Exploring Sustainability In The Religious Worldviews Of The Meiteis

Abstract

Specific plants and animals which are within the domain of nature are considered sacred and related to different religious occasions. The connection of the duality between supernatural beings and such natural beings is executed by human action. Whilst the intersecting domains of nature, spirit, and human influence the cultural life of the people concerned. The present paper discusses on the interrelationship of the man, nature, and spirit in disseminating sustainability of the Meiteis, an indigene of Manipur in the north-eastern corner of India. Methodologically, the study focused mainly on observation and in-depth interview of key informants such as amaiba-amaibi (religious practioners), piba (lineage leader), etc. Through the thick and thin times of the Meiteis, the appeasement of the ancestor spirits known as apokpa and sylvan deities locally known as umanglai lead to forest reservation. Besides, schemas epistemologically translate the enduring of resources in the sustainable way. It may be concluded that by tapping the spiritual assets in the context of the people’s own tradition, it paves a way to rethink in the sustainable consumption.