Authors:

Priyadharshini L., Padmanabhan B

Abstract:

Identity formation of an individual or a group is predominantly influenced by the landscapes or places in which one lives. Physical and spatial associations of people with certain geographical locations enrich their diverse cultural and social identities. Human identities vary pertaining to the geographical topography of the urban and rural areas. Hence, this research work primarily concentrates on the landscape and platial identity constructions of indigenous people of Northeast India whose geographical experiences are entirely different from the mainland India. Land is considered as the primary source of survival for a large number of tribal communities. In an attempt to discuss these significant characteristics of place-space and landscape negotiations, Easterine Kire’s fictional work When the River Sleeps (2014) is chosen to interpret the representation of cultural identities of Nagaland’s Angami tribe. Kire’s narrative is a rich source of representing the socio-cultural behavioural traits of the Angami clan, who through the intricate relationship with the land, incessantly struggle to produce their indigenous spaces. With the conceptual framework of “The Tripartite Model of Place Attachment” discussed by Leila Scannell & Robert Gifford (2010), the text is analysed with the three elements of Person, Place and Process to understand the platial attachment exhibited by the select tribe in building their unique cultural identities. Further, through the “Perspectives on Landscape Identity: A Conceptual Challenge” as propounded by Derk Jan Stobbelaar & Bas Pedroli (2011), the paper intends to analyse the four aspects of Personal, Existential, Cultural and Spatial interactions of Angami community in their attempt to create and establish their cultural identity. 

Keywords:

landscape & place attachment, Angami tribe, indigenous behaviours, individual  identities, cultural identities.

Vol & Issue:

VOL.13, ISSUE No.4, December 2021