Chakma is the name of the largest tribe present in the hilly area of eastern Bangladesh known as the Chittagong Hill Tracts. Their name was first used by British census-takers to portray sure hill people.
LOCATIONThe Chakma population is estimated to be around 550,000. It is spread over different countries. The majority (about 300,000 people) can be present in the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh. There's also about 80,000 Chakmas in Mizoram State in India, and twenty,000 in Burma (Myanmar).
The Chakmas are a Mongoloid people related to people of southwestern Burma. The Chittagong Hills form part of the western fringe of the mountain regions of Burma and eastern India. The region has warm temperatures, monsoon rains, and high humidity.
LANGUAGE
The Chakmas speak a dialect of Bengali (Bangla) and use the standard Bengali alphabet.
RELIGIONThe Chakmas are Buddhists. Chakmas officially follow the Southern, or Theravada, kind of the Buddhism. But, their kind of Buddhism has aspects of Hinduism & traditional religions as well.
Every Chakma village has a Buddhist temple (kaang). Buddhist priests or monks are called Bhikhus. They preside at religious festivals & ceremonies. The villagers support their monks with food, gifts, & offerings to Buddha.
The Chakmas also worship Hindu deities. Lakshmi, for example, is worshipped as the Goddess of the Harvest. Chakmas offer the sacrifice of goats, chickens, or ducks to calm the spirits that are believed to bring fevers & disease. Although animal sacrifice is against Buddhist beliefs, the Chakma Buddhist priests ignore the practice.
MAJOR HOLIDAYSChakmas celebrate various Buddhist festivals. The most important is Buddha Purnima. This is the anniversary of important events in Buddha's life - his birth, his attainment of enlightenment, and his death. It is observed on the full moon day of the month of Vaisakh (usually in May).
On this and other festival days, Chakmas put on their best clothes and visit the temple. There, they offer flowers to the picture of Buddha, light candles, and listen to sermons from the priests. Alms (offerings) are given to the poor, and feasts are held for the priests.
The three-day festival known as Bishu , which coincides with the Bengali New Year's Day, is celebrated with much enthusiasm. Houses are decorated with flowers, young children pay special attention to the elderly to win their blessings, and festive dishes are prepared for guests.
RELATIONSHIPSChakma hospitality is overflowing. Guests are given home-brewed liquor and the hukka (hooka) pipe. The hukka is a pipe used for smoking tobacco. It's a long flexible tube attached to a water bottle. The smoke is cooled by passing over the water before being inhaled by the smoker.
Chakmas greet each other with the traditional cry, Hoya! This exuberant shout is also used to express pleasure at victory in sports such as tug-of-war that accompany the numerous hill festivals held all year long. After living for so lots of years near Muslims, some Chakmas use the Muslim greeting, Salaam.
LIVING CONDITIONSChakmas build their houses on slopes near the banks of a river or a stream. A few related families may build on the same plot of land, making a homestead (bari). Baris cluster together to form hamlets (para) & a variety of hamlets make up a village (gram).
The traditional Chakma house is made of bamboo. It is constructed on a bamboo or wooden platform about meters (six feet) above the ground. The house is built on the rear of the platform. Mat walls divide the house in to separate compartments. A porch in the front of the house is divided in by a mat partition. area is used by men & boys & the other by ladies & girls. Small compartments may be built for storage of grain & other possessions. Household objects ranging from baskets to pipes for smoking tobacco are made out of bamboo.
FAMILY LIFEChakmas are divided in to clans (gojas), which are further subdivided in to subclans (guttis). Members of the same subclan are prohibited to marry each other. Parents arrange marriages, although the wishes of sons and daughters are taken in to account. A bride cost (goods given by groom's relatives to bride's relatives) is fixed when the families negotiate the marriage.
The marriage ceremony is called Chumulong and is performed by Buddhist priests. If young people elope, the marriage can be formalized on payment of fines. Polygyny (marriage to over spouse) is acceptable but rare. Divorce is allowed, as is remarriage after the death of a partner.
CLOTHINGChakma men have given up their traditional clothes for Western-style shirts and trousers. It is the ladies who maintain the traditional Chakma style of dress, which consists of pieces of cloth. is worn as a skirt, wrapped around the lower part of the body and extending from waist to ankle. Its traditional color is black or blue, with a red border at top and bottom.
The second piece of cloth is a breast-band, woven with colored designs, that is tightly wrapped around the upper body. This is worn with a variety of necklaces, bracelets, anklets, rings, and other ornaments. Chakma ladies are expert weavers and make their own cloth.