Ecofeminism and Ecological Preservation in Mamamg Dai's Novel The Black Hill
Dr. Ranjana Sharan Sinha,
Rtd. prof
(English),
S. B. City
College, Nagpur,
Maharashtra,
India.
Abstract: Mamang
Dai is a powerful literary voice from Arunachal Pradesh with profound
connection to the culture, history and landscape of Northeast India. She
received the Padma Shri Award 2011 for her contributions to literature and
education. In her writings, Mamang Dai portrays nature and the environment as
sentient, spiritual and intrinsically linked to the identity of indigenous
communities. There is a deep respect for tribal cultures that is harmed by the
destructive forces of modernization and colonialism. The ecological
consciousness in her works makes her lament the loss of natural landscape due
to environmental degradation. She believes that rivers have soul, land is a
living being and natural elements are sacred. Her novel 'The Black Hill'
published in 2014, received the Sahitya Akademi Award in 2017. Mamang Dai's
'The Black Hill ' is a historical novel set in the mid- nineteenth century in
the region bordering Assam and Tibet. Nature and Ecology are intertwined with
the cultural, spiritual and historical identity of the indigenous communities of
Arunachal Pradesh. The novel presents an ecocentric worldview where the natural
world is a living entity, not merely a backdrop for human events. Through her
narrative Dai advocates for an integrated approach to environmental and
feminist issues.
Keywords:
Ecofeminism, Ecology, Nature, Northeast India, Mamang Dai, The Black Hill
Ecocriticism is
the study of literature and environment and its focus is on the relationship
between literature and the environment. It examines how natural themes are represented
in texts, while Ecofeminism is a social and philosophical movement that
links the oppression of women to the exploitation of the environment.
Ecofeminists argue that these phenomena are interconnected and rooted in
patriarchal system of dominion. Environmental Humanities is a broader field
that studies the relationship between humans and the natural world through
the lens of the humanities encompassing ecocriticism, ethics and cultural
studies to understand our connection to the environment. Both Ecofeminism and
Environmental Humanities are concerned with the human-nature relationship,
often sharing critiques of how societies have historically devalued the natural
world. Both fields question the prevailing patriarchal and capitalist paradigms
that historically place humans above nature treating the earth and the
marginalized communities as resources to be exploited.
Ecofeminism can be
viewed as a specific and activist- oriented branch within the broader
interdisciplinary umbrella of Environmental Humanities that consider the
exploitation of women and the exploitation of natural world as the two sides of
the same coin, often driven by the same logic of dominion. It combines
ecological concerns with feminist viewpoint highlighting the interdependence
between environmental degradation and the oppression of women and
underprivileged people. Ecofeminism is defined in the Oxford Learners
Dictionary as "a philosophical and political theory and movement that
combines ecological concerns with feminist ones, reading both as resulting from
male domination of society."
Webster's New
World Encyclopedia defines it as "a movement or theory that applies
feminist principles and ideas to ecological issues".
The word "ecofeminism" was coined by the
French writer and activist Francoise d' Eaubonne in her book ' Le
Feminismeou La Mort'( Feminism or Death) published in 1974. She argued that
women have a special connection to nature because of their reproductive and
caring roles and that the destruction of the natural world by patriarchy is
intimately tied to its exploitation of women. Thinkers like Maria Mies, Vandana
Shiva and Geeta Gaard contend that social roles, economic systems and cultural
norms-- rather than biology-- have an impact on how women interact with their
surroundings. Ecofeminism works on several key assumptions:
●
The dualism of man and woman, culture and nature, reason and emotion, are
patriarchal and hierarchical where the first term is considered superior.
●
Systems of power like racism, colonialism and capitalism are associated with
interconnected system of oppression that work in tandem with patriarchy to
exploit and dominate marginalized groups like women, people of colour ,
indigenous population and the natural world.
●
Colonialism created the conditions for global capitalism through the forceful
expulsion and exploitation of indigenous peoples and their lands. The legacies
of power and racial hierarchies continue to create environmental harm.
●
Women have created sustainable lifestyles that provide alternatives to
Industrial exploitation, particularly in rural and indigenous areas.
Ecofeminists like
Dr. Vandana Shiva through her work, "Staying Alive: Women, Ecology and
Development ", draws parallels between the exploitation and suffering
experienced by both nature and woman and has critically analysed the complex
connection between gender inequality, environmental decline and social
justice. The traditional notion of power is challenged and a call for more
sustainable and balanced relationship among human and nature is emphasized. She
examines the position of women in relation to nature -- the forests, the
foodchain and water supplies and links the violation of nature with violation
and marginalization of women in the Third World. Her work has dealt with third
world women whose lives are adversely affected by the forces of corporate
globalization and colonialism. The Chipko Movement in India became one of the
most environmental activism struggles in the world. Vandana Shiva is one of the
women involved in this movement which resisted Industrial forestry and logging
in rural India. Chipko means "to embrace" in Hindi. Local women
physically hugged trees to protect them and prevent loggers from cutting them. The
Chipko Movement served as an example for the broader ecofeminist movement how
local communities and women's groups can effectively mobilize to protect
the environment.
From Shiva's
perspective, women liberation cannot be achieved without a simultaneous
struggle for the preservation and liberation of all life on this planet from
the dominant patriarchal/ capitalist worldview. Shiva and other ecofeminists
are explicitly anti-war and anti-capitalist because both war and capitalism are
seen as patriarchal structures. For Shiva there is a connection between the
escalation of war, “muscleman culture" and rape and other violence against
women. In the words of Mies and Shiva " It is no coincidence that the
gruesome game of war-- in which the greater part of the male sex seem to
delight-- passes through the same stages as the traditional sexual
relationship: conquest, possession, control of a woman or a land, it
makes little difference."
Throughout our
history nature is portrayed as feminine and women are often thought of as
closer to nature than man. Nature's ability to create, grow and reproduce is
frequently compared to biological and life-giving capacity of women.
Women's psychological connection with birth and childcare have partly led to
this close association with nature. The menstrual cycle which is linked to
lunar cycles, is also seen as an evidence of women's closeness to natural rhythm.
Women interact more closely with nature than men do and the intimacy has been
traced from the time immemorial. Women's concern for the natural environment is
rooted in their concern for the health and well- being of family and even community.
Women are often seen as embodying nurturing qualities like care and strength
mirroring nature's role as a provider and protector. Many cultures have
traditions of worshipping nature as a divine feminine principle as seen
in Hindu practices of revering plants like the tulsi and peepul trees. Many
cultures use feminine figures in their mythology to represent nature. For
example, the Hindu goddess Sita is seen as the embodiment of nature because she
is born from earth and returns to earth.
Mamang Dai is a
powerful literary voice from Arunachal Pradesh with profound connection to the
culture, history and landscape of Northeast India. She received the Padma
Shri Award 2011 for her contributions to literature and education. In her
writings, Mamang Dai portrays nature and the environment as sentient,
spiritual and intrinsically linked to the identity of indigenous communities.
There is a deep respect for tribal cultures that is harmed by the destructive
forces of modernization and colonialism. The ecological consciousness in her work
makes her lament the loss of natural landscape due to environmental degradation.
She believes that rivers have soul, land is a living being and natural elements
are sacred. Her novel 'The Black Hill' published in 2014, received the Sahitya
Akademi Award in 2017.
Mamang Dai's 'The
Black Hill ' is a historical novel set in the mid- nineteenth century in the
region bordering Assam and Tibet. Nature and Ecology are intertwined with the
cultural, spiritual and historical identity of the indigenous communities of
Arunachal Pradesh. The novel presents an ecocentric worldview where the natural
world is a living entity, not merely a backdrop for human events. Through her
narrative Dai advocates for an integrated approach to environmental and
feminist issues. The historical event-- the disappearance of French
priest Father Nicolas Krick in the 1850s-- has been used to explore issues of
cultural transition, identity and colonial incursion. The novelist emphasises
the fact how colonial expansion leads to the physical and cultural displacement
of native population creating imbalance in natural surroundings. The indigenous
people resist the entry of the foreigners, fearing that the priest's arrival
will lead to British Military presence and control over their land. There is
struggle for identity due to effects of imperialist dominance that challenges
traditional ways of life and beliefs. The narrative functions as an act of
literary and political resistance advocating for the preservation of ecological
and cultural heritages against the homogenized and exploitative forms of
modernism and capitalism.
Mamang Dai
portrays a strange connection between the female protagonist, Gimur, the
indigenous community's cultural heritages and the natural world of Arunachal
Pradesh.Gimur is a young woman from the Abhor (Adi) tribe. She is bold, fiesty
and independent challenging the traditional expectations of women in the
mid-nineteenth century tribal society. She makes a decision to elope with
Kajinsha who is a man from another community. She is a powerful example of an
ecofeminist character who draws strength from her environment. She opposes the
systems that marginalize both women and nature. Gimur's connection to the land
highlights the dual oppression of women and nature by patriarchal forces. The
land is seen as a 'book' that the people read and understand, a source of
knowledge and history that predates written records. Her deep , intrinsic
connection to the land and the indigenous culture are remarkable from the point
of view of ecofeminism. Character like the Mishmi chief Kajinsha also struggles
against the colonial forces. The tribes unite when they realize that colonizers
are invading their shared territory. Kajinsha is a warrior who fiercely defends
his land against foreign entry. He is ultimately executed by the British
becoming a symbol of martyrdom for the native cause.
Unlike the male
characters who engage in open warfare against colonial forces to protect their
land and culture, Gimur's resistance is expressed through subtle yet powerful means.
She opposes colonial forces through cultural resistance, loyalty to her
community and enduring the tragic consequences of the encroachment on her land.
Towards the end when Kajinsha dies, Gimur is left alone to lament upon a land
that has succumbed to conflict and loss. Despite the personal tragedies and
cultural displacement, she lives the life she was meant to live. Her resilience
and strength is indomitable like nature itself that withstands disturbances
like storms, fires or human impacts and still maintains its basic structure and
function. Through Gimur and other characters the novel highlights the fact how
women and marginalized groups play a crucial role in advocating for ecological
preservation and lead environmental movements.
For Gimur and her
community land is not merely territory or property. It is intrinsically
linked to their existence .She finds her identity through her relationship with
the mountain and her environment. The thick jungles, barren landscapes and
formidable mountains are not just setting, but an active presence and witness
to historical event. The land is integral to the identity of the people. Nature
also serves as a reflection of the characters' inner thoughts and emotions. Its
shifting moods vary from calm and serene to violent and unpredictable,
mirroring the emotional and psychological states of the characters. When
Kajinsha is filled with guilt and uncertainty, the landscape reflects his inner
turmoil: “The sky darkened and the wind howled through the trees as if the
land itself was mourning." (Dai, Mamang, The Black Hill, Aleph, 2014). In
this novel we also find nature influencing the moral and ethical choices made
by the characters. When Kajinsha considers departing from his village in search
of a more promising future, he is reminded of his strong bond with the
land and the duties associated with it.He was unable to leave the land that had
provided him with life as it would mean betraying not just his community but
also the earth that had protected him from birth.
Based on the above
analysis, the ecofeminist themes weaved in the novel, can be summed up in the
following points:
●
Critique of patriarchy that devalues both women and nature
●The
value of traditional ecological knowledge
●
Interconnectedness of women and nature
●
Spritual and holistic view of nature
●
Rejection of colonial exploitation and modernism
●
Interconnected oppression of women and nature
●
Connection to the land and culture
●
Women as custodians of ecological knowledge
●
Critique of Western Dualism
●
Dual oppression of women and indigenous communities
Works Cited
Dai, Mamang. The Black Hill. Aleph Book Company, 2014.
Gaurav, Grey. Ecocriticism. Routledge, 2012.
Misra, T. The Oxford Anthology of Writings from North-East India. Oxford University Press, 2011.
Rangarajan, Swarnalatha. Ecocriticism: Big Ideas and Practical Strategies, edited by Scot Solvic. Orient Black Swan, 2018.