necessary to do
so, for the central tenets of the narrative—the ideas of limiting greed and of
preserving a balance between the needs of humans and those of other beings—do
not belong to any one tradition: they recur frequently in the stories of forest
peoples around the world. (77)
These ethical principles are not confined to the text alone
but continue to live within the cultural practices of the Sundarbans’
communities. The blending of myth and ecology in Jungle Nama reveals a
distinctly indigenous environmental ethic, one grounded not in abstract
philosophy but in lived experience and oral tradition. In the villages of
Sundarban, the legend of Bon Bibi “is regularly enacted as a stage play by
travelling jatra companies. These enactments usually foreground the story of Dhona,
Dukhey, and Dokkhin Rai” (74). For the people living in and around Sundarbans,
recounting the story of Bon Bibi is more than a cultural ritual. It is a form
of ecological practice that reinforces principles of restraint and reciprocity
in a dangerous environment. The enactment of the myth continues to create a
living connection between culture and ecology. In the Sundarban, invoking Bon
Bibi before venturing into the forest demonstrates a strong regard for the
natural world. It reminds residents that survival in the Sundarbans relies on
balance, humility, and reverence for the forest and its inhabitants.
Indigenous Values and Environmental Ethics in Jungle Nama
Indian traditions have long articulated holistic views of
nature, rejecting the anthropocentric binaries of Western modernity. From the Rig Veda’s hymns to rivers and Forests,
to Jain and Buddhist traditions of non-violence toward all beings, to tribal
Cosmologies that worship mountains, animals, and forests, indigenous Indian
ethics regard nature as kin rather than resource. In this context, the Bon Bibi
legend does more than preserve tradition. It prescribes a moral order where
human survival is contingent upon respect for the forest’s rhythms and limits.
As Ursula Heise writes, “stories, directly or indirectly, explain why we care,
not just as individuals but as communities or cultures” (5). By grounding
survival in humility and balance, the myth sustains a form of indigenous
ecological knowledge that counters dominant narratives of conquest, extraction,
and anthropocentric control. This narrative ethic is reinforced by Vandana
Shiva’s broader cosmological perspective, which situates humans within an inseparable
relationship with nature. She observes:
Contemporary Western
views of nature are fraught with the dichotomy, or duality, between man and
woman and person and nature. In Indian cosmology, by contrast, person and
nature (Purusha-Prakriti) are a duality
in unity. They are inseparable complements of one another in nature, in woman,
and in man. Every form of creation bears the sign of this dialectical unity, of
diversity within a unifying principle, and this dialectical harmony between the
male and female principles and between nature and man becomes the basis of
ecological thought and action in India. (39)
This worldview finds articulation in the Bon Bibi myth,
which prescribes a moral boundary in the Sundarbans. In contrast to colonial
forestry, which reduced the Sundarbans to timber and revenue, Bon Bibi’s
dispensation treats the forest as a living, sacred entity, where “every
creature had a place, every want was met, / all needs were balanced, like the
lines of a couplet” (Ghosh 6). This approach resonates with broader indigenous
practices across India. As Shiva observes, “the sacred tree serves as an image
of the cosmos, a symbol of the inexhaustible source of cosmic fertility . . .
Sacred forests and sacred groves were created and maintained throughout India
as a cultural response for their protection” (54). Just as sacred groves were
protected to sustain ecological balance, Bon Bibi’s laws enforce limits on
human activity, ensuring that the forest remains a space of harmony, life, and
interdependence rather than a source of unbridled profit. At the center of Jungle
Nama is an articulation of ecological ethics rooted in indigenous
traditions. The story dramatizes how survival in the Sundarbans depends not on
domination but on restraint, reciprocity, and recognition of limits. This moral
ecology is personified in the figure of Bon Bibi, guardian of the forest, who
ensures that neither humans nor animals transgress the boundaries necessary for
balance. To maintain this balance, she drew a line, to mark a just
separation:
between
the forest and the realm of the human.
To
Dokkhin Rai was given the jungles of the south,
where land and water mingle at the rivers’
mouth.
No
human would come there, nor could he go outside,
he would live a life of plenty, reigning with
pride. (Ghosh 6).
Unlike Western narratives of domination over nature, Jungle Nama portrays Bon Bibi as both
protector and disciplinarian. She embodies a feminine principle of compassion
and ecological care: “Bon Bibi was strong, but full of compassion” (Ghosh 3).
Yet she is also an enforcer of balance, commanding even Dokkhin Rai to submit
to rules of restraint: “You must stay within your bounds and never transgress;
/ with what you have you must make do, don’t seek excess” (Ghosh 56). This
duality resonates with ecofeminist thought, where feminine principles of care,
regeneration, and restraint counteract patriarchal exploitation of nature. Bon
Bibi is not merely a goddess but a lawgiver, whose “dispensation”
institutionalizes ecological justice: humans may take from the forest only out
of need, never greed. In reframing the ecological crisis as an ethical rather
than a technical failure, Ghosh underscores how human desire drives
environmental harm. Indigenous traditions, as reflected in Bon Bibi’s teaching,
propose restraint as the antidote: “All you need do is be content with what you’ve
got; / to be always craving more is a demon’s lot” (Ghosh 70). This ethic
stands in sharp contrast to the anthropocentric logic of Dhona, the merchant
whose greed drives the narrative conflict. By seeking to profit from the forest
without regard for limits, Dhona represents the ethos of exploitation that
defines both colonial conquest and capitalist development. Despite his
prosperity, Dhona declares, “I’ll go to the mangroves; seven ships will I hire.
/ There’s much to be had there; I’ll take all I can see: / honey, wax, and
timber, and all of it for free!” (Ghosh 10). His ambition reflects a
capitalist drive for accumulation, sharply contrasting with his brother Mona’s
ethic of contentment: “Life’s most splendid gift is that of contentment” (Ghosh
11). Dhona pursues wealth relentlessly, entering the Sundarbans not out of
necessity but for profit. His readiness to offer Dukhey to Dokkhin Rai reveals
the destructive consequences of greed: it devalues human life, fractures
community bonds, and disregards the limits of the natural world.
In contrast, Dukhey embodies vulnerability, humility, and
reliance on divine protection, emphasizing the themes of mercy and moral
responsibility that are central to Bon Bibi’s guidance. The poor boy survives
Dokkhin Rai’s attack not through strength or cleverness, but by invoking Bon
Bibi with sincere faith and the correct verse: “Save me, Ma Bon Bibi, before
I’m torn apart; / an unearthly tiger wants to rip out my heart” (Ghosh 53). His
salvation underscores the performative role of faith in securing justice. His
prayer to Bon Bibi is not merely an appeal but a ritual act aligning him with
the forest’s moral order. By reenacting Dukhey’s prayer, communities retelling
the story effectively rehearse their submission to ecological law. In this way,
Dukhey’s survival is not only a plot resolution but also a cultural pedagogy,
teaching that surviving requires humility and interdependence. Dukhey’s story
also embodies an indigenous ethic of justice that protects the weak against the
exploitation of the powerful. In the socio-economic context of the Sundarbans,
this is particularly significant: Dukhey represents the poor villagers who risk
their lives harvesting honey, wood, or fish in tiger-infested forests. The myth
reassures them that divine justice operates in their favour, punishing the
greedy elite (like Dhona) while safeguarding the humble poor who take only what
they need. In this sense, Dukhey’s salvation underscores the performative role
of faith in securing justice. His prayer to Bon Bibi is not merely an appeal;
it is a ritual act that aligns him with the forest’s moral order.
By remembering and retelling the story of Dukhey, the
communities living around Sundarbans invoke Dukhey’s prayer and effectively
rehearse their own submission to ecological law. In this way, Dukhey’s survival
serves not only as a plot resolution but also as a cultural pedagogy, teaching
humility and interdependence as necessary for survival. In Jungle Nama, the
forest serves as a moral agent, punishing Dhona’s greed through Dokkhin Rai’s
delusions and demands. By preying on human avarice, Dokkhin Rai serves as a
metaphor for humans’ insatiable desire: “He won’t just snatch you, he’ll wait
for a betrayal; / whetting avarice, he can set men’s heads awhirl” (Ghosh 23).
In this characterization, the tiger becomes a demonic embodiment of desire
itself, feeding not merely on flesh but on moral weakness. This allegorical
function distinguishes Dokkhin Rai from Western representations of wilderness
predators that symbolises forest or its wild life like tiger as an untamed
wilderness to be conquered by human reason and imperial power.
This moral and ecological framework extends beyond the
story’s mythic setting and connects directly with contemporary debates about
the Anthropocene—the proposed geological epoch in which human activity is the
dominant force shaping Earth’s systems. As Dipesh Chakrabarty observes,
“anthropogenic explanations of climate change spell the collapse of the age-old
humanist distinction between natural history and human history” (201). By
embedding ecological principles in myth, Jungle Nama functions both as
literature and as environmental law, enshrining an indigenous ecological ethic
that resonates deeply with the challenges of the anthropocene.
Conclusion:
Jungle
Nama stands as a corrective: by
returning to indigenous myth, Ghosh articulates a narrative framework that
situates human beings within, rather than above, ecological systems. The
relevance of Jungle Nama extends beyond the cultural and ecological history of
the Sundarbans. In invoking the Bon Bibi legend in the twenty-first century,
Ghosh situates myth as a vital mode of thought for confronting the
Anthropocene. Yet indigenous traditions like the Bon Bibi story already embody an
awareness of this entanglement: the myth insists that human survival depends on
respecting ecological limits and living in balance with nonhuman beings. The
Bon Bibi myth embodies precisely this collapse, dramatizing the inseparability
of human survival from the forest’s rhythms, dangers, and limits. Far from
being a relic of “superstition,” the myth functions as a counter to modernity’s
narrative failures. Myths like that of Bon Bibi sustain imaginative frameworks
that acknowledge the agency of the nonhuman world and demand humility before
it. They remind us that human well-being depends on ecological reciprocity.
The Bon Bibi story holds particular significance in our time
of environmental crisis, offering an alternative way to conceive the
relationship between humans and the more-than-human world. As Ghosh notes, “In
the Before Time, stories like this one would have been considered child-like,
and thus fare for children. But today, it is increasingly clear that such
stories are founded on a better understanding of the human predicament than
many narratives that are considered serious and adult” (77). By retelling the
legend in verse accessible to a global audience, Ghosh extends indigenous
ecological wisdom beyond the Sundarbans, presenting it as a universal ethic of
balance, restraint, and reverence for the nonhuman. In this sense, Jungle Nama offers not an archaic
superstition but a living epistemology that anticipates the ecological humility
required in the Anthropocene. Thus, in invoking the centuries-old Bon Bibi
narrative for the twenty-first century, Jungle
Nama reaffirms myth as a vital mode of thought for confronting the
challenges of the Anthropocene.
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