Author: Dr. Parul Saxena

Abstract: The tribal literature in Indian English literature acts as an apt tool of counter-discourse on the mainstream discourses on history, culture, development, identity, etc. It exposes the deprived, wretched and the downtrodden. Oral voices make their place to communicate their anguish. Tribal writing in Indian English literature is also a strong discourse of contestation of the dominant discourse of history, development, culture and identity by giving an authentic experience to native discourse to voice the excluded, misunderstood and ignored people. Through writings highlighting the experience of resistance, identity, displacement, ecological understanding, the safeguarding of culture, or the retelling of oral stories, the tribal literature undermines the constructions of colonialism, capitalism and the state apparatus. It aims to understand how tribal narratives contest hegemonic representations and establish indigenous authority through analysing the writings of Mahasweta Devi, Gopinath Mohanty, Hansda Sowvendra Shekhar, Temsula Ao, and Mamang Dai within the framework of Subaltern Studies and Ecocriticism. The essay focuses on how tribal literature remembers collective history, reinforces cultural integrity and builds up a sensitive rapport with nature. The utilisation of the English language as a means of literary representation is beneficial for the accessibility and propagation of indigenous voices and thus opens debates on authenticity and misrepresentation.

Keywords: Tribal Literature, Counter-Discourse, Indigenous Identity, Resistance, Subaltern Studies, Ecocriticism, Cultural Preservation, Oral Tradition, Displacement, Marginalisation, Indian English Literature.

Article Info: Received: 14 Jun 2026; Received in revised form: 09 Jul 2026; Accepted: 13 Jul 2026; Available online: 19 Jul 2026

DOI: 10.22161/ijels.114.18