Abstract:
Diverse discursive practices related to the elephant have created diverse emotions
such as respect, fear, empathy, hate, devotion, and joy among the people of Sri Lanka.
Often, it is being said that these discursive practices have been in operation since
antiquity. It is a common fact that the most of present day discursive practices and
their manifestations are heavily influenced by our colonial legacy. Therefore, the
objective of this study is to explore the impact of colonial legacy on the nuances of
the representations of elephants in contemporary Sri Lankan culture. With this
objective in mind, a genealogy of representation of elephants in Sri Lankan culture
from colonial period to this date is explored using secondary qualitative data.
Colonial representations of elephants are explored using official colonial documents,
documents published by colonial officers, Western travelogues, and colonial
iconography (symbols, architecture and artifacts). Representations of elephants in
contemporary Sri Lankan culture (beliefs, imagery, art, iconography and every-daypractices
embedded in rituals, beliefs, media, public speeches and religious sermons)
are also explored. A genealogy of representation of elephants in Sri Lankan culture
reveals how the colonial knowledge production has shaped our understanding of the
elephant. Many contemporary cultural practices related to the elephant clearly portray
the legacy of the colonial gaze towards the orient, although today they are often
perceived as traditions which have evolved for thousands of years in this land.
