Published Paper Details:

Folktales have long been the medium of moral and social instruction within the tribal communities of North-East India. The practice of oral recitation within the Nocte community dates back to the tribe's inception and remains as a moral compass using which the tribal folks get their moral codes and answers to the unknown transmitted down the generational stream. The moral instructions within the lores often serve as measure that define the code of conduct and outline the gender roles that the society expects of an individual within the community. This study is an attempt made to understand how women are represented in folklore of the Nocte community. The Noctes are one of the major tribes inhabiting the southeastern part of Arunachal Pradesh, India. Traditionally the art of storytelling within the Nocte community has always been performed orally and thereby requires deep transcription. One such effort into documenting the rich stories of the said tribe is performed by Chatung Lowang in her work 'Tales From the Lapping Hills'. This study uses textual-analytical approach along with qualitative content analysis of the said text to reveal underlying ideologies that construct the women space within the studied community and their representation in folktales of the Nocte tribe.