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[replace with] Rajbangshi, a small
[replace with] tribe of the Bhotbarmi group. They entered Bangladesh territory from the
[replace with] Himalayan region and the brahmaputra valley. Rajbangshis are people of a
[replace with] mixed race, although identified by many as a branch of the ksatriyas known
[replace with] as the Kotch. They are short and have flat noses and raised jaws. They are
[replace with] followers of vaisnavism. Some of them now adopted islam and some
[replace with] christianity. In Bangladesh, they live mostly in rangpur, dinajpur and
[replace with] rajshahi districts and a small number of them in the districts of bogra and
[replace with] mymensingh. In the censuses conducted in 1941 and later, they were treated
[replace with] as part of the Hindu community and as a result, their number could not be
[replace with] properly ascertained. Rajbangshis are now a declining community in
[replace with] Bangladesh area. In 1991, their total population was a little higher than
[replace with] five thousand.
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[replace with] Socio Economic Aspects:
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[replace with] Livelihood:
[replace with] Agriculture is the main profession of Rajbangshis. They also catch and sell
[replace with] fish. Rajbangshi women are skilled in handicrafts and cottage industry.
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[replace with] Social System:
[replace with] In their community, the
[replace with] father is the head of the family. Only male children inherit the property of
[replace with] their father after his death. Rajbangshis worship Hindu gods and goddesses
[replace with] (Shiva, Vishnu, Durga and Kali) and observe the Baridhara brata (vow), a
[replace with] symbol of ancient farming communities. They also perform religious rites and
[replace with] rituals related to fertility and procreation. Among Rajbangshis, many are
[replace with] animists while many others worship the nature, including mountains, rivers,
[replace with] forests and the soil. They pray to the god of the homestead (Bahasto or
[replace with] Bahusto) for the welfare of their family and to the Balibhadra Thakur before
[replace with] sowing crop seeds. They perform indigenous songs and dances in religious
[replace with] festivities. In case there is a prolonged drought, they organise the Huduma
[replace with] Puja, which often turns into a large religious festival.
[replace with] Rajbangshis have no written
[replace with] language or alphabet. Their spoken language is a mixture of colloquial
[replace with] languages considered by many as a distorted version of Bangla. Marriage
[replace with] rituals of Rajbangshis have elements of the santal and oraon rituals.
[replace with] Divorce, remarriage and widow marriages are allowed in the Rajbangshi
[replace with] community. But in case of widow marriage, the younger brother, if there is
[replace with] any, of the deceased husband gets the preferential right to marry her.
[replace with] Rajbangshis burn the bodies of the dead and organise shraddha after one
[replace with] month of death. [Ahmad Rafique]
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