Wolf Totem - Book review

Wolf - is an animal with which humans had a very long and old connection right from stone ages where men were supposed to scavenge from Wolf kills. Their strength,agility, teamwork - hunting packs with defined territories and communicating through howls makes them one of the best predators in any condition and hence most feared opponents for men ; precisely the reason they have been ruthlessly hunted and pushed to wilderness. But these qualities also make them an enemy men revere , right from Native Americans to Grasslanders in Mongolia , wolf is a much respected foe and part of their traditions. It is said that in Europe as men began settle down and clear forests for large scale farming wolf was a big scourge attacking livestock , this led to tales connecting Wolf with Satan , leading to massive hunts to wipe out wolf population. Our perception of wolf is likely to be influenced by the biased view of farmers who saw them as enemies and much of popular literature (tales of werewolves) and culture backs this view.

Jiang Rong's 'Wolf Totem' offers a radically different view of this animal , the book is set somewhere in 1960s in Inner Mongolia during Cultural revolution in China. This book is tale of a young Beijing student sent to live in harsh countryside as punishment . Book describes life of nomadic Mongolians , their traditions and rituals and paints a fascinating picture of wolf , which is feared , hunted yet highly respected by the local mongol grasslanders. For them Wolf is their biggest enemy , but they also understand the crucial role wolf plays in maintaining the balance of Eco-system by keeping the population of other inhabitants of grassland in control and ensuring that land remains green and natural balance is maintained. Those men understood their role in their tug of war with wolves which ensured that Mongols and their animals remained very tough and combative and they in turn by hunting wolves , without wiping them out maintained this balance. The book beautifully describes some fascinating battles between wolves and men , where lot of strategy is employed by both parties and paints wolves as a very sharp thinkers , who carefully assess the situation , plan and execute their attacks to perfection.

The protagonists (Chinese students) wholeheartedly adopt the customs and practices of traditional mongols , earning respect of locals and gaining acceptance. But their relations take a turn when the students adopt and try to raise wolf cub in captivity wanting to understand more about nature of wolves and understand the Wolf totem. The students form a great bond with the cub , but realize gradually that it can never be raised in confinement , the fate of the once wild wolf cub raised under chains in a way is a metaphor for how man has taken control of nature.

A beautiful and serene pastureland which sustains wide variety of flora and fauna has managed to maintain itself and to provide for people living there for ten thousand years. But ever increasing of population of China means farmers from plains have to look elsewhere for food leading to a battle of traditional nomadic herders with modern agrarian society seeking to get more out of the land . At the same time the clashes between man vs nature led by their finest guardians - the Wolves keep happening , the arrival of increasing numbers of men from plains of China along with arrival of modern weapons threatens to totally tilt this delicate balance and send things spiraling out of control. This book describes the cost nature has to bear to support the progress and advance of human race , through the lives of these herdsmen it proposes how we could have lived in harmony with nature. The consequences of human progress on the whole eco-system of Inner Mongolia is a great read and it is something people anywhere in the world should be able to relate to.