| Ethnicity
and Linguistic Diversity |
98 percent of the people of
Bangladesh
are
Bengalis.
The major religion is Islam with Muslims comprising
80 percent of total population. The second major religion
is Hinduism which constitutes 16 percent. Other religions
include Buddhism and Christianity. Minorities include
Biharis and tribes. Among the tribes
Chakma
is the largest.
Bangladesh is one of the largest Muslim countries
in the world. Most Bangladeshi Muslims are Sunnis,
but there is a small Shia community. Among religious
festivals of Muslims Eidul Fitr, Eidul Azha, Eid-e-Miladunnabi,
Muharram etc. are prominent . The contention that
Bengali Muslims are all descended from lower-caste
Hindus who were converted to Islam is incorrect; a
substantial proportion are descendants of the Muslims
who reached the subcontinent from elsewhere.
Hinduism is professed by about 12 percent of the
population. Durga Puja, Saraswati Puja, Kali Puja
etc. are Hindu festivals. Hindus in Bangladesh are
almost evenly distributed in all regions, with concentrations
in Khulna, Jessore, Dinajpur, Faridpur, and Barisal.
Biharis, who are not ethnic Bangalees, are Urdu-speaking
Muslim refugees from Bihar and other parts of northern
India. They numbered about 1 million in 1971
but now had decreased to around 600,000. They once
dominated the upper levels of the society. They sided
with Pakistan during the 1971
war. Hundreds of thousands of Biharis were repatriated
to Pakistan after the war.
Tribal race constitutes less than 1 percent of the
total population. They live in the Chittagong
Hills and in the regions of Mymensingh,
Sylhet,
and Rajshahi.
The majority of the tribal population live in rural
areas. They differ in their social organization, marriage
customs, birth and death rites, food, and other social
customs from the people of the rest of the country.
They speak 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.
Major tribes are the Chakmas, Maghs (or Marmas),
Tipras, Murangs, Kukis and Santals. The tribes tend
to intermingle and could be distinguished from one
another more by differences in their dialect, dress,
and customs than by tribal cohesion. Only the Chakmas
and Marmas display formal tribal organization. They
are of mixed origin but reflect more Bengali influence
than any other tribe. Unlike the other tribes, the
Chakmas and Marmas generally live in the highland
valleys. Most Chakmas are Buddhists, but some practice
Hinduism or Animism.
The Santals live in the northwestern part of Bangladesh.
They obey a set of religious beliefs closely similar
to Hinduism. The Khasais live in Sylhet in the Khasia
Hills near the border with Assam, and the Garo and
Hajang in the northeastern part of the country.
Bangladesh is noted for the ethnic homogeneity of
its population. Over 98 percent of the people are
Bengalis, predominantly Bangla-speaking people. People
speaking Arabic, Persian, and Turkic languages also
have contributed to the ethnic characteristics of
the region.
Bangladesh's tribal population consisted of just
over 1 percent of the total population, at the time
of the 1981 census. They lived primarily in the Chittagong
Hills and in the regions of Mymensingh, Sylhet, and
Rajshahi. The majority of the tribal population (778,425)
lived in rural settings, where many practiced shifting
cultivation. Most tribal people were of Sino-Tibetan
descent and had distinctive Mongoloid features. They
differed in their social organization, marriage customs,
birth and death rites, food, and other social customs
from the people of the rest of the country. 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
of Burmese
ancestry, the Marmas regarded Burma as the center
of their cultural life. Members of the Marma tribe
disliked the more widely used term Maghs, which had
come to mean pirates. Although several religions,
including Islam, were represented among the Marmas,
nearly all of the Marmas were Buddhists.
The Tipperas were nearly all Hindus and accounted
for virtually the entire Hindu population of the Chittagong
Hills. They had migrated gradually from the northern
Chittagong Hills. The northern Tipperas were influenced
by Bengali culture. A small southern section known
as the Mrungs showed considerably less Bengali influence.
The Mros, considered the original inhabitants of
the Chittagong Hills, lived on hilltops and often
fortified their villages. They had no written language
of their own, but some could read the Burmese and
Bangla scripts. Most of them claimed to be Buddhists,
but their religious practices were largely animistic.
Tribal groups in other parts of the country included
Santals in Rajshahi and Dinajpur, and Khasis, Garos,
and Khajons in Mymensingh and Sylhet regions. Primarily
poor peasants, these people all belonged to groups
in the adjoining tribal areas of India.
| Tribes
of Chittagong Hill Tracts |
History of the people
The Chittagong
Hill Tracts are in South-Eastern Bangladesh.
There are about half a million Jumma people in the
tribes that fall into 13 mainly Buddhist Sino-Tibetan
ethnic groups. The largest of these groups are the
Chakma and the Marma. The earliest people were the
Kuki groups: Lushai, Panku, Mro, Kyang, Khumi and
Bonjugi. There was a second movement that came from
the Tripura group: Murung and Tripura.
After them, from the plains of the Chittagon, came
the Chakmas. The last group was the Arakanese: Ryang
and Marma. The Chakmas, who migrated from Champaknagar,
put forth the greatest influence, and their kings
had almost complete control over the indigenous society.
In 1787, the Chakma king Jan Baksh Khan pledged allegiance
to East
India Company of Britain. The Chittagong
Hill Tracts became completely under the control of
the British. These people were forbidden from settling
in the Hill Tracts while under British rule. They
asked for the transfer of their land, but it was also
prohibited. So, in 1935,
these hills became out of the control of the Bengal
administration and came in the hands of the tribal
chiefs. 1947 marked the end of British rule, and there
was continual intrusion of the Bengali settlers into
the hills. Many of these settlers had the unstated
support of the successive governments of Pakistan,
later Bangladesh. Today almost half of the population
of the Hill Tracts is Bengali.
Beliefs, Myths, and Rituals
The tribal people of the Chittagong Hill Tracts
celebrate “Baisabi” every year. This is
considered the greatest time socially and religiously.
It is a festival to say goodbye to the old year and
welcome the Bangla New Year. This three-day long festival
is called the “Baisabi”. It spans from
the last two days of the month of Chaitra to the first
day of the month of Bainshakh.
This festival shows the rich cultural tradition, unity,
and fraternity of the different ethnic groups of the
region The thirteen small ethnic groups take fresh
oaths in the festival to build a peaceful world. Each
tribe celebrates in the same way. The only difference
is the name. The Chakma tribe calls it “Biju”;
the Tripura calls it “Baisu”; and the
Marma call is “Sangrai”.
The festivals consist of sports, dances, songs and
cultural functions. The hill people go to a Buddhist
temple, river or canal to pray to the Lord Buddha
for future peace and prosperity. They light candles
and decorate houses. They also adorn the heads of
cattle with flowers in the afternoon for celestial
blessings. The games they play are “Gudu Hara”,
“Nadeng Hara”, “Gila Hara”
(a game with wild fruit), and “Dari Tanatani
Hara” (played with rope). “Mul Biji”
is the last day of Chaitra, and the people cook different
food items. They entertain the guest with home-made
liquor. On this day, they rise early, wear new clothes,
sing and dance and visit their neighbors.
The
Chakmas
The Chakmas are one of the largest tribes of the Chittagong
Hills. They believe that their tribe was originally
close to or the same as the Sakyan tribe of the Buddha.
The Chakmas are the most advanced and most of them
are educated. They lead the tribal society. The Chakmas
are divided into sub-tribes. The chief of each section
is called the “Dewan”. The Dewans are
in charge of almost all tribal decisions. During “Biju”,
the Chakmas wear traditional dresses, dance, and the
young boys and girls choose their life partner.
The
Marma
The Marma is the second largest tribe. These people
are also Buddhists. During “Sangrai”,
they take their bath in sandal fragmented coconut
water. They also dance from house to house wearing
traditional dresses and a hope plant on their head
called “Kalpotul”. During the third month,
“Ashad”, they celebrate a special festival,
called a lamp festival. During the full moon, they
dance in front of the statue of Lord Buddha and launch
lamps dedicated to Buddha.
The
Biharis
The Biharis have three of the three characteristics
that encourage future protest: significant political
restrictions; Bangladesh's short history of democratic
rule; and support from kindred groups such as the
Mohajirs in Pakistan.
It remains to be seen if mounting Bihari frustration
coupled with continuing Pakistani intransigence will
lead to a new violent phase in the Bihari
struggle for repatriation. Bangladesh has generally
been indifferent to the plight of the Biharis; however,
in recent years it has actively pressed Pakistan to
repatriate the stranded Pakistanis. A minority of
Biharis recently applied for Bangladeshi citizenship,
but most others are still lobbying to return to Pakistan.
The Biharis, who are also referred to as the Stranded
Pakistanis, are urban dwellers who reside in some
66 camps throughout Bangladesh. They have lived in
these camps since the early 1970s after the Pakistani
civil war led to the creation of Bangladesh.
The Biharis
share a common religion with the majority Muslim population.
However, they speak multiple languages including Urdu
and Bengali and have different social customs than
the dominant Bengalis. The Biharis are also physically
distinguishable as they are ethnically related to
the residents of neighboring India's Bihar state.
The Biharis
were a skilled workforce who could speak Urdu, the
official language of Pakistan, and thus they were
able to fill key bureaucratic and private sector positions
in East Pakistan. The Bengalis of East Pakistan, resentful
of West Pakistani domination, turned their hostility
toward the Bihari community. During the East Pakistani
struggle for independence in 1970-71, the Biharis
sided with the West
Pakistanis and some Biharis joined armed
movements to support them.
It has been almost three decades since the Biharis
were first installed in the 66 camps throughout Bangladesh.
They suffer from severe demographic stress. Conditions
in the camps are dismal as public health facilities
such as clean water and sanitation are very limited
and restrictions on employment have led the Biharis
to suffer from food shortages. Government policy ensures
that they are not allowed to freely reside in other
areas of the country.
The Biharis are considered as stateless as most have
neither Bangladeshi nor Pakistani citizenship. As
a result, they are denied basic political rights such
as the right to vote and recruitment to the civil
service, police, military, and political office. These
political restrictions severely limit the group's
economic opportunities and continue to perpetuate
their poverty and underrepresentation.
Most Biharis are still seeking repatriation to Pakistan
but there is a growing minority that has resigned
itself to living in Bangladesh and is thus seeking
Bangladeshi citizenship. Economic concerns are also
a major issue as their lack of citizenship restricts
the types of employment they are able to obtain.
Social
organization
In the villages, there are basic social units called
“paribar” or “gushti”. These
usually consist of a complete or incomplete extended
household or “chula” and reside in a homestead
or “bari”. Groups of homes are called
“paras”. Each para has its own name. Several
paras are called a “Mauza”. Family and
kinship are the core of social life. A family group
in a “bari” functions as the basic unit
of economic activities, landholding, and social identity.
In Islam, marriage is a civil contract rather than
a religious sacrament. Women, according to custom
and practice, are to remain subordinate to men in
almost all aspects of life. Most women’s lives
remain centered on their traditional roles. They have
limited access to markets, productive services, education,
and health care. Women are more industrious than men
are. They are well known for their handicrafts. All
the tribal people are, also, known for their extraordinary
hospitality.
