Role of Anthropocene and Need for Ecocritical Awareness
in Easterine Kire’s Son of the Thundercloud
Ishita Haldar,
Assistant Professor,
Department of English,
Sambhu Nath College,
Birbhum, West Bengal, India.
Abstract: Using their unique
language, Easterine Kire, an Angami tribal writer from Nagaland, depicts the
tribal people, their traits, their society, their taboos, their celebrations,
and their issues in life. The ecocritical elements in Kire's Son of the Thundercloud expose the
Angamis' metaphysical universe, which is reliant on myths, festivals, rituals,
and folklore. Anthropocentrism is an important notion in ecocriticism. It
thinks that the supremacy and relevance of humanity over the rest of life on
the earth cannot be stressed. The existing environmental dilemma and the
strategic review of non-human beings are both products of human-centred views. The
starvation would not have afflicted the Nialhao residents, and Pele would not
have been compelled to flee the community, if they had recognised the value of
nature. The villagers’ anthropocentrism forces them into drought. Instead, they
should be eco-centric people. The rain image highlights the significance of
biodiversity, which is essential for ecosystems. The portrayal of the
Anthropocene concept is crucial in Indian literature to create knowledge and
foster resilience. Thereby, this paper reflects the ecocritical degradation of
nature and the necessity of biocentric approaches among the villagers.
Keywords: taboos,
anthropocentrism, ecocriticism, eco-centric, biodiversity.
Easterine Kire was born on March 29, 1959, in Kohima, and
had completed her education. She earned a Ph.D. in English from the Savitribai
Phule Pune University. Kelhoukevira was her debut poetry book, which she
published in 1982. Sky Is My Father: A Naga Village Remembered (2003) is
her debut English-language work of fiction. Her other works include A Terrible
Matriarchy (2007), Mari (2010), Bitter Wormwood (2011), Son
of the Thundercloud (2016), Don’t Run, My Love (2017), Walking
the Roadless Road: Exploring the Tribes of Nagaland (2019), and Spirit
Nights (2022).She gets the Sahitya Akademi Award for Spirit Nightsin
2024.Son of the Thundercloud received the Bal Sahitya Puraskar from the Sahitya
Akademi in 2018.Her concise method of writing, which emphasises diverse
cultures, rituals, social practices, and belief systems, captures the reader's
attention. Kire is known for creating novels, poems, and children's books. She
is credited with translating 200 oral poems from her native Angami tongue into
English. The theme of Northeastern Indian literature is "intense sense of
awareness of cultural loss and recovery" (Mishra xi).
The anthropocene period is characterised by the influence
of humans on the earth's surroundings, making it an urgent topic. Human beings
have influenced the earth, which is not solely their own. According to
Chakrabarty, the anthropocene research team's 2021 proposal places the era in
the mid-20th century, indicating an interdisciplinary research group (5-32).
The liberal arts and humanities explore the ethical and moral relationships
between humans and non-humans.Anthropocene in India can be traced to
industrialisation and globalisation throughout the mid-twentieth century. The
trend towards westernised ecological ideology supported by the bureaucratic
industrial programmes established the contemporary viewpoint of the
public-embracing the abuse of raw materials, a hazardous lifestyle and so on.
The intertwined global carbon system contrasts with the urgently needed
equitable growth. Though the fact that opinions of the anthropocene era are
hotly debated, the causes are nearly universal. Mishra points out that five
causes of anthropocene are “Industrialisation, population, new materials,
biogenic changes and changing waterways” (646). On the other hand, ecocriticism
investigates the connection between literature and nature. William Rueckert
invented the word 'ecocriticism' in his essay "Literature and Ecology: An
Experiment in Ecocriticism". It identifies social, material, and political
convictions that contribute to ecological disasters. Ecocriticism investigates
the relationship between human civilisation and the environment and how they
influence one another. Studies in literature are tied with ecological advocacy.
It also outlines the causes of the ecological disaster. Thus, anthropocentrism
and ecocriticism can be put together on a scale in a balanced form to go
through the blending of human nature and the natural environment.
Easterine Kire's artwork, Son of the Thundercloud,
combines mythological and traditional designs with an international concern for
the planet. The fiction conveys a sense of vitality, implying the
necessity to re-establish confidence and optimism to better grasp the link
between humans and the environment. The characters, location, and mythical
themes all serve as allegory for this. The fiction follows Pele, the main
character, as he studies the philosophical sentiments and historical
significance of the anthropocene era. This paper explores the underlying
factors of the anthropocene era, including destruction of forests,
inappropriate use of the earth's resources, and excessive consuming behaviours,
as well as its repercussions, such as drought, global warming, and
economic and ecological loss and stresses the emergence of ecocritical
consciousness in the minds of people.
Son of the Thundercloud
commences with the epic account of an old woman called Mesanuo who dwells in
the village of the Angamis. Her spouse and seven sons had been slain by a
tiger. However, a sprinkle of rain causes her to become pregnant once more, and
she delivers a boy who seeks retribution. The lone guest, Pelevotso, lives in a
settlement called Nialhuo, which is placed on the western hills. His grandma
gave him a title because she urged him to look for himself and his heritage. The
sudden demise of Pele's wife and children compelled him to bolt "his house
and decided to leave the village" (Kire 14). The tribal hero begins his
trek into the unknown. Pele's trek in search of the warrior symbolises the
origins and effects of the anthropocene.
The wealthiest countries are the ones who cause disasters
and climate change, which have an impact on the poor. Metaphors and folklore
that cannot be judged against the norms of fact give insight into the critical
challenges of global warming and mankind's ecological suffering. Once more, the
overuse of artificial fertilisers and pesticides on agricultural land has an
impact on wildlife, people, and the environment. Arne Naess’s “deep ecology”
makes us experience the connection of all kinds of life and “natural features.”
Human life is connected to Earth's ecology. There must be more than just a
strictly cerebral, rational relationship with nature. There are intrinsic
merits in both human and non-human forms. Therefore, natural ecosystems may
permit a certain degree of human interference. The "deep" ecological
component is distinct from "shallow environmentalism," which is
"value-oriented" and "anthropocentric" (Nayar 246).
After reaching the summit of “a black mountain”, Pele
must endure “a solitary dwelling” (Kire 16). He hears the lie that ample
nutritional needs are accessible in the village. In Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay's Aranyak
(1976), drought also affects Bihar's areas throughout the summer. Water was
scarce at the time, and the Zaminders did not confront the starvation
circumstances; instead, they formed attitudes regarding the Santhals and the
poor people who lived in that territory. Zaminder's responsibility to pay
levies to the British authority of India makes the colonial authority
accountable for rectifying the water situation in Bhagalpur during the summer
months. The dreadful and insufferable heat wave in Bihar, combined with a
shortage of rainfall, has made woodlands increasingly crucial to the clans. In Son
of the Thundercloud and Aranyak, global catastrophes and
environmental deterioration manifest as famine. It is corroborated with Pele’s
advent in the town of Noune, which was ravaged by a catastrophic famine. Here,
starvation is psychic."The children were the first to perish from the
drought, followed by numerous women, one by one" (Kire 14). According to
this remark, women and children are more vulnerable to any kind of tragedy.
Women are considered fully accountable when it relates to nourishing the
offspring and the household, and in situations of famine, they must assume the
duty of fasting themselves for the good of infants. Medical frailty cannot be
used as a viable factor for the diversified risk. This is a suitable example of
the asymmetrical sharing of the repercussions of the anthropocene on the
disadvantaged communities although they take negligible part in producing the
environmental deterioration. Myth penetrates the overall tale in the goal of
obtaining ‘The Son of the Thundercloud’, who will produce showers and food for
the two sisters Kethonuo and Siedze, dated seven hundred years and four hundred
years, respectively.
The image of rain is the
image of a pain reliever. Pele regards both sisters to be terrible beings, but
while witnessing the force of the earth by cosmic forces that produce a large
fissure on the planet, he initiates the next phase of his voyage, where he
walks into an array of inconceivable and mythological situations (Campbell 28).
Both the sisters act as a moral shield for Pele through their mystical
spirituality. When a sprinkle caused Mesanuo to become pregnant the previous
day, the childhood tale came true: "...a drop of rain fell on me. Just one
drop of rain!” (Kire 36). Pele is astonished by discovering the real version of
his youthful narrative. She gives birth to a child named Rhalietuo ("the
redeemer"). It had transformed into "a place of mystery and
magic" (Kire 39).
Tree sprouts are budding,
while stones and boulders rise upright. The inhabitants believe it is the fulfillment
of the promise. Mother Earth, like a human mother, produces vegetation, rocks,
minerals, food grains and spores. They are the Creator's offspring. The
understanding of Mother Nature as a “home place” promotes
ecocritical awareness, and it is not just “loving nature” but an
attachment to Mother Nature “that takes place” and is “grounded in information
and experience” (Snyder 193).Finally, the inhabitants feel fortunate by knowing
that their parent “the river runs”, and they are spared because she would
provide them freshwater frogs, seafood, and vegetation again. Thus, both
prediction and myth are fulfilled with the arrival of the Son of the
Thundercloud in the uterus of a “skywoman” (Kire 57).
The
lack of rain is triggered by the actions of humans, and in Son of the
Thundercloud, it acts as an effect of rejection of myths and age-old stories.
This implies that the conventional sustainable community way of life and
culture are being destroyed. This curtailing of the original wisdom and
sustainability led to the growth of a consumption-centred lifestyle finally
paving the way to the anthropocene. With the development of globalisation, both
Mother Nature and mankind are degraded. Little boy Rhalietuo describes the idea
that “global ecological disaster” can be prevented by growing additional
forests in the world. The lovely scenery that has been re-established is a
result of human overindulgence in the surroundings. Mesanuo's statement to Pele
about past occurrences echoes the effects of lifestyle changes on individuals
as well as the environment. The valley had shorter droughts than the
mountaintops, according to the speaker. When she first arrived, the world was
green, there was food everywhere, nobody cultivated their fields, and
storytellers preached joy and optimism. The evil ones slaughtered them all, as
the narratives changed people's minds and they sought freedom from dread,
disgrace, and relentless yearning. People believed that they were doomed to
suffer, succumbing to terror, grief, and despair until their deaths. The dark
ones are individuals that have been present prior to the drought. They feed off
fear and greed. They construct walls and expect trees, waterways, and
constellations to yield to their wishes. The drought was caused by people
ignoring positive news in favour of negative ones. Pele predicted that droughts
would reoccur if humans acted selfishly and injured each other. The dark ones
can be compared to capitalists who exploit resources without considering
ecological balance. The village's recovery from the drought highlights the need
for adhering to tribal cultural preservation principles. This is a historical
event in the psychosocial tradition that led to the anthropocene.
According
to Louise Chawla: “The
old streams, fed by the rains and shows that the forest conserves, are flowing
again...” (11). Viphru, the headman's son, struck Rhalie's nose hard, causing
it to bleed, which is proof of class difference. Human beings are distracted
from natural surroundings, and anthropocentric emotions turn their heads.
According to Charles Darwin, human comprehension is dependent upon nature
(Nayar 245). Environmental pollution is viewed by romantic authors such as
Goethe, Rousseau, Novalis, Schiller, Coleridge, Shelley, Blake, and Wordsworth
as both a personal phenomenon arising from the transformation of people's distinctive
traits and a foreign incident coming from industrialisation (Goodbody 63).
Rhalie
is assisted by nature in eliminating evil. Rhalie represents Jesus Christ, who
gives his life to save the land. As a result, Rhalie embodies the Catholic
faith and Naga society. The headman and his spouse are acting in a different
way. They represent “Anthropocene”, a word which was developed by atmospheric
physicist Paul Crutzen and environmentalist Eugene Stoermer. It is the
conviction that people and their very existence are superior to everything else
in the world. This "human-centered thinking" inevitably leads to a
crisis. Rather, we must become bio/ecocentric, considering all parts of the
ecosystem to safeguard nature (Rangarajan 173). Naga mythologies are rich with
ceremonies and celebrations. In Naga mythology, a tiger is not just a beast but
also a brother figure. The tiger also symbolises the village chief's avarice
and arrogance. On a spiritual intellectual level, Pele is purified by his
experience with the three unusual siblings, the Son of the Thundercloud, and
his journey into the Village of Weavers. This is the final voyage of the
spiritual hero, when he is experiencing “the realisation of his true self”
(Campbell 28).Through his voyage and interaction with mystical and magical
entities, he can comfort himself and his Angami society's “praxix”, meaning
“ecocriticism works at the level of contributing to ecological awareness by
re-reading canonical cultural texts” (Nayar 243).
Viphrukills
Rhalie by attacking him with a spear. Here, Rhalie represents
"nature" (feminine), and Viphrü represents "culture"
(masculine).Nature mourns for the death of Rhalie: “The skies which had been so
clear and blue in the morning turned cloudy and grew overcast” (Kire 139). On the
night of death, the ecological demise of nature is clearly seen. A “monster
rainstorm” smashes every residence and agricultural land, the stream is
bursting with water, the crops will not be ripe once more, and the exteriors of
houses are ripped apart. This is, maybe, the end of nature owing to “excessive
modification of the earth by humans”, as noted by Bill McKibben in the book The
End of Nature (McKibben 50).
In
ecocritical perspective, ritual is a significant cultural instrument that
enhances human as well as non-human ties. Lamentation of death takes place, and
people call his name aloud, as it is the ritual for mourning over the dead body
of Rhalie. Dolores La Chapelle claims that "earth rituals" that
foster relationships between humans and non-human entities can create a
"sacred ecology". The ceremonies help to foster social consciousness
and biocentric ideals (Rangarajan 71). Rhalietuo’s lifeless body, Mesanuo, and
Pele arrive in the abandoned settlement named “Nouzie”, signifying compassion.
On the exact night, Mesanuo had gone away: “She looked very peaceful, as though
her last sight of earth had been a beautiful one” (Kire 147). Pele covers her
corpse and leaves the place with a prayer. Pele recalls us of the heroine Emily
St Aubert’s love for ecology and her intention to safeguard woods on her
father’s property in Ann Radcliffe’s dystopian novel Mysteries of Udolpho,1794
(Rangarajan 27). Son of the Thundercloud proposes that traditional
sources of knowledge help to restore a harmonious relationship with nature.
Myths and folklores can integrate the spiritual realms and promote harmony.
Son
of the Thundercloud is
a “nature text” which demonstrates the technique in which “texts and landscapes
are coupled in indigenous cultures whose songs, narratives, and rituals help
the community to remember the properties and resources of the landscape” (Maran
268). Fiction gives us lessons concerning the fundamental significance of our
individuality and our lives. The anthropocene's challenges are portrayed in a
straightforward and sympathetic manner. The people and situations in the story
are relatable to the readers. Kire’s story matches the definition of a work of
fiction about climate change. As a result, the story can be classified as an
anthropocene discourse. It is discovered that the birth of the Son of the
Thundercloud is comparable to the birth of Jesus Christ in the world of doubt,
fear, grief, and agony to save humanity. The sudden arrival of Rhalie turns the
parched and ravaged land to splendour. The ecocritical awareness arises in the
hearts of people and they realise to store food-grains for future. On the other
side, the spiritual tiger is an indicator of evil, and it pushes people to make
funeral sacrifices to it. This recalls for us the admonition in the Bible that
the combat against Satan is not materialistic but rather an intellectual
struggle. Rhalie’s innocence and cleanliness make him a rescuer to the inhabitants
of the island and mankind.
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