Abstract—Studies in oral tradition, covering on
contemporary field works are making evident of the profound
relationship between oral tradition practitioners and
stakeholders give us live to as human beings. This article seeks
to explore the emerging field of oral tradition method and
various forms of cultural expression in the study of humankind
experience in both past and present non-literate tribes. The
ways we are shaped by education as well by training
significantly influence the ways we understand and interpret
the worldview of the non-literate societies. The cultural
expression and manifestations are strongly embedded and
internalised which often eluded researcher making them to
present inaccurate and misnomer interpretation of the
indigenous people. The article also attempts to study a
technique and methods with interdisciplinary focus for studies
in oral tradition of the non-literate tribes, as an alternative
methodology for historical research. This would definitely
depart from conventional method of research so far employed
on to investigate, interpret and analyses the tribes’ histories of
North East India. In this endeavour, researcher will get a
firsthand knowledge of incorporating legends, fairy tales,
folklores, folksongs, music, mythology, rhapsodies and all
facets of storytelling into construction of the history of nonliterate
tribes. Such investigation will establish the linkage
between verbal communication and cultural objects
maintained by the people as fund of knowledge for the
posterity.
Index Terms—Aabhu thanyi, acquired cultural myths,
illiteracy, nyubh, sebbe.
Tana Showren is with the Department of History, Rajiv Gandhi
University, Rono Hills, Doimukh-791112, District Papum Pare, Arunachal
Pradesh, India (e-mail: tana.showren@rgu.ac.in).
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Cite: Tana Showren, " Oral Traditions: Method to Adoptation of Construction of
the History of Non-Literate Tribes," International Journal of Social Science and Humanity vol. 4, no. 6, pp. 478-481, 2014.