Tales of the Tribes: Animation As a Tool for Indigenous Representation
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Tales of the Tribes: Animation as a Tool for Indigenous Representation submitted by Tara Douglas A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements of Bournemouth University for the degree of Professional Doctorate (ProfD) September 2015 COPYRIGHT STATEMENT This copy of the thesis has been supplied on condition that anyone who consults it is understood to recognise that its copyright rests with its author and due acknowledgement must always be made of the use of any material contained in, or derived from, this thesis. Signature of Author . Tara Douglas Contents Abstract . … … … i Acknowledgements . iii List of Images . … iv Index to the Audio Visual Artefacts and Appendices for Tales of the Tribes: Animation as a Tool for Indigenous Representation. vi 1 Introduction . 1 1.1 Background to the Study . 4 1.2 The Indigenous Groups of this Study . 8 1.3 The Indigenous Voice . 19 1.4 The Place of Indigenous Animation in the Animation Industry . 10 1.5 The Practice . 13 2 Contextual Review . 16 2.1 The Literature Review. 17 2.1.1 The People of the Study. … . 17 2.1.2 Indigenous Cultural and Artistic Practices. 20 2.1.3 The Impact of Representation through the Colonial Lens. 21 2.1.4 Self-representation for the Postcolonial Context. 22 2.1.5 The Influence of Colonial Attitudes on Indigenous Art . 24 2.1.6 Neo-colonialism and the Narrative of Globalization . 26 2.1.7 The Legacy of Colonialism: The Animation Industry in India. 27 2.1.8 Expanding Markets and the Commercialization of Indigenous Culture.31 2.2 A Review of Compatible Practice . 33 2.2.1 Indigenous Media. 33 2.2.2 Animation to Challenge Dominant Forms . 35 2.2.3 Experimental Animation Film . 38 2.2.4 Experimental Collaboration with Indigenous and Folk Artists . 43 2.2.5 Government Support . 45 2.2.6 Developing Indigenous Animation Practice . 47 2.2.7 The Adaptation of Folktales . 52 2.2.8 Cross Cultural Collaboration, Ethics and Cultural Ownership . 55 2.2.9 Non-commercialization . 57 2.2.10 Reciprocity and Distribution . 58 2.2.11 Self reflexivity . 59 2.2.12 Conclusion . 60 3 Research and Practice Methods . 61 3.1 The Choice of Setting . 62 3.2 The Participants . 65 3.3 Workshop Practice . 66 3.4 The Pre-Production . 69 3.5 Narrative Structure . 70 3.6 The Adaptation of Traditional Artistic Practice . 73 3.7 Project Management and the Production of the Films . 79 3.8 Participant Observation . 80 3.9 Focus Group Discussions and Interviews . 82 3.10 Interpreting the Material . 85 3.11 The Limitations of the Methods . 85 3.12 Ethical Considerations and Self-reflexivity . 87 4 Findings and Discussion . 90 4.1 Connecting to Indigenous Cultures through Animation . 91 4.2 Territories of Reconciliation . 94 4.3 The Complexity of Self-Representation . 97 4.4 Cross-cultural Collaboration with Animators . 101 4.5 Interpreting the Story as an Animated Film . 107 4.6 Interpreting Indigenous Culture in Animated Films . 110 4.7 The Impact of Commercial Animation on the Making of the Films 113 4.8 Design and Technique . 118 4.9 Voice Recordings and Musical Soundtrack . 121 4.10 A Synthesis of Tradition and Modernity . 121 4.11 Cultural Animation for Indian Audiences . 122 4.12 Emerging Indigenous Animation Practice . 125 4.13 An Inventory of the Major Findings . 126 5 Conclusion . 128 5.1 The Research Questions, Aims and Objectives . 129 5.2 The Key Findings . 129 5.2.1 Cultural Change . 129 5.2.2 Contemporary Indigenous Representation in Animation in India . 131 5.2.3 Participatory Practice and Collaborative Research . 132 5.2.4 Communicating Local Culture to Mainstream Audiences . 134 5.2.5 A model of “how to do it” . 136 5.3 Contribution to Knowledge and Practice . 139 5.4 Building on this Study and Looking Forward . 140 References. 143 Appendices Appendix 01: Award letter from National Geographic All Roads Seed grant for the production of Nye Mayel Kyong (Paradise), the short film from Sikkim. Appendix 02: Letter of Invitation for Gond artists to participate in the Animation Workshop at the National Institute of Design. Appendix 03: Sample animation film script: Manjoor Jhali, (the Story of the Peacock). Appendix 04: Sample storyboard: Manjoor Jhali, (the Story of the Peacock). Appendix 05: A list of blogs for the Tales of the Tribes workshops and films, providing daily updates during the workshops. Appendix 06: Abotani Part One: A short documentary film (duration 15.55) edited by Tara Douglas about the Animation Workshop in Arunachal Pradesh illustrating the activities, topics and issues covered. Appendix 07: Abotani Part Two: A short documentary film (duration12.32) edited by Tara Douglas about the Animation Workshop in New Delhi in collaboration with Lalit Kala Akademi for the production of the Abotani animation film from Arunachal Pradesh illustrating the activities, topics and issues covered. Appendix 08: Documentary film on the pre-production of Manjoor Jhali (duration 6.45) made by post graduate animation students of the National Institute of Design illustrating the concerns and perspectives of the students. Appendix 09: Sample clips of the animation for the Tapta film, and the promo made during the Workshop in Manipur 2012 for comparison. Appendix 10: A sample of the daily schedule for the Animation Workshop in Manipur 2012, as a reference to manage the time and subjects covered. Appendix 11: A selection of press coverage for the Tales of the Tribes project, 2011- 2015. Appendix 12: A list of conferences, screenings and other presentations, publications that have resulted from this work and short courses attended, 2010-2015. Appendix 13: Douglas, T., 2014. Pardhan Gond Adoption of New Media. In: The South Asianist [online] Vol. 3, No. 1, pp. 18–27. Appendix 14: A sample of the responses to the work documented from 2011-2015. Tara Douglas 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. i 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. ii Acknowledgements Thank-you to my academic supervisors, Bronwen Thomas and Chindu Sreedharan and to my industrial supervisor Leslie MacKenzie, for their guidance and support. I am grateful to the Centre for Digital Entertainment at the University of Bournemouth, West Highland Animation Ltd and the EPSRC for supporting this research. With thanks to the Centre for Digital Entertainment, not only for funding my research, but also for the ongoing support of the CDE team and for the opportunities they have provided. I would like to thank the Governments of Nagaland and Manipur for their support for the respective films. I also thank the institutions and organisations that have supported the animation films: Adivasi Arts Trust, National Institute of Design; Lalit Kala Akademi; Rajiv Gandhi University; Manipur Film Development Corporation; Nyamgyal Institute of Tibetology, Directorate of Handloom and Handicraft, Echostream, North East Zone Culture Centre; Tribal Weave; Nagaland Institute of IT and Multimedia; the Centre for Cultural Research and Documentation, INTACH, the Commonwealth Foundation, National Geographic All Roads, the Bryan Guinness Charitable Trust. I thank all the participants from the Animation Workshops in Nagaland, Sikkim, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh. I also thank the cultural advisors, including: Tama Mindo, Moji Riba, Tomo Riba, Bomchak Riba, Mamang Dai, Obang Tayeng, Lama Rinku Tulku Rinpoche, Tashi Densapa, Anna Balikci Denjongpa, Easterine Kire.