The Role of Storytelling as Resistance in Indigenous and Tribal Literatures (In English)

Storytelling has long been a central mode of cultural expression among Indigenous and tribal communities, serving as a repository of history, memory, and values. In the context of colonial and postcolonial oppression, storytelling emerges as a form of resistance, asserting the autonomy, identity, and epistemologies of marginalised peoples. This paper examines the role of storytelling in Indigenous and tribal literatures written in English, highlighting how narrative practices reclaim histories, challenge dominant discourses, and articulate collective memory. Drawing on postcolonial theory, Indigenous studies, and critical literary frameworks, the article analyses works by authors such as Leslie Marmon Silko, Sherman Alexie, Arundhati Subramaniam, and Jeet Thayil, emphasising the political, cultural, and aesthetic dimensions of storytelling as resistance. The discussion underscores the transformative potential of literature to confront erasure, foster cultural continuity, and envision alternative social realities.