Feral children: Lost in Time

TRIBAL society is intricate and has a close relations with nature. The environment they live in itself is considered to be mystic. Peoples relationship with the supernatural and their belief of such existence is widely understood and accounted for. In this direction, various accounts can be gathered from almost every tribal villages residing in the hills/forest about people interacting with the supernatural and to an extreme losing their sense and often disappearing in the jungle to escape. Sometimes lost for days to weeks and when found, they shows unstable mind and abnormal behavior. After coming to their senses they often relay stories of meeting supernatural beings, their encounter with the spirit and how they treated them as their new members. Though their account cannot be taken as completely real, yet it can hold some truth about the existence of some sort of supernatural being co existing with the human community. What is this supernatural being or bad spirit? In Christian context based on tribal belief is equated with satan. The tribal view spirit in different ways. The good and the bad spirits; The evil spirits are considered to be preying on vulnerable people (not strong in their belief and faith) to be part of their company/disciple. Those people with such encountering experiences with supernatural being often have stories that are common to them like eating/consuming all that is available like algae, cow dung, plants etc,. They sometimes fly, going for a speed ride in highway but when they regain their consciousness found themselves abandoned in the jungle or secluded place.This can be considered trances but not necessarily sleepwalk. Normal person can all of sudden change his/her behavior, attitude and character and start doing abnormal things, cursing family members, beating, sometime falling ill which can be permanent in some rare cases.In order to bring back such person (if vanished from village or runaway case in the jungle), people gather in groups to called out the human spirit with the help of drums and songs. But how do you come in term with such description, it is intriguing whether to accept or believe such stories which they said and recount. Or are such stories make up by those who lost control of themselves due to tension, mental problem and family issues or out of shame or guilt cook up stories of encountering the supernatural.

The society believes in the existence of the spirit. Many rituals were performed to ward off such evil. In some cases the stories seems to be real if it associated with place known for the presence of evil spirit or any other hearsay encounter to supernatural activities in that particular place or area. People who experienced such unexplained phenomena often see someone known to them calling out from the house or seeing attractive girl or guy luring them to accompany them for some work. In such abnormal state they saw beautiful places, enjoy palatial food and dine with kings and queen but when caught by the search team they are found with injury mark in their skin and torn dress. 

What did they confront and how did they transform to something superficial? Is it real? Is it fiction? People often distinguish the binary between God and satan, truth over evil yet due to lack of scientific proof such stories are relegated to tribal folklore and stories.

There are numerous accounts of feral children around the world through the ages. The most famous in recent years is of a Mizo girl name Ng Chhaidy of Theiva near Saiha, Mizoram, India (2012), who went missing in a jungle aged four, returning 38 years later. Cambodian jungle girl (2007) alleged to be Rochom P'ngieng, who lived 19 years in the Cambodian jungle, etc and many confirmed and unconfirmed cases.

Mowgli of the Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling is one such classic story along with Tarzan which falls into such storylines.

Further study is being carried out in regards to such belief from the past to the present as this notion or belief is yet to abandon even after the acceptance of Christianity. 

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