Contextualizing The Issues of Preserving the Tripuri Folktale Chethuang In The 21st Century

Abstract

Moving from oral narratives to digital media brings harmony between old tales and new technologies, showing how traditional stories and technology work together. The transition from orality to digitality marks a significant shift in how cultural narratives are preserved, interpreted and transmitted in the 21st century. The primary objective of the study focuses on the Tripuri folktale Chethuang to explore how indigenous oral traditions are being reshaped and preserved through digital platform. Historically grounded in communal and performative settings, the folktale exemplifies the dynamic nature of oral storytelling in Tripuri culture. With technological advancements, these narratives are now finding expression in digital formats, leading to new modes of meaning-making. This research examines how adaptation from oral to digital storytelling transforms narrative structure, performative elements, and audience interaction. The study employs a comparative approach, analyzing Chethuang in its oral and digital forms. It examines changes in narrative techniques, performative elements, and audience interaction. While digital platforms offer new opportunities for wider dissemination and creative expression, this article critically examines how such adaptations may also alter the cultural essence and emotional resonance that oral tradition carries. This study explores how indigenous storytelling practices can adapt to digital formats by maintaining a careful balance- where digitization supports the cultural depth and integrity of traditional folktales rather than overshadowing it.