The oral tradition lives: An interview with Easterine Kire

Easterine Kire, who belongs to the Angami Naga community in Northeast India, documents and incorporates the Indigenous stories, rituals, and cultural motifs of the community in her writings. In this conversation, she explores the profound significance of oral traditions in preserving identity, fostering resilience, and connectedness of individuals with their ancestors and the land. She also delves into the ways storytelling facilitates cross-cultural dialogue, creating bridges between Indigenous nations and the wider world, and highlighting its power to educate and heal. She emphasizes the importance of storytelling, the role of elder members of the community, and how Indigenous narrative traditions continue to survive in the contemporary context through a sharing of stories that sustain communal identity and keep oral traditions alive across the generational divide. Kire also offers her personal insights into the enduring power of oral traditions and their role in shaping a more inclusive and interconnected future.