AMALA RANI S, DR. S. KARTHIK KUMAR
DOI: https://doi.org/Indigenous living is deeply rooted in their environment which encompasses land, nature, and animals. Their spiritual expressions are manifested in the natural elements found in the environment and their peaceful coexistence with these natural phenomena exemplifies the harmonious living. Across many indigenous cultures, land is the key contributor to the community’s identity. Indigenous communities have a unique relationship with the land that the settler colonialist would never decipher. Sheela Tomy’s Valli captures the Paniya tribe’s sense of belonging to the land of Wayanad in Kerala. Patricia Grace’s Potiki encapsulates the Māori people’s bond with the ancestral land. Both texts present a distinct study of the connection that these tribes have with their land. This study captures the intrinsic connection between the land and identity. A comparative analysis of the texts explores the similarities and differences in these indigenous communities’ resistance, resilience, and the cultural significance of the land in the indigenous living. This paper analyses the way the indigenous communities use narratives to preserve their history, traditional ecological knowledge and how land shapes their identity.
