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[replace with]
[replace with] Tripura, The after chakmas
[replace with] and marmas, the third largest tribal
[replace with] group of population in the
[replace with] chittagong hill tracts (CHT) region.
[replace with] Tripura people now living in
[replace with] Bangladesh had their original
[replace with] residence in the Indian state of
[replace with] Tripura, although many believe that
[replace with] they are in fact descendents of the
[replace with] Bodo group of people, considered as
[replace with] the forefathers of the peoples of
[replace with] Assam, Burma and Thailand. Tripuras
[replace with] initially migrated to Comilla,
[replace with] Sylhet and Chittagong areas as well
[replace with] as to some other regions like
[replace with] Noakhali, Dhaka, Faridpur and
[replace with] Barisal. In course of time, however,
[replace with] they concentrated largely in the CHT,
[replace with] especially in and around ramgarh and
[replace with] khagrachhari accounting for nearly
[replace with] 80% of all Tripuras now living in
[replace with] the CHT area. Tripuras call
[replace with] themselves Tipara and also Tipra,
[replace with] while Marmas call them Mrong,
[replace with] lusheis call them Tuibuk and pankhos
[replace with] Bai. The 1881 census recorded the
[replace with] distribution of Tripura people as:
[replace with] CHT 15,054, Comilla 1,895, Faridpur
[replace with] 101, Barisal 45, Noakhali 16, Dhaka
[replace with] 4, and Sylhet and other areas 268.
[replace with] The number of Tripuras in the CHT
[replace with] area was 79,772 in1991. This figure
[replace with] accounts for 6.6% of the total
[replace with] tribal population in the CHT.
[replace with]
[replace with]
[replace with] Historical Background:
[replace with]
[replace with]
[replace with] Tripuras are divided into at least
[replace with] 36 groups (dafas) of which 16 are in
[replace with] Bangladesh. Some of these groups
[replace with] have a number of subgroups. All
[replace with] groups and subgroups have their own
[replace with] dialects, dresses and ornaments.
[replace with] Each of these groups/subgroups is
[replace with] usually named after an incidence
[replace with] they encountered or occupation they
[replace with] practise. The language of Tripuras (Kokborok)
[replace with] belongs to the Bodo group, which has
[replace with] its origin in the Assam branch of
[replace with] the Tibeto-Burma language under the
[replace with] Sino-Tibetan family. The script of
[replace with] the Tripura language has some
[replace with] similarities with that of the Chakma
[replace with] language but although the alphabet
[replace with] appears to be similar, the two
[replace with] languages differ very much in
[replace with] pronunciation and the reading
[replace with] procedure. Kokborok was widely used
[replace with] in writing letters, demonstrating
[replace with] magic, and preparing lists of
[replace with] indigenous medicine. But due to lack
[replace with] of use, the script is on the verge
[replace with] of extinction.
[replace with]
[replace with] Social System:
[replace with]
[replace with] Family Structure: Tripuras do not have a uniform
[replace with] lineage system. In some groups, sons
[replace with] draw their lineage from the father's
[replace with] side, while in some others,
[replace with] daughters draw their lineage from
[replace with] the mother's side. The eldest son of
[replace with] a family can inherit all his
[replace with] father's property but the other
[replace with] sons/daughters do not get any share
[replace with] at all. However, the right of the
[replace with] eldest son to inherit any property
[replace with] is forfeited if he separates himself
[replace with] from the parent's family when the
[replace with] father is still alive. Provisions of
[replace with] inheritance by other sons or the
[replace with] daughters take effect only in
[replace with] circumstances when the family does
[replace with] not have any son or when the eldest
[replace with] son is disqualified on the above
[replace with] ground.
[replace with]
[replace with] Lifestyle: The traditional dress of a Tripura
[replace with] man include dhuti (a narrow piece of
[replace with] cloth clad round the waist and
[replace with] between the legs with a fringed end
[replace with] hanging down from the rear) and a
[replace with] khaban (turban). Tripuras wear a
[replace with] ruggedly sewn jacket in winter days.
[replace with] The dress of a Tripura woman is
[replace with] similar to that of a Chakma woman
[replace with] and in most cases it is a petticoat
[replace with] with a blouse on the upper part of
[replace with] the body. In the past, married
[replace with] Tripura women usually did not wear
[replace with] anything to cover the breasts.
[replace with] Unmarried girls distinguish
[replace with] themselves by wearing colourful
[replace with] clothes. Both men and women wear
[replace with] crescent shaped silver earrings. The
[replace with] women wear necklace made of beads
[replace with] and shells, nose skewers and
[replace with] ornaments on the hair, neck, wrist
[replace with] and ankle.
[replace with]
[replace with] Rituals: Tripuras are mainly Hindus but their
[replace with] beliefs and religious practices are
[replace with] different from caste Hindus in many
[replace with] ways. They worship the god shiva and
[replace with] the goddess Kali and 14 other gods
[replace with] and goddesses. They also believe in
[replace with] a number of evil spirits,
[replace with] incorporeal beings and demons, who
[replace with] have their abode in jungles and who
[replace with] do harm to people by inflicting
[replace with] diseases. Tripuras sacrifice animals
[replace with] and birds in the name of their gods
[replace with] and goddesses. They believe that
[replace with] rivers, lakes and canals were once
[replace with] human beings and but sacrificed
[replace with] their lives and turned into nature
[replace with] bodies to serve mankind. Like
[replace with] Hindus, Tripuras believe in life
[replace with] hereafter and consider that those
[replace with] who have done good work will live in
[replace with] ease and comfort in the next life
[replace with] but that wrong doers will face
[replace with] ceaseless toil and constant
[replace with] harassment.
[replace with]
[replace with] Festivals: The most important social festival
[replace with] of the Tripura people is the
[replace with] Baishuki that lasts for three days
[replace with] beginning from the second last day
[replace with] of the Bengali calendar. On the
[replace with] first day of the festival called
[replace with] hari baishuk children decorate homes
[replace with] with flowers, wear clean dress and
[replace with] visit neighbours, who treat them
[replace with] with cakes. Elders also visit
[replace with] neighbours and are treated with
[replace with] drinks. From this first day of the
[replace with] festival a group of no less than 15
[replace with] dancers display folk dances by
[replace with] visiting every house in their
[replace with] village. The dances and visit to
[replace with] neighbours continue on the second
[replace with] and third day named baishukma and
[replace with] bisikatal respectively. Dancers are
[replace with] given drinks, chicken and rice by
[replace with] the houses they visit. After all the
[replace with] houses have been visited, a puja is
[replace with] arranged in which the gifts received
[replace with] from different houses are offered to
[replace with] god godaiya. A major rule in the
[replace with] rituals is that if someone
[replace with] participates in the dance in a year,
[replace with] he is to do the same in three
[replace with] consecutive years. It is believed
[replace with] that failure to do so will lead to
[replace with] god's discontent.
[replace with]
[replace with]
[replace with] Tripuras follow a custom of arranged
[replace with] marriage, which is traditionally not
[replace with] allowed within one's own group.
[replace with] There is no bar in marrying outside
[replace with] the tribe. The father of the
[replace with] bridegroom is to pay the expenses
[replace with] for the bride's dress and ornaments.
[replace with] The dowry system practically does
[replace with] not exist in Tripura society but
[replace with] feasts claim a large amount of
[replace with] expenses. Before marriage, the
[replace with] bridegroom takes up abode in the
[replace with] bride's home for two years and
[replace with] becomes a member of his family.
[replace with] Harvests collected during this
[replace with] period are reserved for the benefit
[replace with] of the bridegroom and/or the new
[replace with] couple. Divorce is not unlawful
[replace with] among Tripuras but should be
[replace with] arranged by mutual consent. In case
[replace with] either party wishes to separate
[replace with] without due reason s/he must pay
[replace with] compensation and also provide a pig
[replace with] for the community. When a new baby
[replace with] takes birth in a Tripura family, the
[replace with] mother is to observe days of
[replace with] impurity and she is not allowed to
[replace with] cook. After some days of the birth,
[replace with] when the navel is dried, a
[replace with] ceremonial feast is organised to
[replace with] give a name to the new born.
[replace with] Tripuras burn the dead in burning
[replace with] grounds. When the fire extinguishes
[replace with] the ashes, unburned bones are
[replace with] collected and thrown in the river or
[replace with] a pond. The shraddha is observed
[replace with] after 13 days of death. Tripuras,
[replace with] however, do not always burn the
[replace with] dead. In case someone dies of
[replace with] diseases like cholera, pox or
[replace with] leprosy, the body is buried. The
[replace with] body of a baby dying before the
[replace with] growth of teeth is sometimes taken
[replace with] in a rag basket and is hung in a
[replace with] branch of tree in the forest. [S M
[replace with] Mahfuzur Rahman] |
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