Magh, a major tribe of Bangladesh comprising marmas of the hills and rakhains of the plains. Ethnically, Maghs are Mongoloid and culturally, they are close to the population of Myanmar. The Marma community is headed by two chiefs (Raja): the Bohmoung and the Mong. The former resides at bandarban, while the latter at ramgarh (khagrachhari). Maghs are one of the major Buddhist groups of the Arakanese stock.

Historical Background:

During the Arakanese rule (1459-1666), there might have developed some settlements in south and southeastern parts of Bengal (present Bangladesh), but these are not historically traceable. The main Magh settlements in Bangladesh grew up with the fall of the independent kingdom of arakan to Burma in 1784. After the annexation, King Bodawpaya (1782-1819) of Burma let loose a reign of terror. This resulted in the migration of two-thirds of its population to southeastern part of Bengal. The British government took measures for their rehabilitation. Captain H Cox, a former British navy officer in Burma, was appointed as the superintendent of the Magh settlements. cox's bazar, now a sea resort of Bangladesh, was named after him.

The grant of asylum and the depredations of Maghs resulted in the First Anglo-Burmese War of 1824-25, in which Burma was defeated and Arakan and Tenassarim were annexed to the British dominion by the Treaty of Yandaboo in 1826. As a result, the refugees from Arakan got a permanent foothold in the southern areas of chittagong district. The second wave of Magh migration started from Arakan through the Matamuhuri Valley and in course of time, they spread over Bandarban. Maghs call this area Bohmoung Thoung ie, the residence of the Bohmoung chief. The third group entered Khagrachhari from sitakunda region and built up their permanent abode at Ramgarh. They claim to be known as Plaung Tha and their residence as Plaung Thoung meaning the abode of the Plaung Thoung clan. The fourth group crossing the bay of bengal reached southern part of Greater patuakhali (now divided into two districts, Patuakhali and barguna) and settled down there. Rangabali, Bara Baizdiya and Aila were the principal Magh settlements. With the growth of population they spread over throughout the region. Maghs call this tract as Awazonway, meaning offshore island. In 1991, the total number of Maghs in Bangladesh was about one hundred sixty thousand. The geographical distribution of Magh population is shown in the table below.

The Magh population as a whole declined over the years, particularly in the districts of Bandarban and Patuakhali. During the period of tribal unrest (1974-1997) in chittagong hill tracts (CHT) many tribal people, including some Maghs, left Bangladesh and took shelter in India. A group of Maghs migrated to Arakan from southern region of CHT (mainly, Bandarban district). After the CHT Treaty 1997, the situation improved and the migration of Maghs is less discernible. In Patuakhali many Magh villages became deserted due to cyclones and tidal bores. Due to communal tension and social unrest many Maghs also migrated to Burma.

The socio-cultural life of Maghs is imbued with new spirit and hopes and the phenomenon is articulated in many organisations founded by Maghs in different areas of Bangladesh. These organisations are: (1) Bangladesh Rakhain Welfare Association, (ii) Bangladesh Marma Association, (iii) Bangladesh Rakhain-Marma Sangha, and (iv) Patuakhali Rakhain Bauddha Yuba Sangstha. The programmes of the organisations project their problems to the government and propagate inter alia, their culture at home and abroad. For this purpose, some journals and periodicals namely, (a) Rakhain, (b) Voice of Rakhain, (c) Uccharan, and (d) Light of Awazonway appear occasionally under the editorship of young Maghs.

Because of the tribal unrest and isolated position of the Magh villages, the working conditions for non-government organisations had not been favourable in Magh areas, where however, some NGOs had limited activities in the past. Following the Chittagong Hill Tracts Peace Accord (1997), major NGOs such as brac and proshika came up with initiatives to undertake activities in these areas. The Rakhain Development Foundation (RDF), an NGO is working with a view to materialising the following objectives: (i) development of education in the Magh areas, (ii) development of cottage industry including weaving, (iii) loan distribution among poor Magh women, and (iv) revival of Rakhain culture.

Socio Economic Aspects:

Livelihood: The main occupation of Maghs is agriculture. In the hills they practice jhum cultivation and in the plains plough cultivation. Weaving and fish catching also support many of them. Businessmen, shopkeepers and serviceholders are rarely found in their society. Child labour is unknown, but Magh women are found working in the field and construction sites.

Social System:

Language:  Maghs have their own dialect, which has close resemblance with Burmese. Counting numerals, name of the days and months of Maghs are similar to those of the Burmese. Maghs do not have in general any rich literature of their own. Riddles, proverbs and folk tales are familiar in the Magh society. Phongyee (priest) and Roa (village) schools play an important role for the maintenance of traditional education system in the Magh society. Compared to other religious groups, the literacy rate among Maghs is higher due to the existence of Phongyee and Roa in the Magh localities. Every member of the Magh society can read and speak the Burmese fluently. Yet the system is inadequate, for which many boys and girls are found studying in normal schools and colleges in and outside their locality.

Family Structure:  The social structure of Maghs is patriarchal; the eldest male member is the supreme head of the family. Yet a woman holds an honourable position in the Magh society. In spite of the patrilocal dominance, matrilocal practices are not altogether absent in the society. A Magh woman enjoys more freedom as regards marriage, divorce and ownership over the property. Two types of marriages, such as exogamy and endogamy are prevalent in the Magh society; widow marriage is also allowed. The Magh society is divided into several classes, such as Maratha, Ragratha, Ramratha. Chiefs, monks, headmen and matbars occupy prestigious positions in the Magh social life.

Rituals:  Maghs burn the dead bodies of the monks and the rich men with fanfare but the dead bodies of the commoners are buried.Like the Buddhists of South and Southeast Asia, Maghs are theravad (hinayana) Buddhists. Written in Pali, the tripitaka is the sacred book of Maghs. In religious matters they have been divided in two groups: the Monastic Community and the Laity. The monks maintain celibacy, wear yellow robes and live in the monastery, while the Laity leads a family life with wife, children and relatives.

Most festivals of Maghs are connected with the full moon of each month, which they call labray, a Burmese word for full moon. To them the full moon is sacred and they believe that most religious events take place on the day following the night of the full moon. On this occasion, icons of Lord Buddha are worshipped with food, fruits and flowers and by lighting candles and incense sticks. The important full moons are kason (in Baisakh or April), waso (in Ashad or June), thadingyut (in Ashwin or September) and tabodwe (in Magh or January). Maghs give alms to the poor, observe sila (code of conduct) and bhavana (meditation). Side by side with all these Buddhist practices, they worship trees and rivers. Water festival constitutes one of their popular enjoyment.

Culture: Drama and dance called zatpwe and yeinpwe are popular entertainment. The former deals with the Buddhists lore and the life stories of ancient Buddhists kings, while the latter is equivalent to western ball dance. Due to decline in population, all these performances are rarely found in practice now. Among the Magh musical instruments, saing-waing (circular big wooden drum), kye-waing (small wooden drum), pilliyee (flute) and zhne are important and all these have similarities with the musical instruments found in Burma.

Lifestyle: The principal food of Maghs is the boiled rice and vegetables with the addition of certain amount of chillies and salt. They take two meals a day. Nagpy (fish allowed to decompose under special arrangement) and soup also constitute delicious food of Maghs. Rice cake (Mundi) is one of their tasteful items. Drinking of raw tea (Lapsy) after meal is a popular practice. Like the Burmese, Maghs smoke cheroot with the help of pipe. Some Maghs consume a home-made liquor called arey.

Maghs build their houses on high platform called machang. The houses are rectangular in shape with oval roofing. The bamboo matting platform is raised six to eight feet above the ground and is supported by timber or bamboo posts. The walls are made of bamboo slate and the roof is covered with thatched grass. A ladder is attached between the platform and the ground for entrance and exit. A house is divided into several rooms. Generally speaking, the Magh houses are well-ventilated. Each house is fenced on all sides. Inside the fencing, there is a garden. In Bandarban, houses made of bamboo, cane and timber are visually crude, while the residential architecture at Cox's Bazar exhibits artistic shape and design.

Most Maghs possess good physique and prefer cleanliness. Usually, they take bath twice a day and drink boiled water. In the past, they depended on indigenous medicines made from certain kinds of plants and herbs. The system is popularly known as Magha Shastriya Aushad. But nowadays, allopathic system is gaining popularity and the younger section of the society prefers modern treatments and attends hospitals.

Traditional Dress:  Magh men usually wear lungis (or sarongs ie, long skirts), shirts and slippers. At the time of festivals, senior member of the society use close fitting coat called prakha angyi over the shirt buttoned at the throat; on the head they use a white kerchief known as goungpoung. Some Maghs prefer tattooing (matoray) for the beauty of the body. Educated sections use trousers, shirts and shoes. Thami and angyi (blouse) constitute the common dress of Magh women. To make them attractive and charming, the female keep tuft called chaungtung on the head. Sometimes, they decorate their heads with flowers and jewels. Salwar and kamiz are also popular dress of young Magh girls. [Abdul Mabud]