Tales of the tribes: animation as a tool for indigenous representation.

Abstract

In India animation practice is almost completely dominated by commercial production. Much of this is outsourced to India by foreign companies, but even the animation that is produced for national broadcast shows characteristics of animation design of Western origination with regard to content, presentation and art style. Consequently, modes of commercially driven animation are dictating the expectations of the medium in India, and have become widely regarded as the normative standard. The forces of global expansion have accelerated the arrival of commercial media entertainment into the various peripheral regions of India. The indigenous communities there have been represented by outsiders since colonial times and have no representation of their own in the medium of animation. As a consequence, young indigenous people are growing up with media entertainment that has no cultural relevance to them. It is challenging their identities and through this process, they are losing touch with their own cultural heritage. In this research I set out to investigate whether animation is a medium that can be used to retell indigenous folktales and reconnect young indigenous audiences to their traditional narratives. The development and production of a sample collection of short animation films, Tales of the Tribes through participatory film-making practice presents case studies of the process of collaborating with indigenous artists and cultural practitioners from selected communities to examine these issues of representation and to investigate how adaptation can be negotiated from oral to audio visual forms of cultural expression. The contribution to knowledge that has emerged from this research shows how the medium of animation can have a significant role for communication within and between cultures. Young indigenous collaborators are receptive to adapting their traditional narratives to the animation medium and participatory practice based on local content engages their contribution. The practice has demonstrated that the possibilities for experimentation with local content and art forms can work to reconnect the young generation with existing cultural forms and practices. In addition, the research shows that young animators in India also appreciate opportunities to experiment with little known Indian content and folk art forms. My research delivers a practical model for animation practitioners to collaborate ethically with local communities and organisations within the context of media representation. For indigenous artists to work alongside animation practitioners to re-imagine their narratives through animation film-making empowers the voices of indigenous young people in India to tell their own story.