Oral Histories as Decolonial Knowledge: Indigenous Memory and Identity in Northeast India Sanathoibi Huirem

Abstract

Oral histories have long been marginalized within mainstream social science research due to the dominance of written archives, positivist methodologies, and Eurocentric epistemological assumptions. This marginalization has been especially pronounced in the study of Indigenous societies, where knowledge, history, and cultural memory are primarily transmitted through oral traditions rather than textual documentation. The present study critically examines oral history as a credible, rigorous, and decolonial qualitative research method, with particular reference to Indigenous communities of Northeast India—namely the Khasi, Naga, and Mizo. Grounded in a qualitative, interpretive, and non-empirical research design, the study is based entirely on secondary sources, including ethnographic works, oral history compilations, historical texts, and theoretical literature on memory, Indigenous epistemology, and decolonial scholarship. Using a thematic and comparative analytical framework, the paper explores the multiple social, cultural, and political functions of oral traditions within the selected communities. The findings demonstrate that oral histories operate as living archives that sustain kinship systems, customary laws, moral values, collective memory, and social identity. Among the Khasi, oral narratives underpin matrilineal inheritance and customary governance; among the Nagas, they preserve migration histories, conflict memories, and political consciousness; and among the Mizos, they mediate cultural continuity amid religious and socio-political transformation. Across all cases, oral traditions exhibit resilience and adaptability, challenging dominant historiographical narratives that have historically excluded Indigenous perspectives. The study also identifies persistent challenges related to language erosion, ethical complexities, commercialization of folklore, and limited institutional recognition of oral evidence. Despite these constraints, community-led documentation, digital archiving, and educational integration emerge as viable strategies for sustaining oral knowledge systems. Overall, the paper argues that integrating oral histories into social science research is essential for methodological pluralism, epistemic justice, and the decolonization of knowledge production, particularly in Indigenous contexts.