Preserving Indigenous History and Identity through Storytelling in Bruce Chatwin’s The Songlines

Abstract

This study explores the role of storytelling in preserving Indigenous history and identity in Bruce Chatwin’s The Songlines. Employing a qualitative research design, the study conducts a textual analysis of the novel through the theoretical lenses of Bhabha’s Postcolonial Theory and  Assmann’s Theory of Cultural Memory. The analysis examines how Songlines, Dreaming narratives, oral traditions, and cultural practices function as mechanisms for preserving ancestral knowledge, collective memory, and Indigenous identity. The findings reveal that storytelling serves as a living repository of Indigenous history by transmitting cultural values, spiritual beliefs, and historical experiences across generations. The study further demonstrates that storytelling plays a significant role in preserving sacred geography by maintaining the spiritual relationship between Indigenous communities and their ancestral lands. Additionally, Indigenous elders are represented as custodians of cultural memory, ensuring the continuity of traditional knowledge and cultural practices. The findings also indicate that storytelling functions as a form of postcolonial resistance by challenging colonial narratives and reaffirming Indigenous epistemologies. The study concludes that storytelling in The Songlines is not merely a narrative practice but a powerful means of cultural preservation, historical continuity, and identity formation. The study contributes to postcolonial and Indigenous literary studies by highlighting the enduring significance of oral traditions in sustaining Indigenous heritage and cultural resilience.