Folklore: An identity born of shared grief

Abstract

The article formulates a common base for the meaning of grief in an intricate folk society. As an expression of identity emanating from human memory, folklore projects something essential in human attitudes and grievances. It provides a channeling perspective of human communicative patterns of transcending quotidian discourses. Folklore is a constant awareness of conscious identity until something changes in the secondary loss of cultural falling. Folklore is not the primary loss of tangible things. There is a lot to ponder about when it comes to claims asserted to the role of grief and identity. Lack of “self-clarity” that comes with shared grief results in the questioning of folk-hood. The idea of “letting go” has left many grievers shut doors of the past. The paper examines how shared grief effectively centers around the formation of self-identity. In application to contemporary folk apprehension, folklore is not inherited out of familial kinship but from traditional insights. Folklore appears to be relevant in taking a verifiable digression in showing an advanced comprehension of the subject of study. Reconstruction of factual past valorizes folklore as a paradigm of unaccounted recovery. Grief permeates folklore, as a result, folklore is choked with solace and lurking shadowy pasts. This article tenuously relies on the “hows” of identity-grief production and the challenges inherent to endowing folkloristic experiences in shared grief. The article concludes on the positive implications of folklore in retaining a sense of who one is, through distinguished grief.

Keywords:

• bereavement, narrative identity
• folk-care
• grief and loss
• multilevel folklore communication
• Zomi

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Declaration of conflicting interests

The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Correction

This article has been corrected with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

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Notes on contributors

P. Hoideiniang Zou

P. Hoideiniang Zou is a Research Scholar, specializing in Indigenous tribal folklore and Northeast Indian Literature of India. She brings a strong academic background in Anthropology, Cultural Studies, and Folk Studies, with a focus on exploring traditional knowledge systems, cultural practices, and belief systems of Indigenous NER (North East Region) communities.

B. Evangeline Priscilla

Dr. Evangeline Priscilla. B, is an Assistant Professor and Research Guide at Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore, TamilNadu, India. She is an expert in British Isles Literature and has extensive knowledge of Language and Literature.