Life of Chakma Community in Bangladesh
My friends on our traditional New Year festival (known as biju festival) on the last day of the old year offering flowers to the river God (wearing pinon and hadi)
Introduction
Dear Steemians The word “Chakma” many westerners may not have heard before, But Google knows almost everything so if you give a search on Google “Chakma” you will find many articles on it along with many beautiful photos. Here I would take some Photos from the Google with references. I will be very happy and grateful if some steemians read my article and ask me some questions about Chakma people or community.
In Bangladesh there are small minority groups, among all Bangladesh minorities; Chakma Community is the first largest. In the whole world we are Citizens of Bangladesh and India. As a truth in most of the countries minorities faces many social political problems as we do. But I am not going to discuss about social political issues here. I am just wishing to give a small introduction of Chakma Community in Bangladesh.
my friends with traditional dress
History
We Chakmas do not have recorded long history of our own. And we do not have exact evidence from where we came? We are known to be tribes and believed to be come from Mongolia. We do have a Chakma king and queen his majesty Debasish roy and Queen Yan Yan inaugurated. The chakma kingdom history is recorded since 19s only so it’s not long history has preserved by our Community. As it is not a big history I am not discuss much about it after it.
(The Chakma king) Photo from face book page = https://web.facebook.com/sakyaclan/?_rdc=1&_rdr
Culture, Traditions & Religion
As our Community belonging to Bangladesh and India the cultures are not much different from these two countries. Mainly believes and religious rituals. Dressing is mash up with both countries, but only the woman dressing culture has been preserved at the present days. The chakma women wear colorful Pinon and hadi that we called in our language, so only women are the symbol of our tradition and culture. The language we speak also a mash up language although we have our own alphabets. Yet our language and alphabets are belonging to death language type because, the alphabets are no more used for writings or reading, only in preserve. Chakma people follow Theravada Buddhism from the past yet we have some Hindu religious beliefs and rituals influence.
my friend bowing to river God on new year Bizu traditional festival.
Way of life
Chakma people’s major food is rice and curry and they love to eat bamboo shoot most. And most people do agricultural farms for living such as rice, vegetables, fruits, pig farms, chicken farms etc. for rice and vegetable farming people uses maintain agriculture as we do not large amount of land for rice farm. It’s called “Jum” which means maintain agriculture. On mountains we grow rice and different types of vegetables. So this is the main agriculture system in Chakma society.
A mountain rice field and land rice field.
Conclusion
Chakma people are known as tribes and they claimed to be an ethnic group. They follow Theravada Buddhism. Agriculture is the main way of their living and mountain agriculture is their main agriculture system. Chakma language is their native language. Presently only women wearing (Pino & Hadi) became their symbol of their culture and tradition.