Ethnic groups in Bangladesh

Bangladesh's tribal population consisted of 897,828 persons, just over 1 percent of the total population, at the time of the 1981 census. The Bangladeshi population is relatively homogeneous and consists of about 98% ethnic Bengali as well as various tribal groups, mostly in the Chittagong Hill Tracts and in the regions of Mymensingh, Sylhet, and Rajshahi. The majority of the tribal population (778,425) lived in rural areas, where many practiced shifting cultivation. Most tribal people were of SinoTibetan descent and had distinctive Mongoloid features. They spoke Tibeto-Burman languages. In the mid-1980s, the percentage distribution of tribal population by religion was Hindu 24, Buddhist 44, Christian 13, and others 19.

The Chakmas are the largest tribe of Bangladesh. The Chakmas are of mixed origin but reflect more Bengali influence than any other tribe. The Chakmas generally lived in the highland valleys. Most Chakmas are Buddhists, but some practice Hinduism or animism.

The Chakmas ( Chakma or ),also known as the Changma (চাংমা), are a community that inhabits the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh and the North-East India. The Chakmas are the largest ethnic group in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, making up more than half the tribal population. Chakmas are divided into 46 clans or Gozas. A tribal group called Tangchangya (তঞ্চংগ্যা) are also considered to be a branch of the Chakma people. Both tribes speak the same language, have the same customs and culture, and profess the same religion, Theravada Buddhism.

Chakmas are Tibeto-Burman, and are thus closely related to tribes in the foothills of theHimalayas. The Chakmas are believed to be originally from Arakan who later on moved toBangladesh, settling in the Cox's Bazar District, the Korpos Mohol area, and in the Indian states of Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura.

The Arakanese referred to the Chakmas as Saks or Theks. In 1546, when the king of Arakan, Meng Beng, was engaged in a battle with the Burmese, the Sak king appeared from the north and attacked Arakan, and occupied the Ramu of Cox's Bazar, the then territory of the kingdom of Arakan.

Defeated by the Arakanese, the Chakmas entered the present Chittagong Hill Tracts and made Alekyangdong, present-day Alikadam, their capital. From Alekyangdong they went north and settled in the present-day Rangunia, Rauzan, and Fatikchari upazillas of Chittagong District.

In 1666, Shaista Khan, who was then Mughal Governor of Bengal, defeated the Arakanese, conquered Chittagong, and renamed it Islamabad. However, in the early days the Mughal supremacy was confined only to the plain areas of chittagong, and the Chakmas remained practically unaffected. After a few years, when a dispute developed between the Mughals and the Chakmas, the Mughals demanded tribute from the Chakmas for trading with Chittagong.

In 1713, peace was established, and soon a stable relationship developed between the Chakmas and the Mughals; the latter never demanded complete subjugation from the former. The Mughals also rewarded the Chakma king Sukdev, who established a new capital in his own name, in an area is still known as Sukbilash . There are still ruins of the royal palace & other establishments. Subsequently the capital was shifted to Rajanagar.

 

Culture

The Chakma's are a people with their own culture, folklore, literature and traditions. The Chakma women wear an ankle length cloth around the waist which is also called Phinon and also a Haadi wrapped above the waist as well as silver ornaments. The Phinon and the Haadi are colourfully hand weaved with various designs. The design is first embroidered on a piece of cloth known as Alaam.

Festivals

The most important festivals celebrated by the Chakmas are Bizhu and Buddha Purnima .

Bizhu

Bizhu is the most important socio-religious festival of the Chakma.This festival gave birth to the Bizhu dance.The festival lasts for three days and begins on the the last day of the month of Chaitra.The first day is known as Phool Bizhu. On this day, household items, clothes are cleaned and washed, food items are collected to give the house a now look with the veil of different flowers. The second day known as Mul Bizhu day starts with the bath in the river. People wear new clothes and make rounds of the village. They also enjoy specially made vegetable curry known as Pachonton , different homemade sweets and take part in different traditional sports. The day ends with the Bizhu dance.

Buddha Purnima

It is celebrated on the full moon day in the month of Baisakh.It actually encompasses the birth, enlightenment (nirvāna), and passing away (Parinirvāna) of Lord Buddha.On the day of the worship devotees go to the monastery with Siyong (offerings of rice,vegetable and other fruits and confectionaries).The Buddhist priests known as Bhikshus lead the devotees for chanting of mantra composed in Pali in praise of the holy triple gem: The Buddha, The Dharma (his teachings), and The Sangha (his disciples).

Apart from this,other practices such as lighting of thousands of lamps, releasing of Phodona (an auspicious lamp made of paper in the form of a balloon) are also done as and when possible.

The Marmas (or Maghs)

The Marma also known as Magh or Mog are Arakanese descendants inhabiting the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) of Bangladesh since the Arakan kingdom period in the 16th century AD. In the late 20th century, their population stood at over 210,000. Ethnically related to the Myanmar, they are largely followers of Theravada Buddhism. They are the second largest ethnic minority group in Bangladesh. Most Marmas live in the three hill districts of Rangamati, Bandarban and Khagrachhari. The headquarter of the Raja or Chief of the Marma society is located atBandarban, CHT. Marmas speak Arakanese dialect and their language is written in Burmese characters. Marma language belongs to the Burmano-Arakan group within the broad classifications of Tibeto-Burman languages. In recent times, Marmas in urban areas and nearby settlements speak the corrupt local language of Chittagongnian.

The word Marma, an archaic Arakanese pronunciation, originates from the Burmese wordMyanmar, which means 'Burmese nationals'. The ancestors of the rulers Rajas (Chief or Boh Mong/ Bohmong) of the Marma population used to live in Pegu (modern Bago) city of Burma (Myanmar) long before it was invaded in 1599 by King Mong Raja Gree of Arakan kingdom, where Mrauk U was the capital city. After the victory, the Arakanese king appointed the nobles from Pegu to rule in newly established circle of Boh Mong Htaung in CHT, by giving the title of "Bohmong/ Boh Mong". The entire population of the circles were Arakanese; and the subordinate rulers to the Arakanese king, were Burmese descendants who called themselves "Marma" in the Arakanese language. There is one point to note that although the chiefs were the Burmese lineage, they did not call their population group of CHT in the Burmese language as "Myanmar", but they call it in Arakanese as "Marma".

Culture

The houses of Marma people are made of bamboo, wild grass and straw. These are built on elevated bamboo or wooden platforms (machang). Every room of the house is a bed room-cum-store. The space underneath the machang is used for various purposes such as keeping livestock, storing fuel wood, or accommodating handlooms for weaving. Some houses, however, are made of mud and built without machangs. Rice and boiled vegetables are major food items of the Marma people. 'Ngappi' a paste of dried fish, is a favourite. They enjoy rice bear and smoke indigenous cigars.

 Marma men and women typically wear 'thami' (sarong) and 'angi' (blouse). However, the angi used by the men is more a waistcoat than a blouse. Marmas make their own dresses using traditional weaving technology, although many now purchase common Bangali dresses from the market. They usually do not wear shoes, but this tradition, too is not in vogue now thanks to increased association with other peoples. Kitchen utensils in a Marma family are mostly earthen or made of bamboo and wood. Many families, however, use aluminum wares like pots, pans, plates and glasses.

The nuclear family is predominant in the Marma community. Although the husband is the head of the household, the wife also has a significant role in the family. KINSHIP ties are quite strong in the Marma society. Such ties are both affinal and consanguineous. The property inheritance, in general, follows the old Burmese line of inheritance called Thamohada. Both sons and daughters inherit parental properties. The 'auroth' (most favourite) child gets the ownership of the house and has to take care of the parents. In recent times, however, inheritance of landed property follows a rule according to which the property is distributed in the ratio of 2:1 between sons and daughters.

Agriculture is the main occupation of Marmas. Jhum cultivation is their primary agricultural pursuit. They also supplement their food requirement by gathering tree leaves, roots, and tubers from hill forests. Small-scale homestead gardening is also common among them. Other important economic activities of Marmas include basketry, brewing and wage labor. Weaving is a very common activity of Marma women. Marmas were not market oriented in the past. Their economic activities and production system were geared to their subsistence. Only recently have they become involved in trade and commerce. Products of the Marma people are sold mostly through middlemen. Some Marma families now operate small retail stores.

The traditional political administrative system in the Marma community is a three-tier one. Village level administration is headed by a karbari. The mouza level is headed by a headman and the circle level is headed by the circle chief Raja. The Rajas are the subordinates of the Arakanese king since 16th century. The main responsibilities of the village karbari, the mouza headman, and the circle chief are collection of jhum tax. In addition, each is entrusted with various socio-cultural responsibilities including

mitigation of disputes, pronouncing judgements, and maintaining law and order at their respective levels of administration.

The Tipperas (or Tipras)

Most popularly known as tripuri tribes The Tripuri (Tipra or Tipperah) people are the original inhabitants of the Kingdom of Tripura in North-East India and Bangladesh. The Tripuri people through the Royal family of the Debbarmas ruled the Kingdom of Tripura for more than 2000 years till the kingdom joined the Indian Union in 1949.

The Tripuris live on the slopes of hills in a group of five to fifty families. Their houses in these areas are built of bamboo or ua as it is called in Kokborok and raised five to six feet height to save themselves from the dangers of the wild animals. Nowadays a considerable section of this community are living in the plains and erecting houses like the plains people, adopting their methods of cultivation, and following them in other aspects of life, such as dress, manners, and cosmetics. Tripuri women wear a scarp, called rignai, which reaches down just below the knee. They weave in their loin-loom a small piece of cloth, which they call risa, and they use this small piece of cloth as their breast garment.

History

The Tripuri people are considered part of the Tibeto-Burmese ethnic group. Originally they migrated from near the upper courses of the Yangtze kiang and the Hwang Ho rivers in Western China. They had left China long before the Sui dynasty came to power. At the time of migration they wereanimists. So it may be reasonably assumed that they migrated before 65 AD, the year Buddhismwas introduced in China. The common reference to these people as "Kiratas" and "Cinas" in the early Sanskrit texts of India unmistakably indicates that they came down to the Assam valley long before the dawn of Christian era.

Tripuris entered their present country through its north-eastern corner , settled there and gradually expanded their settlement and suzerainty over the whole of Tripura. They were able to expand their influence as far south as Chittagong, as far west as Comilla and Noakhali (known during the British period as 'plains Tipperah') and as far north as Sylhet (all in present Bangladesh). Hardly their forefathers could imagine that their descendants were destined to build a strong monarchy and resist the advance of the Mughals. The ruling dynasty passed through several vicissitudes of history and ruled Tripura for several centuries till up to 14 October 1949, the day Tripura was annexed by India.

The indigenous Tripuri people comprises various hill tribal communities viz., Tipra, Reang, Jamatia,Kaipeng, Noatia, Koloi, Halam, etc. who migrated to this land in successive waves in the ancient past. They grew in isolation and were sometimes subjugated by one another. Each community had its own elementary social and administrative organization starting from the village level and up to the chieftainship of the whole tribe.

The tribes enjoy their traditional freedom based on the concept of self-determination. The relation between the king and the subject tribes was asMaharaja (king) of Tripura-Missip or liaison officer Roy of Headman of the tribe - Sardar of chief of the village-the individual. Earlier, only the Debbarma or Tipra ethnic group was included within theTripuri Kshatriya group. Later, the Raja included other groups like Reang, Jamatia and Noatia as well, in an attempt to foster a sense of kinship among the people under his reign.

The Tripuri people have a rich historical, social and cultural heritage which is totally distinct from that of the mainland Indians, their distinctive culture as reflected in their dance, music, festivals, management of community affairs, dress and food habit has a strong base. Kokborok, the lingua franca of the twelve largest linguistic groups of the indigenous Tripuris and other dialects spoken in Trpura are of the Tibeto-Burman group as distinct from those spoken in India. There is no influence whatsoever of from those spoken by other peoples in the North-eastern region. The great music composer father-son duo of S.D. Burman & R.D. Burman belong to the Tripura royal family.

The main Tripuri tribes are:

§                    Debbarma or Tipra , from which the royal family Debbarman ruled the kingdom.

§                Reang or Bru

§                    Jamatia

§                    Koloi

§                    Noatia

§                    Murasing

§                    Halam

§                    Uchoi

The Mros (Mrus or Moorangs).

The Mros (Bengali: ম্রো) also known as Murangs (Bengali: মুরং) or Mru, are a community inhabiting the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh and also in Burma with a population of 21,963 in Bangladesh according to the 1991 census. The Mros are the 2nd largest tribal group inBandarban District of the Chittagong Hill Tracts. A small group of Mros also live in Rangamati Hill District.

hey primarily speak the Mru language, a Tibeto-Burman language, and one of the recognizedlanguages of Bangladesh. The Mru language is considered "definitely endangered" by UNESCOin June 2010.

The Mru people live near the intersection of Myanmar, Bangladesh and India. Many Mru live within the Yoma District and the Arakan hills of Rakhine State in western Myanmar.

Originally the Mros lived in Arakan. But in the late 18th century they were attacked and defeated by another tribe Khumi and were forced to take shelter in the present Bandarban District. But still now there are Mros living on the bank of the Mi, a tributary of the Koladan river in Arakan,Burma.

Urdu speaking people

There are about 300,000 Urdu-speaking people in Bangladesh, considered as refugees from the 1947 religious riots in Eastern India. They were Muslims and sought refuge in East Pakistan, and were granted Pakistani citizenship. However, this status became disputed once East Pakistan seceded to become Bangladesh. They are casually referred to as Biharis (because most of them are from the Indian state of Bihar); a formal term is "Stranded Pakistani

 

Other Tribes

There are some other tribal groups in other parts of the country. Santals are inhabitants of Rajshahi and Dinajpur. Khasis, Garos, and Khajons in Mymensingh and Sylhet regions.

Different tribal groups differed in their social organization, marriage customs, foods, birth and death and other social customs from the people of the rest of the country. They have somehow managed to resist centuries of colonization and in the process have retained their own customs, traditions and life. Bangladesh also has the Mughal Tribe.

All the documents are create By Arafat Shiraj Shiplu for www.showmeneel.blogspot.com