| ISSN: 2583-3812 | ISSN: 2583-3812JOURNAL ARTICLE
Keywords: Ecofeminism, Indigenous Knowledge, Naga Women, Ecology, Cultural Identity, Postcolonialism
Abstract: Easterine Kire, one of the pioneering literary voices from Nagaland, redefines the intersection between ecology, gender, and identity through her fiction. Her narratives embody a cultural ecofeminist consciousness that foregrounds the reciprocal relationship between women and the land in indigenous Naga society. This paper explores how Kire’s fiction reconstructs the eco-spiritual worldview of the Naga people, emphasizing the harmony between human and natural worlds that has been disrupted by colonialism, modernity, and patriarchal religiosity. Through novels such as When the River Sleeps (2014), Don’t Run, My Love (2017), A Respectable Woman (2019), and Sky Is My Father (2021), Kire portrays women not merely as passive sufferers but as active keepers of ecological wisdom and cultural continuity. Applying the lens of cultural ecofeminism, this study examines how Kire intertwines environmental ethics with female agency and indigenous epistemology, thereby transforming storytelling into a form of resistance and reclamation. By analyzing her literary landscapes and the portrayal of Naga women’s relationships with nature, the paper argues that Kire’s narratives become a mode of re-rooting—a return to ancestral consciousness and ecological balance. Ultimately, Kire’s fiction reclaims both land and identity as sites of empowerment, positioning the Naga woman as the custodian of ecological memory and cultural resilience in a postcolonial world.
Article Info: Received: 30 Sep 2025; Received in revised form: 28 Oct 2025; Accepted: 03 Nov 2025; Available online: 07 Nov 2025
DOI: 10.22161/ijeel.4.6.2
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