|
[replace with] Tanchangya, The
[replace with] a small ethnic community living in
[replace with] the
[replace with] chittagong hill tracts. In
[replace with] terms of population they rank 5th among ethnic communities of Bangladesh.
[replace with] According to the 1991 census, their number was 21,057 and the number of
[replace with] Tanchangya households was 4,043. Tanchangyas live in the Hill districts of
[replace with] rangamati,
[replace with] bandarban and
[replace with] khagrachhari, Boisyabili
[replace with] area of
[replace with] rangunia upazila in
[replace with] chittagong district, and
[replace with] in
[replace with] ukhia and
[replace with] teknaf areas of
[replace with] cox's bazar district. Like
[replace with] other tribals, Tanchangyas build their habitation in forested slopes of
[replace with] hills. Tanchangyas also live in the southeastern regions of Tripura, Mizoram
[replace with] and Manipur States of India, as well as in the
[replace with] arakan region of Myanmar.
[replace with] In Arakan they are known as 'dounnak'. Anthropologically, they belong
[replace with] to the Mongoloid group. They speak
[replace with] pali,
[replace with] prakrit and ancient
[replace with] Bengali, all part of the Aryan group of languages. Tanchangyas are modest in
[replace with] nature.
[replace with]
[replace with] Socio Economic Aspects:
[replace with]
[replace with]
[replace with]
[replace with] Livelihood:
[replace with] Agriculture is their main occupation. They cultivate
[replace with] crops and carry out horticulture on hill slopes. Even today they do
[replace with] jhum cultivation, but not
[replace with] to the extent they used to do before. Literacy among Tanchangyas is low. A
[replace with] few of them serve in government and non-government organisations.
[replace with]
[replace with] Social System:
[replace with]
[replace with] Lifestyle:
[replace with] Tanchangyas wear traditional costumes. Their women look
[replace with] very attractive in their own costumes. Tanchangya women excel all other
[replace with] hilly women in wearing colourful dresses and ornaments. For the lower part
[replace with] of their body they wear pinon, which has 7 colours and a variety of
[replace with] stripes. Among the variety of their ornaments are Rajjur and
[replace with] jhanga for ears, baghors and kuchikhadu for wrists,
[replace with] tajjur for arms, chandrahar, hachuli and sikichada
[replace with] for neck. Usually these ornaments are made of silver.
[replace with] Tanchangya men usually wear loincloth and long-sleeve
[replace with] shirts. However, there have been changes in their dresses and ornaments in
[replace with] recent years. They now use the dresses of men and women of other communities
[replace with] of Bangladesh. For instance, their women wear sari, blouse, salwar
[replace with] and kameez and their men wear shirt, trouser and lungi.
[replace with]
[replace with] Social Structure: There are 3 types of marriages among Tanchangyas - the
[replace with] groom is taken to the bride's house, the lovers elope and marry, and widows
[replace with] remarry. They call wedding 'sanga'. The wedding practices of the
[replace with] mugcha group of Tanchangyas are very colourful.
[replace with] Their laws of inheritance are similar to those of
[replace with] chakmas. The male children
[replace with] of a deceased Tanchangya father divide the property equally among
[replace with] themselves, including furniture and cattle. The daughters cannot claim any
[replace with] share of the property except when they have no brothers. The children of a
[replace with] father who is mad or who becomes an ascetic get equal share of his property.
[replace with] If the deceased father has no children, an adopted son inherits all the
[replace with] property. If a wife is separated when she is pregnant and if she gives birth
[replace with] to a male child, he will inherit her ex-husband's property. If someone dies
[replace with] as a bachelor or without any children, his property will go to his brothers.
[replace with]
[replace with] Rituals:
[replace with] Tanchangyas are Buddhists and observe religious rites
[replace with] such as worshipping
[replace with] gautam buddha, listening
[replace with] to sermons,
[replace with] kathin chibar dan,
[replace with] maghi purnima etc. They
[replace with] have
[replace with] buddhist viharas in their
[replace with] localities. They celebrate 'biju' to mark the end and beginning of
[replace with] the Bengali year.[Sadat Ullah Khan]
[replace with] |
[replace with] 
[replace with] 
