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[replace with] Magh, a major tribe of
[replace with] Bangladesh c omprising
[replace with] marmas of the hills and rakhains of the plains. Ethnically, Maghs are
[replace with] Mongoloid and culturally, they are close to the population of Myanmar. The
[replace with] Marma community is headed by two chiefs (Raja): the Bohmoung and the Mong.
[replace with] The former resides at bandarban, while the latter at ramgarh (khagrachhari).
[replace with] Maghs are one of the major Buddhist groups of the Arakanese stock.
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[replace with] Historical Background:
[replace with] During the Arakanese rule
[replace with] (1459-1666), there might have developed some settlements in south and
[replace with] southeastern parts of Bengal (present Bangladesh), but these are not
[replace with] historically traceable. The main Magh settlements in Bangladesh grew up with
[replace with] the fall of the independent kingdom of arakan to Burma in 1784. After the
[replace with] annexation, King Bodawpaya (1782-1819) of Burma let loose a reign of terror.
[replace with] This resulted in the migration of two-thirds of its population to
[replace with] southeastern part of Bengal. The British government took measures for their
[replace with] rehabilitation. Captain H Cox, a former British navy officer in Burma, was
[replace with] appointed as the superintendent of the Magh settlements. cox's bazar, now a
[replace with] sea resort of Bangladesh, was named after him.
[replace with] The grant of asylum and the
[replace with] depredations of Maghs resulted in the First Anglo-Burmese War of 1824-25, in
[replace with] which Burma was defeated and Arakan and Tenassarim were annexed to the
[replace with] British dominion by the Treaty of Yandaboo in 1826. As a result, the
[replace with] refugees from Arakan got a permanent foothold in the southern areas of
[replace with] chittagong district. The second wave of Magh migration started from Arakan
[replace with] through the Matamuhuri Valley and in course of time, they spread over
[replace with] Bandarban. Maghs call this area Bohmoung Thoung ie, the residence of the
[replace with] Bohmoung chief. The third group entered Khagrachhari from sitakunda region
[replace with] and built up their permanent abode at Ramgarh. They claim to be known as
[replace with] Plaung Tha and their residence as Plaung Thoung meaning the abode of the
[replace with] Plaung Thoung clan. The fourth group crossing the bay of bengal reached
[replace with] southern part of Greater patuakhali (now divided into two districts,
[replace with] Patuakhali and barguna) and settled down there. Rangabali, Bara Baizdiya and
[replace with] Aila were the principal Magh settlements. With the growth of population they
[replace with] spread over throughout the region. Maghs call this tract as Awazonway,
[replace with] meaning offshore island. In 1991, the total number of Maghs in Bangladesh
[replace with] was about one hundred sixty thousand. The geographical distribution of Magh
[replace with] population is shown in the table below.
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[replace with] District |
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[replace with] 1961 |
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[replace with] 1981 |
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[replace with] 1991 |
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[replace with] Bandarban |
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[replace with] 79,518 |
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[replace with] 59,288 |
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[replace with] Khagrachhari |
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[replace with] 39,692 |
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[replace with] 42,178 |
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[replace with] Rangamati |
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[replace with] 31,169 |
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[replace with] 40,868 |
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[replace with] Cox’s Bazar |
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[replace with] NA |
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[replace with] 3,011 |
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[replace with] Greater Patuakhali |
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[replace with] 16,394 |
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[replace with] 3,668 |
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[replace with] 3,662 |
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[replace with] Total |
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[replace with] 157,301 |
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[replace with] Source Bangladesh
[replace with] Population Cencus Report 1991 (District Reports) |
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[replace with] The Magh population as a
[replace with] whole declined over the years, particularly in the districts of Bandarban
[replace with] and Patuakhali. During the period of tribal unrest (1974-1997) in chittagong
[replace with] hill tracts (CHT) many tribal people, including some Maghs, left Bangladesh
[replace with] and took shelter in India. A group of Maghs migrated to Arakan from southern
[replace with] region of CHT (mainly, Bandarban district). After the CHT Treaty 1997, the
[replace with] situation improved and the migration of Maghs is less discernible. In
[replace with] Patuakhali many Magh villages became deserted due to cyclones and tidal
[replace with] bores. Due to communal tension and social unrest many Maghs also migrated to
[replace with] Burma.
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[replace with] The socio-cultural life of Maghs is imbued
[replace with] with new spirit and hopes and the phenomenon is articulated in many
[replace with] organisations founded by Maghs in different areas of Bangladesh. These
[replace with] organisations are: (1) Bangladesh Rakhain Welfare Association, (ii)
[replace with] Bangladesh Marma Association, (iii) Bangladesh Rakhain-Marma Sangha, and
[replace with] (iv) Patuakhali Rakhain Bauddha Yuba Sangstha. The programmes of the
[replace with] organisations project their problems to the government and propagate inter
[replace with] alia, their culture at home and abroad. For this purpose, some journals and
[replace with] periodicals namely, (a) Rakhain, (b) Voice of Rakhain, (c) Uccharan, and (d)
[replace with] Light of Awazonway appear occasionally under the editorship of young Maghs.
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[replace with] Because of the tribal unrest and isolated
[replace with] position of the Magh villages, the working conditions for non-government
[replace with] organisations had not been favourable in Magh areas, where however, some
[replace with] NGOs had limited activities in the past. Following the Chittagong Hill
[replace with] Tracts Peace Accord (1997), major NGOs such as brac and proshika came up
[replace with] with initiatives to undertake activities in these areas. The Rakhain
[replace with] Development Foundation (RDF), an NGO is working with a view to materialising
[replace with] the following objectives: (i) development of education in the Magh areas,
[replace with] (ii) development of cottage industry including weaving, (iii) loan
[replace with] distribution among poor Magh women, and (iv) revival of Rakhain culture.
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[replace with] Socio Economic Aspects:
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[replace with] Livelihood:
[replace with] The main occupation of Maghs is agriculture. In the hills they practice jhum
[replace with] cultivation and in the plains plough cultivation. Weaving and fish catching
[replace with] also support many of them. Businessmen, shopkeepers and serviceholders are
[replace with] rarely found in their society. Child labour is unknown, but Magh women are
[replace with] found working in the field and construction sites.
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[replace with] Social System:
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[replace with] Language: Maghs have their
[replace with] own dialect, which has close resemblance with Burmese. Counting numerals,
[replace with] name of the days and months of Maghs are similar to those of the Burmese.
[replace with] Maghs do not have in general any rich literature of their own. Riddles,
[replace with] proverbs and folk tales are familiar in the Magh society. Phongyee (priest)
[replace with] and Roa (village) schools play an important role for the maintenance of
[replace with] traditional education system in the Magh society. Compared to other
[replace with] religious groups, the literacy rate among Maghs is higher due to the
[replace with] existence of Phongyee and Roa in the Magh localities. Every member of the
[replace with] Magh society can read and speak the Burmese fluently. Yet the system is
[replace with] inadequate, for which many boys and girls are found studying in normal
[replace with] schools and colleges in and outside their locality.
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[replace with] Family Structure: The
[replace with] social structure of Maghs is patriarchal; the eldest male member is the
[replace with] supreme head of the family. Yet a woman holds an honourable position in the
[replace with] Magh society. In spite of the patrilocal dominance, matrilocal practices are
[replace with] not altogether absent in the society. A Magh woman enjoys more freedom as
[replace with] regards marriage, divorce and ownership over the property. Two types of
[replace with] marriages, such as exogamy and endogamy are prevalent in the Magh society;
[replace with] widow marriage is also allowed. The Magh society is divided into several
[replace with] classes, such as Maratha, Ragratha, Ramratha. Chiefs, monks, headmen and
[replace with] matbars occupy prestigious positions in the Magh social life.
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[replace with] Rituals: Maghs burn the
[replace with] dead bodies of the monks and the rich men with fanfare but the dead bodies
[replace with] of the commoners are buried.Like the Buddhists of South and Southeast Asia,
[replace with] Maghs are theravad (hinayana) Buddhists. Written in Pali, the tripitaka is
[replace with] the sacred book of Maghs. In religious matters they have been divided in two
[replace with] groups: the Monastic Community and the Laity. The monks maintain celibacy,
[replace with] wear yellow robes and live in the monastery, while the Laity leads a family
[replace with] life with wife, children and relatives.
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[replace with] Most festivals of Maghs are connected with the
[replace with] full moon of each month, which they call labray, a Burmese word for full
[replace with] moon. To them the full moon is sacred and they believe that most religious
[replace with] events take place on the day following the night of the full moon. On this
[replace with] occasion, icons of Lord Buddha are worshipped with food, fruits and flowers
[replace with] and by lighting candles and incense sticks. The important full moons are
[replace with] kason (in Baisakh or April), waso (in Ashad or June), thadingyut (in Ashwin
[replace with] or September) and tabodwe (in Magh or January). Maghs give alms to the poor,
[replace with] observe sila (code of conduct) and bhavana (meditation). Side by side with
[replace with] all these Buddhist practices, they worship trees and rivers. Water festival
[replace with] constitutes one of their popular enjoyment.
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[replace with] Culture: Drama and dance called
[replace with] zatpwe and yeinpwe are popular entertainment. The former deals with the
[replace with] Buddhists lore and the life stories of ancient Buddhists kings, while the
[replace with] latter is equivalent to western ball dance. Due to decline in population,
[replace with] all these performances are rarely found in practice now. Among the Magh
[replace with] musical instruments, saing-waing (circular big wooden drum), kye-waing
[replace with] (small wooden drum), pilliyee (flute) and zhne are important and all these
[replace with] have similarities with the musical instruments found in Burma.
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[replace with] Lifestyle: The principal food of
[replace with] Maghs is the boiled rice and vegetables with the addition of certain amount
[replace with] of chillies and salt. They take two meals a day. Nagpy (fish allowed to
[replace with] decompose under special arrangement) and soup also constitute delicious food
[replace with] of Maghs. Rice cake (Mundi) is one of their tasteful items. Drinking of raw
[replace with] tea (Lapsy) after meal is a popular practice. Like the Burmese, Maghs smoke
[replace with] cheroot with the help of pipe. Some Maghs consume a home-made liquor called
[replace with] arey.
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[replace with] Maghs build their houses on high platform
[replace with] called machang. The houses are rectangular in shape with oval roofing. The
[replace with] bamboo matting platform is raised six to eight feet above the ground and is
[replace with] supported by timber or bamboo posts. The walls are made of bamboo slate and
[replace with] the roof is covered with thatched grass. A ladder is attached between the
[replace with] platform and the ground for entrance and exit. A house is divided into
[replace with] several rooms. Generally speaking, the Magh houses are well-ventilated. Each
[replace with] house is fenced on all sides. Inside the fencing, there is a garden. In
[replace with] Bandarban, houses made of bamboo, cane and timber are visually crude, while
[replace with] the residential architecture at Cox's Bazar exhibits artistic shape and
[replace with] design.
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[replace with] Most Maghs possess good physique and prefer
[replace with] cleanliness. Usually, they take bath twice a day and drink boiled water. In
[replace with] the past, they depended on indigenous medicines made from certain kinds of
[replace with] plants and herbs. The system is popularly known as Magha Shastriya Aushad.
[replace with] But nowadays, allopathic system is gaining popularity and the younger
[replace with] section of the society prefers modern treatments and attends hospitals.
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[replace with] Traditional Dress: Magh
[replace with] men usually wear lungis (or sarongs ie, long skirts), shirts and slippers.
[replace with] At the time of festivals, senior member of the society use close fitting
[replace with] coat called prakha angyi over the shirt buttoned at the throat; on the head
[replace with] they use a white kerchief known as goungpoung. Some Maghs prefer tattooing (matoray)
[replace with] for the beauty of the body. Educated sections use trousers, shirts and
[replace with] shoes. Thami and angyi (blouse) constitute the common dress of Magh women.
[replace with] To make them attractive and charming, the female keep tuft called chaungtung
[replace with] on the head. Sometimes, they decorate their heads with flowers and jewels.
[replace with] Salwar and kamiz are also popular dress of young Magh girls. [Abdul Mabud]
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