Harmonizing Folklore
With Poetry:
Abstract:
Folklore is an important repository of traditional knowledge for most of the communities of North East
India. Before the arrival of western education in the region, most of the tribes followed an Oral tradition, and
hence, folklore assumed significant importance as an alternate source of literature. Due to the absence of a
written script, mediums such as songs, legends, myths, graphic patterns and designs, and artifacts became the
transmitters of their tribe’s ancient history
In recent years, there has been a revival of interest in the region’s rich literary heritage. Several poets
of North-East India, have chosen as the subject of their poetry, folk stories, songs, legends and myths of their
tribes. Priyanka Kakoti observes that “These writers, by moving from the oral to the written, have attempted
to give permanence to the fluid narrations of oral literature”.
The present paper proposes to examine select poems by Temsula Ao to establish that a perfect symphony has
been achieved through the harmonization of poetry and folklore in her poems. The paper seeks to identify the
similarity between Ao’s poems and the folk songs of her tribe. The paper will also discuss the poet’s role as
a transmitter and preserver of history as she assumes a voice similar to her tribe’s ancient storytellers, upon
whom rested the task of transmitting their tribe’s ancient wisdom from generation to generation. Her poetry,
like the ancient songs of her ancestors, serve as repositories of knowledge which teach, move and inspire the
readers. The intrinsic identity of her people is thus preserved through her poems.
Index Terms – Poetry, Folklore and Literature, Poetry of North-East India, Temsula Ao.
The word folklore, a compound of folk and lore, was coined in 1846 by William Thoms, who contrived
the term as a replacement for the contemporary terminology of "popular antiquities" or "popular literature".
When Thoms first coined this term, folk applied only to rural, frequently poor and illiterate peasants. Over the
years, the term folklore has come to refer to the body of expressive culture, including stories, songs, dance,
proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs and customs, graphic patterns, designs and artifacts of a particular population
comprising the tradition of that culture, subculture or group (Bascom).
Folklore holds a significant position in the history of most tribes in North-East India. Before the arrival of
western education, a majority of the communities and tribes of the region did not have a written script, and
hence, they depended on the spoken word for the transmission their history and traditional knowledge.
Birendranath Datta makes an observation about the importance of the oral tradition in the region by noting
that it is “indeed in many ways the source of the people's literature, social customs, religion and history” (xv).
Unfortunately, this rich heritage of folklore has been threatened by the arrival of influences outside of the
region- most significantly, that of the western missionaries, who first came to the region in the 1600s, and
made substantial inroads into the region by the early 19th Century (James, Woba). The missionaries introduced
to the region a western system of education, as well as the Christian religion. In the wake of mass conversion,
many of the tribe’s customs, rituals and modes of oral folklore were prohibited, and labeled a taboo by the
western missionaries, as these practices were viewed as primitive and pagan. The tribes were encouraged to
adopt a more “westernized” way of life. Tuisem Ngakang observes that “Early Christian missionaries saw
everything traditional as antichrist and prohibited it, from traditional songs to hairstyle to rice beer”. As a
, result, a steady decimation of folklore followed. These factors, further compounded by modernization,
urbanization, globalization, and the process of assimilation, further led to a loss of cultural identity for these
communities.
In recent years, there has been a revival of interest in the region’s rich literary heritage which are rooted
in the folklore of the region. The fact that several poets frequently allude to the various myths, legends, songs
and tales of their tribes in their poems may be considered one of the contributing factors towards this revival
of interest. Priyanka Kakoti observes that “These writers, by moving from the oral to the written, have
attempted to give permanence to the fluid narrations of oral literature”. Therefore, a harmonization of folklore
and poetry has been achieved due to the efforts of the poets of the region, wherein legends, myths, songs and
tales of the region find permanence in the written form.
The present paper endeavors to examine this convergence of folklore and poetry, limiting the study to
select poems by Temsula Ao. Ao is a renowned poet, fiction writer and ethnographer from Nagaland.
References of folklore and culture of the Naga community, especially that of the Ao tribe to which she belongs,
are interspersed in her poems. That these intersections of folklore and poetry, are in fact concerted and
deliberate, may be confirmed by her statement, “…our persistent engagement with the ‘Oral Tradition’ bears
testimony to the fact that we have not altogether abandoned the essence of who we are, even as we evolve
with the dynamics of a modern, technological and ‘written’ world around us” (Ao, xi). In another instance she
observes, “…forgetting the stories/ would be catastrophic; we would lose our history/ Territory, and most
certainly / Our intrinsic identity” (‘The Old Story Teller’, 11-13). Identifying the fact that there is an
unmistakable similarity between Ao’s poems and the folk songs of her tribe, the paper will attempt a
discussion on the poet’s role as a transmitter and preserver of history. Her poetry, like the ancient songs of her
ancestors, serve as repositories of knowledge which teach, move and inspire the readers. The intrinsic identity
of her people is thus preserved through her poems.
Ao Naga folk songs play a pivotal role in cultural preservation and continuity as these folk songs serve
as vehicles of oral history, communication and storytelling. They are integral to the cultural identity of the Ao
Naga people. Ao Naga folk songs frequently impart moral lessons and social values, fostering community
solidarity and common ethical values. As such, they form a notable component of the Ao Naga cultural
landscape. The songs are usually rhythmic narrations of stories, experiences and history. Ao notes, “No
account of the oral tradition among the Aos would be complete without a reference to its poetic form.
Singing…always formed an important part of any narrative account…” (13, The Ao-Naga Oral Tradition).
Ao seamlessly assumes the position of her tribe’s storyteller-songstress in her poems, as she narrates and re-
tells the stories of her tribe’s history, traditions and culture. Her poems have a rhythmic song-like quality, and
it is noteworthy that all her volumes of poetry are titled ‘Songs’, signifying the blend and harmonization of
folklore and poetry. While admitting to the enormity of assuming the role of her tribe’s story-teller, she
explains why she must don this garb;
“I have lived my live believing Storytelling
was my proud legacy.
The ones I inherited from grandfather…
When my time came, I told stories
As though they ran in my blood
Because each telling revitalized
My life-force
And each story reinforced My
racial reminiscence.”
(Ao, “The Old Story Teller”, 83-85)
In the poem, she admits that the art of storytelling is a gift that she, as a descendant of the tribe, has
inherited from her forefathers. Hence, for the poet, storytelling is a recognition of and a reinforcement of her
life-force; it is in this art that she finds purpose and meaning in life, and herein lies her essential identity as a
member of her tribe. However, this desire to reclaim her identity transcends beyond an individual need- She
believes that this is her racial responsibility:
With Poetry:
Abstract:
Folklore is an important repository of traditional knowledge for most of the communities of North East
India. Before the arrival of western education in the region, most of the tribes followed an Oral tradition, and
hence, folklore assumed significant importance as an alternate source of literature. Due to the absence of a
written script, mediums such as songs, legends, myths, graphic patterns and designs, and artifacts became the
transmitters of their tribe’s ancient history
In recent years, there has been a revival of interest in the region’s rich literary heritage. Several poets
of North-East India, have chosen as the subject of their poetry, folk stories, songs, legends and myths of their
tribes. Priyanka Kakoti observes that “These writers, by moving from the oral to the written, have attempted
to give permanence to the fluid narrations of oral literature”.
The present paper proposes to examine select poems by Temsula Ao to establish that a perfect symphony has
been achieved through the harmonization of poetry and folklore in her poems. The paper seeks to identify the
similarity between Ao’s poems and the folk songs of her tribe. The paper will also discuss the poet’s role as
a transmitter and preserver of history as she assumes a voice similar to her tribe’s ancient storytellers, upon
whom rested the task of transmitting their tribe’s ancient wisdom from generation to generation. Her poetry,
like the ancient songs of her ancestors, serve as repositories of knowledge which teach, move and inspire the
readers. The intrinsic identity of her people is thus preserved through her poems.
Index Terms – Poetry, Folklore and Literature, Poetry of North-East India, Temsula Ao.
The word folklore, a compound of folk and lore, was coined in 1846 by William Thoms, who contrived
the term as a replacement for the contemporary terminology of "popular antiquities" or "popular literature".
When Thoms first coined this term, folk applied only to rural, frequently poor and illiterate peasants. Over the
years, the term folklore has come to refer to the body of expressive culture, including stories, songs, dance,
proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs and customs, graphic patterns, designs and artifacts of a particular population
comprising the tradition of that culture, subculture or group (Bascom).
Folklore holds a significant position in the history of most tribes in North-East India. Before the arrival of
western education, a majority of the communities and tribes of the region did not have a written script, and
hence, they depended on the spoken word for the transmission their history and traditional knowledge.
Birendranath Datta makes an observation about the importance of the oral tradition in the region by noting
that it is “indeed in many ways the source of the people's literature, social customs, religion and history” (xv).
Unfortunately, this rich heritage of folklore has been threatened by the arrival of influences outside of the
region- most significantly, that of the western missionaries, who first came to the region in the 1600s, and
made substantial inroads into the region by the early 19th Century (James, Woba). The missionaries introduced
to the region a western system of education, as well as the Christian religion. In the wake of mass conversion,
many of the tribe’s customs, rituals and modes of oral folklore were prohibited, and labeled a taboo by the
western missionaries, as these practices were viewed as primitive and pagan. The tribes were encouraged to
adopt a more “westernized” way of life. Tuisem Ngakang observes that “Early Christian missionaries saw
everything traditional as antichrist and prohibited it, from traditional songs to hairstyle to rice beer”. As a
, result, a steady decimation of folklore followed. These factors, further compounded by modernization,
urbanization, globalization, and the process of assimilation, further led to a loss of cultural identity for these
communities.
In recent years, there has been a revival of interest in the region’s rich literary heritage which are rooted
in the folklore of the region. The fact that several poets frequently allude to the various myths, legends, songs
and tales of their tribes in their poems may be considered one of the contributing factors towards this revival
of interest. Priyanka Kakoti observes that “These writers, by moving from the oral to the written, have
attempted to give permanence to the fluid narrations of oral literature”. Therefore, a harmonization of folklore
and poetry has been achieved due to the efforts of the poets of the region, wherein legends, myths, songs and
tales of the region find permanence in the written form.
The present paper endeavors to examine this convergence of folklore and poetry, limiting the study to
select poems by Temsula Ao. Ao is a renowned poet, fiction writer and ethnographer from Nagaland.
References of folklore and culture of the Naga community, especially that of the Ao tribe to which she belongs,
are interspersed in her poems. That these intersections of folklore and poetry, are in fact concerted and
deliberate, may be confirmed by her statement, “…our persistent engagement with the ‘Oral Tradition’ bears
testimony to the fact that we have not altogether abandoned the essence of who we are, even as we evolve
with the dynamics of a modern, technological and ‘written’ world around us” (Ao, xi). In another instance she
observes, “…forgetting the stories/ would be catastrophic; we would lose our history/ Territory, and most
certainly / Our intrinsic identity” (‘The Old Story Teller’, 11-13). Identifying the fact that there is an
unmistakable similarity between Ao’s poems and the folk songs of her tribe, the paper will attempt a
discussion on the poet’s role as a transmitter and preserver of history. Her poetry, like the ancient songs of her
ancestors, serve as repositories of knowledge which teach, move and inspire the readers. The intrinsic identity
of her people is thus preserved through her poems.
Ao Naga folk songs play a pivotal role in cultural preservation and continuity as these folk songs serve
as vehicles of oral history, communication and storytelling. They are integral to the cultural identity of the Ao
Naga people. Ao Naga folk songs frequently impart moral lessons and social values, fostering community
solidarity and common ethical values. As such, they form a notable component of the Ao Naga cultural
landscape. The songs are usually rhythmic narrations of stories, experiences and history. Ao notes, “No
account of the oral tradition among the Aos would be complete without a reference to its poetic form.
Singing…always formed an important part of any narrative account…” (13, The Ao-Naga Oral Tradition).
Ao seamlessly assumes the position of her tribe’s storyteller-songstress in her poems, as she narrates and re-
tells the stories of her tribe’s history, traditions and culture. Her poems have a rhythmic song-like quality, and
it is noteworthy that all her volumes of poetry are titled ‘Songs’, signifying the blend and harmonization of
folklore and poetry. While admitting to the enormity of assuming the role of her tribe’s story-teller, she
explains why she must don this garb;
“I have lived my live believing Storytelling
was my proud legacy.
The ones I inherited from grandfather…
When my time came, I told stories
As though they ran in my blood
Because each telling revitalized
My life-force
And each story reinforced My
racial reminiscence.”
(Ao, “The Old Story Teller”, 83-85)
In the poem, she admits that the art of storytelling is a gift that she, as a descendant of the tribe, has
inherited from her forefathers. Hence, for the poet, storytelling is a recognition of and a reinforcement of her
life-force; it is in this art that she finds purpose and meaning in life, and herein lies her essential identity as a
member of her tribe. However, this desire to reclaim her identity transcends beyond an individual need- She
believes that this is her racial responsibility:
