European Journal of Molecular & Clinical Medicine

Abstract

In the contemporary society we are constantly struggling to go back to our roots and to maintain
our ethnic identity. ‘Who am I?’ is a question that has been scrutinized by us in diverse forms in
our lives. How important do we think folklore in defining cultural identity? Culture is the
creative expression of a particular society through its symbols, stories, ballads, myths, literature,
art, music and for some its institution. An oral composition may be added to or subtracted from at
any time and by different people. The date regarding the historical background of the Deoris is
largely wanting due to scarcity of relevant ancient documents and other evidences. Regarding the
origin and pre-history of the Deori community few legends as well as traditional songs can be
considered as these appear to have represented real facts. How does a community foster its bond
between people and their folklore and exactly which of its aspects relate to the society at large:
the themes, the language, the forms, or the particular tales, songs and proverbs? The forms of
folklore are thus regarded as the cores at the hearts of artistic forms. Identity is an outcome, a
condition created largely through heritage which may or may not be conveyed through rituals as
the vehicle of transmission. The Deori culture is facing danger from the clutches of globalization
and striving hard to flourish. Such endangered culture so sprung -up by the nature thousand
years past now deserve preservation and propagation by the government itself from being extinct.
Thus, this working paper is a humble endeavour to deal with the notions of authenticity, locality,
vitality of oral culture and cultural identity of the Deori Community, in the realm of folklore.