Paper short abstract:

How can we understand hope and mourning of an indigenous community who has been forcefully evicted from their home? The proposed paper attempts to understand how loss, mourning, and hope are collectively expressed.

Paper long abstract:

Paat-mi: Hope in Mourning in Loktak Lake of Manipur, India

What does it mean for a lake-people to not be dwelling in the lake? How do they live in-between water and land? Drawing on ethnographic data, the paper attempts to understand the hope and mourning of a displaced indigenous community. Paat-mi has been forcefully displaced since 2011 from Loktak Lake of Manipur, India. They have been forcefully evicted by the authorities to preserve the lake from further deterioration.

How does a displaced community strive and live in a contested ecosystem? How do the feelings of losing their home are collectively perceived and expressed? How does this feel result in collective political action? The paper attempts to explore the relationship between a displaced indigenous community and water, which is entangled with loss, mourning, fear, courage, and hope.