u/DormantBear

The reality TV show Tribeverse, which recently launched on the OTT platform JioStar, is another example of these new post-streaming, post-2020 representations of the Northeast, and it is another example of why the conversation of “who can tell what type of stories” is important.

On the surface, the show feels like a love letter to Nagaland. And I’m sure the creators and the people who were part of this project felt that way too. They wanted to showcase “tribal” culture as authentically as possible, but wrapped up in a nice gameshow aesthetic. All fun. All good.

But it is such a pervasive problem when a couple of executives in Mumbai decide to show us what they feel about the Northeast. The tranquility, the “simple” way of life, the beauty, without truly understanding the people and the politics of the place.

As a show, Tribeverse is as cookie-cutter as a reality show can be. Completely harmless on the surface. But what the show represents is something that needs to be talked about more. It represents a colonial lens that persists even today. It represents a perspective that has been part of academic conversation for quite some time now. It, albeit unintentionally, exoticises the people, the land, and the way of life of the “tribal” belt. We are, to them, just a bunch of stereotypes. And even if some of these stereotypes seem positive, they are still stereotypes that push us into a box. Clean AQI, one with nature, simple “traditional” life. And on the other end, dangerous, primitive, headhunters.

As a naga and a person from the northeast, I wonder why we are not given the opportunity to tell our own stories.

There is clearly an appetite for them. People from outside the Northeast are interested in our perspectives, enough so that several shows on OTT platforms now feature Northeastern plot lines, and even a reality show set in Nagaland. (Which by the way, Tribeverse itself was shot near Mima Village, an Angami village, but the houses the contestants stayed in are clearly inspired by Konyak architecture. It is a clash of identities, or perhaps a homogenisation of Naga culture, neither of which feels like a better alternative.)

It shows that India is finally willing to listen to us and include us, even though when the pandemic occurred, northeastern people were racially profiled and abused. Called racial slurs and ostracised to the point of people fearing their lives and many evacuating major cities. Or when Anjel Chakma, a young bright kid from Tripura, was murdered in Dehradun just last year. And let’s just forget whats going on in Manipur while we enjoy this show of a collection of influencers trying to throw a makeshift spear. #representation.

It is frustrating because the issue is not always rooted in malice. It is rooted in a lack of understanding, and the confidence to represent anyway. And that is where the real danger lies.

The reality TV show Tribeverse, which recently launched on the OTT platform JioStar, is another example of these new post-streaming, post-2020 representations of the Northeast, and it is another example of why the conversation of “who can tell what type of stories” is important.

On the surface, the show feels like a love letter to Nagaland. And I’m sure the creators and the people who were part of this project felt that way too. They wanted to showcase “tribal” culture as authentically as possible, but wrapped it up in a nice gameshow aesthetic. All fun. All good.

But it is such a pervasive problem when a couple of executives in Mumbai decide to show us what they feel about the Northeast. The tranquility, the “simple” way of life, the beauty, without truly understanding the people and the politics of the place.

As a show, Tribeverse is as cookie-cutter as a reality show can be. Completely harmless on the surface. But what the show represents is something that needs to be talked about more. It represents a colonial lens that persists even today. It represents a perspective that has been part of academic conversation for quite some time now. It, albeit unintentionally, exoticises the people, the land, and the way of life of the “tribal” belt. We are, to them, just a bunch of stereotypes. And even if some of these stereotypes seem positive, they are still stereotypes that push us into a box. Clean AQI, one with nature, simple “traditional” life. And on the other end, dangerous, primitive, headhunters.

As a person from the Northeast, I wonder why we are not given the opportunity to tell our own stories.

There is clearly an appetite for them. People from outside the Northeast are interested in our perspectives, enough so that several shows on OTT platforms now feature Northeastern plot lines, and even a reality show set in Nagaland. (Which by the way, Tribeverse itself was shot near Mima Village, an Angami village, but the houses the contestants stayed in are clearly inspired by Konyak architecture. It is a clash of identities, or perhaps a homogenisation of Naga culture, neither of which feels like a better alternative.)

It shows that India is finally willing to listen to us and include us, even though when the pandemic occurred, northeastern people were racially profiled and abused. Called racial slurs and ostracised to the point of people fearing their lives and many evacuating major cities. Or when Anjel Chakma, a young bright kid from Tripura, was murdered in Dehradun just last year. And let’s just forget whats going on Manipur while we enjoy this show of a collection of influencers trying to throw a makeshift spear. #representation.

It is frustrating because the issue is not always rooted in malice. It is rooted in a lack of understanding, and the confidence to represent anyway. And that is where the real danger lies.

The reality TV show Tribeverse, which recently launched on the OTT platform JioStar, is another example of these new post-streaming, post-2020 representations of the Northeast, and it is another example of why the conversation of “who can tell what type of stories” is important.

On the surface, the show feels like a love letter to Nagaland. And I’m sure the creators and the people who were part of this project felt that way too. They wanted to showcase “tribal” culture as authentically as possible, but wrapped it up in a nice gameshow aesthetic. All fun. All good.

But it is such a pervasive problem when a couple of executives in Mumbai decide to show us what they feel about the Northeast. The tranquility, the “simple” way of life, the beauty, without truly understanding the people and the politics of the place.

As a show, Tribeverse is as cookie-cutter as a reality show can be. Completely harmless on the surface. But what the show represents is something that needs to be talked about more. It represents a colonial lens that persists even today. It represents a perspective that has been part of academic conversation for quite some time now. It, albeit unintentionally, exoticises the people, the land, and the way of life of the “tribal” belt. We are, to them, just a bunch of stereotypes. And even if some of these stereotypes seem positive, they are still stereotypes that push us into a box. Clean AQI, one with nature, simple “traditional” life. And on the other end, dangerous, primitive, headhunters.

As a person from the Northeast, I wonder why we are not given the opportunity to tell our own stories.

There is clearly an appetite for them. People from outside the Northeast are interested in our perspectives, enough so that several shows on OTT platforms now feature Northeastern plot lines, and even a reality show set in Nagaland. (Which by the way, Tribeverse itself was shot near Mima Village, an Angami village, but the houses the contestants stayed in are clearly inspired by Konyak architecture. It is a clash of identities, or perhaps a homogenisation of Naga culture, neither of which feels like a better alternative.)

It shows that India is finally willing to listen to us and include us, even though when the pandemic occurred, northeastern people were racially profiled and abused. Called racial slurs and ostracised to the point of people fearing their lives and many evacuating major cities. Or when Anjel Chakma, a young bright kid from Tripura, was murdered in Dehradun just last year. And let’s just forget whats going on Manipur while we enjoy this show of a collection of influencers trying to throw a makeshift spear. #representation.

It is frustrating because the issue is not always rooted in malice. It is rooted in a lack of understanding, and the confidence to represent anyway. And that is where the real danger lies.