Healing across borders: Reclaiming indigenous medicinal knowledge in Mamang Dai’s The Black Hill through ecofeminist and postcolonial lenses

Knowledge about plants and herbs from Indigenous people has often been overlooked by systems supporting Western medical approaches. Because of epistemic suppression, often termed as epistemicide, traditional healing methods were displaced, disrupting the cultural, gender, and ecological foundations that sustained them. Mamang Dai’s novel, The Black Hill, serves as a platform to challenge this erasure by disseminating Indigenous ideas through storytelling. Set in the 19th century Northeast India during British colonization, the novel contrasts emerging Western medical practices with Indigenous healing traditions rooted in spirituality, relationships, and reverence for nature. Applying postcolonial theory, the narrative illustrates how colonial medicine and missionaries attempted to supplant traditional practices with Western healthcare and religious beliefs. Simultaneously, an ecofeminist approach underscores women’s critical roles as healers, custodians of spiritual traditions, and ecological knowledge, emphasizing their bond with the land, their communities, and cultural continuity. This research study argues that The Black Hill functions as a repository for Indigenous cultural knowledge, gendered healing methods, and sacred environmental wisdom. Through Dai’s oral storytelling style, the narrative becomes a literary act of resistance against colonial stereotypes and a reaffirmation of Indigenous cultural integrity. Ultimately, the novel highlights the power of elevating Indigenous perspectives, thereby fostering a more equitable, interconnected, and sustainable world.