Nature, Myth, and Indigenous Consciousness: Eco-critical Perspectives on Selected Mizo Folk Tales

Abstract

This paper explores the relationship between nature, environment, and human life in selected Mizo folk tales through an eco-critical perspective. Ecocriticism, as a literary approach, examines how literature reflects ecological consciousness and the interaction between humans and the natural world. The study highlights the close connection between the Mizo people and their environment, particularly in the pre-Christian period when religious beliefs, livelihood, and social values were deeply rooted in nature. Forests, rivers, mountains, animals, and spirits formed an inseparable part of Mizo cultural and spiritual life, including their conception of the afterlife through places such as Rih Dil and Mitthi Khua. Through selected folk tales such as Liandova leh Tuaisiala, Mauruangi, and Lalruanga leh Keichala, the paper examines themes of compassion toward living beings, environmental ethics, dependence on nature for survival, and the moral responsibility of humans toward the natural world. The study further argues that Mizo folk narratives preserve indigenous ecological wisdom and reflect a harmonious relationship between humans and nature, making them significant sources for understanding traditional environmental consciousness in Mizo society.