Question

Briefly discuss the summary of the poem The Old Story Teller by Temsula AO​

Answer 1

Answer:

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Temsula Ao, possibly Nagaland’s most eminent contemporary folklorist, academic and poet, writes, ‘the inherent instability of any oral tradition needs no great elaboration. In the context of the Ao-Nagas too, the inevitable variables in human memory and performance led to a gradual depletion of the literary contents and poetic language of the tradition. Added to this some inexorable facts of history further hastened the process of deterioration.’

Temsula Ao emphasises, ‘it is an undeniable fact that the rhythm of the tradition is disrupted and its relevance certainly diffused. In many ways, it finds itself out of step with the modern world and it is at a stage where, ostensibly, the only acknowledgement it receives is in the wearing of traditional garments and ornaments on special occasions. Old songs and dances are re-learned in a hurry and presented awkwardly. But on another level tradition, one believes that the moral values imparted by the tradition are still relevant and they continue to govern the people wherever they may live, not because they are the values of a certain people but because they are universal values.’

The Ao-Nagas say that they once had a script which was inscribed on a hide and hung on a wall for all to see and learn. But one day a dog pulled it down and ate it up. Since then, the people say that every aspect of their life, social, political, historical and religious has been retained in the memory of the people through the Oral Tradition.