|
|
| . |
 |
| . |
Meet
the indigenous people of the Bandarban Hilltracts...
The solitary, independent and peace-loving Mru people
have lived in the hill tracts of southeastern Bangladesh
and western Burma for centuries - their small population
split almost in half by the border. Many scholars
believe them to be the original inhabitants of the
region. Mru prefer to live on the hilltops, remote
from even other hill tribes. Their villages are
easily distinguished by sacred bamboo totems, presided
over by guardian spirits. They live in large and
cozy thatch-roofed bamboo cottages raised on stilts,
with large open decks. Their life is based on jhoom
(slash and burn) agriculture. Government resettlement
of non-tribals on hereditary Mru lands makes it
increasingly difficult for them to survive, many
are now moving deeper into the interior in the vain
hope of finding virgin lands. This migration tends
to breakup their traditional society. They are in
urgent need of a supplemental source of income.
Small-scale marketing of traditional handicrafts
along with responsible ecotourism (managed by
them) may provide a sustainable alternative.
This will engage traditional skills of making their
own unique clothing, blankets, instruments and various
household and cultural items.
|
 |
| Distinct
with long hair kept in top knots, adorned with
combs & wild flowers and wearing loin cloths,
Mru youths return from a long day in the hills. |
|
Mru
highly value child care,
shared equally by both genders.
|
The
primary duty of both genders is agriculture. Women's
other responsibilities are cooking, firewood gathering,
making cotton thread & waist-loom weaving, embroidery,
beadwork, etc. They carry heavy burdens using the
traditional forehead strapped back-baskets. Both sexes
acknowledge women work harder than men, brides are
a little older than the grooms to ensure a strong
woman to run their household. Both genders care and
tend the children equally. Of all the tribes, they
are the most affectionate and caring and would not
imagine disciplining their children in any way. They
go to great odds and endure much hardship to avoid
any sort of conflict or confrontation. This trait
leaves them vulnerable to exploitation by other tribes
and settlers. Male duties other than farming, are
home-building, hunting, basket-weaving, making musical
instruments and other handicraft items, as well as
cooking for festivals. Musical entertainment is the
almost exclusive function of unmarried boys, who unabashedly
groom and adorn themselves with combs, wild flowers
and heavy silver jewelry. |
|
|
Youth
carrying bananas to market to trade for what
little they don't produce. |
Mru are very egalitarian and have no castes and few
hereditary positions. They are extremely non-confrontational
and take pride in being patient & peaceful. Each
household has an equal voice in all village affairs.
They are one of the few indigenous peoples who have
staunchly retain their own unique culture, rituals
and beliefs. With no functional leadership or hierarchies,
this lack of higher-level social organization makes
it difficult for them to avail of, or cooperate in
joint efforts for 'development' or cultural preservation.
Thus they are one of the least 'modern' of all the
hill tribes, consciously preserving their distinct
lifestyle. Mru are especially known for their mystical
music, ascetic dress, exotic appearance and long,
flower-adorned hair kept in topknots. Curiously, Mru
have no sense of being 'tribal', as do other indigenous
peoples. The word 'Mru' simply means 'man' -- its
those other than Mru that seem 'exotic'. They
consider themselves just ordinary folks. Mru value
their independence above all else, just desiring to
pursue a traditional lifestyle free from domination
or exploitation. |
 |
Youth
plays his 'ploong', gourd & bamboo flute
and sings ad-lib about nature, beauty and love.
Click to listen...
* You may
need to click 'Back' to return to this page
after listening. |
|
The
Mru fully enjoy the beauty of nature - hills, rivers,
flora and fauna. They are especially fond of music,
through which they express this love of all things
beautiful. They sing all day - while farming, cooking,
to their children, to themselves, to the trees, mountains
- about anything that is pleasing. Words are often
ad-lib, made up at the moment about nature, love and
day-to-day activities. The simple bamboo flutes (prui)
played by young women and the more elaborate mouth
organs (ploong) of varying sizes played by the young
men made from gourds & bamboo, are the basic instruments.
The largest ploong has eight long pipes and sounds
somewhat bagpipe-like. Drums and gongs accompany the
wind instruments and lyrics. The music is based on
set tone sequences, which are repeated indefinitely,
the lyrics rather like rap. During the winter months
(November to February), young Mru men travel around
to woo the girls and by singing questions and answers,
often into the early morning, the girls test the suitors
qualifications and sincerity.
|
|
As part of their traditional culture, the Mru simply
love to entertain guests - who will surely come
away richer by the association of these unique and
interesting people. Click
to find out how you can do just this. Come visit
them and the other fourteen native peoples of the
Chittagong Hill Tracts. Stay in a 'Bawm' village
- on the fabulous lotus-filled Boga lake shore -
then trek up to Keokeradang, the highest peak (around
4,500 ft. above sea level) in Bangladesh, and return
to enjoy a 'guitar evening'. Visit the Buddhist
'Marmas' while in Bandarban and sip their 'home-brew'
slowly, while relaxing by the Sangu river. Only
two more of the unlimited opportunities that await,
as you discover this region and it's peoples for
yourself.
|
 |
A
sincere smile and humble invitation awaits your
visit. |
|
Your
enchanting hosts invite you in for some fine home-brew and a mystical musical evening...
|
"We
were both deeply moved by experiencing life among
the Mru people. Truthfully, it was one of our more
profound and rewarding experiences ever (and we've
traveled widely over the years). We enjoyed ourselves
tremendously all the while learning about an amazing
culture and a truly wonderful people -- please thank
all our dear, dear friends in Lusain village for
us. We'll never forget them and their hospitality."
--
Dr. & Mrs. Johnstone, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
-- |
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
BANGLADESH
ECOTOURS
263
Jubilee Road, Tinpol, Chittagong, Bangladesh
Phones: 0189-318345; 0171-264827; 031-623451
Email: info@bangladeshecotours.com
Published: 25 June, 1997 - Updated: 01 November, 2004
Webmaster: Shahjahan
Siraj
|
|
|
