Temsüla Ao: Keeper of Naga's Folk Culture

Temsüla Ao, an exceptional Naga intellectual, hailed as the pioneer of Naga writing in English, revolutionized the course of Naga Literature, elevating it to the forefront of literary discourse. Her life was devoted to reclaiming the Naga identity as they are, not how they are perceived. She despised the homogenised identity given to the North-East region of India and advocated for the preservation of diversity and folk culture.

Keeper of the Naga Literary and Ethnographic History-Temsüla Ao; Image Credit- Frontline

Temsüla Ao in her poem “The Old Story Teller” affirms: “I have lived my life believing / Story-telling was my proud legacy.” And nothing could be truer because she was a storyteller against the grain.

Temsüla Ao was a narrator in the same manner as her ancestors, who transmitted their knowledge and recollections orally through ballads and laments, or through jubilant songs and poems that expressed joy and hope. Ao’s poetry and short tales are well known to readers of anglophone literature. Still, to the Nagas and the people of North-East India, she was much more: an educator, a government employee working for education and women, and someone who would carve out a niche and a unique voice in the field of English writing.

In the quaint town of Jorhat, Assam, India, Temsüla Ao was born in 1945. She spent her formative years in the same town before moving to the picturesque city of Shillong in Meghalaya for her higher studies. Temsula's passion for writing ignited there and she started her writing career. Soon Her work was published in various literary magazines. Her first book, a collection of poems titled These Hills Called Home, was published in 1974. It received critical acclaim and established her as a talented writer. Since then, she has published several books, including collections of short stories and poems, essays, and a novel.

Padma Shri awardee Temsüla Ao published over seven poetry collections, out of which Songs along the Way Home (2019) has been the most recognised. Journalist Aheli Moitra describes the 50-poem collection Songs along the Way Home as “a deep philosophical exploration of life–personal, social, political–as it has passed her [Ao] by. The poems are heavy, laden with layers of lament, written with the skill of a songbird singing its favourite dusk song.” Moitra points out that Ao is candid in her poems, registering life and wisdom, and never shy about showing the emotions necessary.

Ao's books are known to document an ordinary Naga's consciousness; Source Image: Scroll

Temsüla Ao went to the University of Minnesota as a Fulbright scholar and got an opportunity to interact with Native Americans. The resulting interaction helped her to gain knowledge of their history, society, and particularly their oral practice.  Ao was inspired and motivated to document the oral history of her own village, Ao-Naga, as a result of this experience. After returning from the University of Minnesota, she spent about twelve years working on oral heritage. Finally, Ao gathered her collected tribal legends, stories, ceremonies, laws, customs, and belief systems and published them under the title: Ao-Naga Oral Tradition. The most accurate account of the Ao-Naga society is found in this work.

Another notable work of Ao is her novel Laburnum for my Head, which tells the story of a young girl named Alongla who is forced to leave her home in Nagaland and move to the city to pursue her education. The novel explores the themes of identity, displacement, and the clash between traditional and modern values. The novel won the Sahitya Akademi Award in 2013.

Temsula Ao is best known for her poetry, which explores themes of identity, culture, and womanhood. Her poems are deeply rooted in the experiences of the Naga people, and they reflect the complexities of their history and struggle for self-determination. Her writing is characterized by a deep sensitivity to the nuances of language and a profound understanding of the ways in which language shapes our perceptions of the world.

Temsüla Ao is, indeed, a remarkable author who has left an indelible mark on Indian literature. Her stories and poems have given a voice to the Naga people and have helped to preserve their culture and traditions. Her writing is a testament to the power of storytelling and its ability to bridge cultural divides and bring people together.