Reflection of Sumi Naga Culture in Verbal Art

Abstract

newline [xv] newlineREFLECTION OF SÜMI NAGA CULTURE IN VERBAL ART newlineABSTRACT newlineVerbal art is a tradition, which is handed down orally from generation to generation. This tradition is of two kinds viz., Oral tradition and written tradition. newlineOral tradition is transmitted orally while written tradition is transmitted in a written form; therefore, it can be said that verbal art is the oral art. Folk literature is related to written tradition yet it cannot deny the verbal form. Suppose we have collected a particular tale from a particular person of a definite place and have given the written form to it, it doesn t mean that it has the written form only and not the verbal form. Initially folk narratives were transferred from person to person verbally or in the oral form and later on, given the written form. newlineIndigenous communities had long maintained their own system of religion-worshipping Gods, Nature or sacred personas. Systems of government ranged from democracies to councils of elders to theocracies. This variation enters into the oral and folk literature as well and it is possible to make a few generalizations. Indigenous stories glow with veneration of nature physical as well as spiritual. Nature to them is alive and endowed with supernatural forces; primary characters being animals, plants and often Totems, associated with a tribe, group, or individual. Paradigms of almost every oral genre are found in Sümi verbal art: lyrics, chants, incantations, yodels, hollers, war-cries, laments, fairy tales, anecdotes, riddles, proverbs, myths and legends. Accounts of the ancestors abound, ranging from their origin, migration, survival and from tricksters tales to supernatural themes. Native Sümi verbal art takes in different social-cultural, historical, legendary, natural and spiritual perspectives. newlineNative literature of the tribe initiates in the oral traditions of native people. The spoken words are used to convey thoughts, beliefs, ideas and information from generation to generation. Today, the oral tradition remains an