Abstract: The lore and legends of indigenous people are embedded with survival stories- against nature including wild animals, diseases, and even fellow human beings. Even in this advanced world full of enhanced technology in the areas of medical and administrative systems the basis of survival still remains the same- adaptability, resistance, and an urge to leave. These instincts amplify manifold when the degree of vulnerability increases. This is also true for every group of indigenous people all over the world. They have been struggling to survive against various agencies such as invasion elimination colonization and modernization their survival always involves a strong protest against any force which tries to modify their original way of living and threaten their existence. This concept has been given name by Gerald Vizenor, a Native American scholar as “survivance”. This is a word made by combining survival and resistance. They face constant struggles globally. They adapt and protest by staying purely connected to their ancestral lands and predictions. They emphasize on their cultural continuity through generational transfer and communal togetherness. This article aims to explore visionary’s concept of survivals in the novels of Mamang Dai set in the northeast Indian tribal regions. Her Legends of Pensam and The Black Hill novels describe the ways of resistance- through oral storytelling and even claiming cultural identity. Their survival aims to provide continuity across generations. It gets transferred through the word-of-mouth oral narratives, folklores, myths, and traditional stories. The interconnected stories in Legends of Pensam provide a non-linear perspective as opposed to the linear and coherent narrative of the colonial historians. The Black Hill presents Kajinsha, the protagonist who is an embodiment of the tribals and their ideology. He makes sure that they do not become the victims of colonial amnesia and their traditions make a significant mark on the tapestry of history.

Keywords: Survivance, Survival, Resistance, Erasure, Cultural Identity

Download: | DOI: 10.17148/IMRJR.2025.021005