Naga Writings in English – Coming into One’s Own

Abstract

In the past decade, Nagaland has witnessed a marked rise in publications of writings in English. The establishment of homegrown publishing houses have contributed significantly to this increase. This paper will attempt to historicize publishing in Nagaland and undertake a critical survey of published writings in English from Nagaland. Through these trajectories, I argue that a gendered tradition of orality has been transposed into writing and the notion that only Naga women are writing literature fails to account for the whole range of writings in English from Nagaland. Women writers insert themselves into this realm of public discourse through their literary works by negotiating both traditional patriarchal structures in which they are embedded as well as the demands of the world literary market. Creative writing is therefore, a space patriarchy “allows” them to engage the violence and trauma that characterized our neo-colonial encounter with the Indian state. The younger generation of writers, many of whom grew up after the ceasefire came into place, demonstrate either a desire to forget or display a new set of memories that seemingly circumvent the conflict and violence that characterized life before the 1990s. I examine self-publishing as a mode of mediating state censorship and the aesthetic demands of the world literary system. I argue that there is apathy on the part of national and international publishers toward representations of contemporary Naga experiences that deviate from or contravene cherished and commercially viable stereotypes of Nagas as exotic, festive natives; dangerous violent headhunters and/or insurgents. Naga writers who have successfully crossed over to the world literary market are ones who cater to these two aesthetic paradigms. In terms of subject matter and language, the current crop of emerging writers are questioning the canonical indoctrination of our colonial past as well as mainstream taste for conflict and magic realism cultivated as representative of Naga literature in English. New Naga writers are producing works that reject English (British) figures of speech and even sacrosanct rules of grammar, representing instead a colloquial Naga English that both disrupts and creates new narrative expectations. Finally, I contend that new Naga writers in English and Naga publishers are part of a emergent literary culture negotiating between insularity and a desire to demonstrate global cultural currency.

Keywords:

• Naga writing in English
• orality
• decolonization: publishing

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 Again only taken by men

2 between the NSCN (IM) and Government of India

3 Heritage Publishing House Brochure

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Theyiesinuo Keditsu

Theyiesinuo Keditsu (PHD), an indigenous feminist, poet, academic, folklorist, writer and educator. She has published two books of poetry, Sopfünuo and Wake as well as Ukepenuopfü, an illustrated children's storybook. She has contributed to a number of anthologies, journals and books in her creative & academic capacities. She advocates for the revival of Indigenous Naga textiles and women's narratives through her popular Instagram avatar @mekhalamama. Her research focuses on contemporary Naga culture, indigenous knowledge, indigenous feminisms, folklore, oral & written literatures of Nagaland. She is currently an assistant professor in Kohima College, Kohima, Nagaland.