Indigenous Relational Ontology and Zoe-Centered Life in The Black Hill by Mamang Dai
| Author |
| Chunindia Salam |
| Date of Publication: June, 2026 |
| Volume: XXVI, No.- XXIX |
| DOI:10.65734/tgi.ssei.avp.ijcsss.ti.26.29.11 |
| Abstract |
| The paper examines Mamang Dai’s The Black Hill through the lens of Indigenous relational ontology and explores its points of resonance with Rosi Braidotti’s concept of zoe. Set within the historical context of nineteenth century Arunachal Pradesh, the novel presents a worldview that challenges colonial and anthropocentric understandings of existence. By exploring the relational structures embedded within Adi-Mishmi cosmologies, the paper argues that The Black Hill imagines life as a network of interdependent relations. Rather than reading Indigenous cosmologies through posthumanist theory alone, the paper considers how they offer distinctive ways of conceptualizing life, agency, and existence beyond the human. In doing so, it demonstrates how Northeast Indian literature contributes to broader discussions of relationality and expands contemporary understandings of the posthuman. |
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