Ecofeminism and Ecological Preservation in Mamamg Dai's Novel The Black Hill

Abstract: Mamang Dai is a powerful literary voice from Arunachal Pradesh with profound connection to the culture, history and landscape of Northeast India. She received the Padma Shri Award 2011 for her contributions to literature and education. In her writings, Mamang Dai portrays nature and the environment as sentient, spiritual and intrinsically linked to the identity of indigenous communities. There is a deep respect for tribal cultures that is harmed by the destructive forces of modernization and colonialism. The ecological consciousness in her works makes her lament the loss of natural landscape due to environmental degradation. She believes that rivers have soul, land is a living being and natural elements are sacred. Her novel 'The Black Hill' published in 2014, received the Sahitya Akademi Award in 2017. Mamang Dai's 'The Black Hill ' is a historical novel set in the mid- nineteenth century in the region bordering Assam and Tibet. Nature and Ecology are intertwined with the cultural, spiritual and historical identity of the indigenous communities of Arunachal Pradesh. The novel presents an ecocentric worldview where the natural world is a living entity, not merely a backdrop for human events. Through her narrative Dai advocates for an integrated approach to environmental and feminist issues. Keywords: Ecofeminism, Ecology, Nature, Northeast India, Mamang Dai, The Black Hill