Beyond Binary Thought: Understanding Santhal Cosmology Through Creation Narratives

Author(s)	Dr. Teresa Tudu
Country	India
Abstract	This paper critically examines Santhal cosmology as articulated in a Santhal creation narrative featuring Thakur Jiv, the Bongas, Malin Budhi, Has-Hasil, and Pilcu Haram-Pilcu Budhi. Through close textual analysis of the narrative, the study argues that Santhal cosmology presents a relational, animistic ontology that challenges Western metaphysical dualism, particularly Cartesian body-spirit binaries. The narrative encodes ecological interdependence, distributed agency, gendered spiritual authority, and non-anthropocentric emergence. By situating the story within Indigenous epistemology, animism, and comparative cosmology, this paper demonstrates that Santhal creation thought foregrounds ontological continuity between spirit and matter, human and non-human, divine and ecological worlds.
Keywords	Cosmology, Santhals, Creation narrative, Aquatic creatures, Western Dualism
Field	Sociology > Linguistic / Literature
Published In	Volume 6, Issue 4, July-August 2024
Published On	2024-08-05

About IJFMR Fees & Payment Current Issue Publication Archive	Submit Research Paper Track Submission Status Publication Guidelines Publication Ethics Peer Review & Plagiarism	Join as a Reviewer Editors & Reviewers Reviewer Referral Program Get Reviewer Membership Certi.	Website/Journal Policies Usage Policy Content Policies Privacy Policy

Contact Us		+91-9687-828-838	editor@ijfmr.com

International Journal For Multidisciplinary Research