PORTRAYAL OF WIDOWHOOD IN SELECT WORKS OF TEMSULA AO, MAMANG DAI, AND EASTERINE KIRE FROM NORTH-EAST INDIA

Study on widowhood is one of the neglected areas and it is the need of the hour that, the myths, beliefs and assumptions associated with it need to be examined broadly. Since time immemorial, widowhood is significantly a distressing event in the life of a woman. In the patriarchal Indian society, the religious rituals, customs and traditions made widowhood much excruciating, disapproving and humiliating for women. Globally, apart from the differences in customs, and traditions every culture has its own set of rules to govern the lives of widows. In addition to the stigmatisation and deprivation, the most common experiences observed by every widow are, loss of social status and financial instability. The main purpose of this paper is to focus on the struggles of widows belonging to Naga, Ao, Angami, and Adi tribes of India’s Northeast with reference to the selected works of Temsula Ao, Easterine Kire, and Mamang Dai. The paper also discusses how Ao, Adi and Angami tribal widows were discriminated personally, psychologically, socially, economically by the religious rituals and symbolisms. The paper also portrays their animistic faith, and unique sufferings imposed on them through their belief in spirits and supernatural powers. The paper also observes that, despite internalised and institutionalised patriarchy, how certain situations made the elderly widows ingrained with gender disparity, take the privilege of decision making and exercise matriarchal power control over the family members and the clans. The study also dwells upon how the impact of various wars and insurgencies, have aggravated the sufferings in multiple ways in the lives of north-eastern tribal widows.