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[replace with] Munda, a very small
[replace with] group of aboriginal people living in different parts of Bangladesh.
[replace with] According to some estimates based on information gathered by some
[replace with] non-government organisations, there are 212 Munda families in the country.
[replace with] As counted locally, 1,163 Mundas live in scattered villages of koyra and
[replace with] dumuria upazilas of khulna district and shyamnagar, debhata and tala
[replace with] upazilas of satkhira district - all falling within the sundarbans. The
[replace with] ecosystem of the Sundarbans seems to suit the indigenous ways of living and
[replace with] cultural traits of Mundas.
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[replace with] Historical Background:
[replace with] Until recently, Mundas (and
[replace with] Mahatos, another tribe bearing close affinity to them) were known as bunos
[replace with] or jungle clearers. They came to this country about two hundred years ago
[replace with] from Ranchi and Chota Nagpur of the Bihar State of India to help reclaim
[replace with] land for agriculture for zamindars and dig lakes and ponds for them. They
[replace with] also came to work as wage labourers in the Duars tea plantations in
[replace with] Jalpaiguri district, close to the tea gardens in Bangladesh. According to a
[replace with] 1921 census, as many as 34,601 Mundas were working in the Duars tea estates
[replace with] as against 115,350 oraons and 23,488 santals, who too came from the same
[replace with] region. They had a deep attachment for their homes and lands back in Bihar.
[replace with] British settlement officers of the time reported from Ranchi that "large
[replace with] numbers of those who emigrate to Assam and the Duars return, if they are
[replace with] able to save a little money, and buy back the farms they had lost, or
[replace with] acquire some land in the vicinity". According to some accounts, Mundas along
[replace with] with other tribes akin to them came from the Rajmahal Hills of India and
[replace with] settled in the northern part of Rajshahi district. Some of them, like the
[replace with] Oraons, Mahatos and Santals, settled in this country permanently and were
[replace with] employed in agriculture, at indigo factories and at tea plantations. These
[replace with] days most Mundas and Mahatos depend mainly on agriculture.
[replace with] Ethnically, Mundas are
[replace with] described as a large Dravidian tribe of Chota Nagpur closely akin to the Hos
[replace with] and Santals and on linguistic grounds classified as Kolarian. The name Munda
[replace with] is said to be of Sanskrit origin meaning headman of a village. This titular
[replace with] designation is used by the members of the tribe. Mundas and Oraons are also
[replace with] known by the general name of Kol. The languages of the Munda subfamily are
[replace with] spoken in parts of northern and central India and comprise more than 20
[replace with] tongues, the important of which is Santali written in Roman, Devanagari,
[replace with] Bengali and Oriya scripts. These languages belong to an Austroasiatic family
[replace with] of languages spoken by about 65 million people. The Munda languages, spoken
[replace with] by about 4 million tribals, are closely related and are referred to by the
[replace with] single name of Kherwari.
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[replace with] Socio Economic Aspects:
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[replace with] Social Structure: Mundas are
[replace with] divided into 13 sub-tribes and some such sub-tribes are Kharia-Munda,
[replace with] Mahili-Munda, Oraon-Munda, Bhuihar-Munda, and Manki-Munda. The sub-tribes
[replace with] are again divided into numerous sects or kilis along totemistic lines.
[replace with] Mundas are of medium stature, stocky in build and black in skin and are
[replace with] known for their hard work as labourers especially in removing forests and
[replace with] cutting earth. Initially, they came as seasonal labourers but as demand for
[replace with] their services increased, more of them flocked in. Many of these workers
[replace with] settled in different parts of Bangladesh. But as jungles and forests
[replace with] dwindled under pressure of population and consequent clearing and
[replace with] settlements, they found their traditional occupation not economically viable
[replace with] any more. To survive, they resorted to alternative occupations such as
[replace with] agriculture, fishing, van driving, small businesses and jobs.
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[replace with] Family Structure: A Munda may
[replace with] not marry a woman of his own sect. Adult marriage is in fashion and sexual
[replace with] intercourse before marriage is tacitly recognised but as a common practice,
[replace with] the matches are made by the parents. A bride-price is a custom and in a late
[replace with] 19th century study, it was found to be Rs 4 to 20. sindur dan, or the
[replace with] smearing of vermilion on the forehead of each other by the pair is the
[replace with] essential and binding part of a marriage ceremony. Munda widows may marry
[replace with] again by the ritual known as sagai. Divorce is allowed at the instance of
[replace with] either party but in case of adultery the seducer is required to pay to the
[replace with] husband the full amount of the bride-price. After marriage, a Munda son with
[replace with] his wife remains part of the joint family. In the past, Mundas used to burn
[replace with] the body of their dead but wood being expensive, they put fire to the face
[replace with] symbolically and then bury it.
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[replace with] Rituals: At the head of Munda
[replace with] religion stands Sing-Bonga, the sun. There are other gods to take care of
[replace with] different aspects of human and natural life and they require constant
[replace with] propitiation by way of sacrificing of animals or fowls to keep the diseases
[replace with] off and save crops. The Munda festivals are mostly related to seasons and
[replace with] crops. Some of these are: Sarhul or Sarjun-Baba, the spring festival in
[replace with] Chaitra (March-April); Kadleta or Batauli in Asad (June-July) at the
[replace with] commencement of the rainy season; Nana or Jom-Nana, the festival of new rice
[replace with] in Aswin (October-November); and Kharia Puja or Magh Parab, the festival of
[replace with] harvesting the winter rice.
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[replace with] Mundas and Mahatos in Bangladesh claim to be
[replace with] Hindus. They perform Shyama puja and Kali puja sometime in November, Ashadi
[replace with] puja in July and Bhadu puja in September. They also observe poush-parbon as
[replace with] harvesting ceremony. They are not, however, caste bound like the Hindus.
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[replace with] Lifestyle: They are very simple
[replace with] people and do not associate themselves with criminal activities. It is rare
[replace with] to see them even engage in quarrels or fighting with neighbours. They live
[replace with] in thatch houses. They are quite hospitable and it is their tradition to
[replace with] entertain guests with jawa or country liquor. They love to drink jawa and
[replace with] sing at weddings and other festivals. Special dishes include crabs, mice and
[replace with] snails.
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[replace with] Mundas have a montri or minister for all
[replace with] villages of a given area. He resolves conflicts among the tribals with the
[replace with] help of modols (village leaders). Continuous inflow of Bangalis from other
[replace with] regions creates ecological stresses for the dwindling forest, animal and
[replace with] aquatic resources of the Sundarbans. Only very recently, Mundas started
[replace with] sending their children to schools and with the help of some NGOs, they are
[replace with] taking to income generating activities to mitigate their poverty. This may
[replace with] be one reason why the number of the aboriginals in the area including the
[replace with] Mundas has been falling. [Enamul Haq]
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