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On the Brink of Extinction- The Munda Tribe

The Mundas in the south-western region of Bangladesh: Their origin and their cultural dimensions

Part I

This investigative Report is submitted by: Sudangshu Mallick, HRCBM-Khulna Chapter, Bangladesh

N.B. With absolute resolve to procure justice and endow empowerment to the minorities and disadvangtage population of Bangladesh, HRCBM has directed its khulna chapter to investigate the issues of Munda Tribes. This report focuses on the origin culture and plights of almost socially outcast, confined, disgraced and oppressed little known tribe of Bangladesh namely "Munda". This report is of two parts. The part I focuses on Kayera, Satkira and the Part-II focuses on Sundarban, Bangladesh.

An appeal: The Munda Tribe urgently needs support from NGOs on the followings
1) Advocacy
2) Education & Food
3) Human Empowerment and sustainable development
4) Health and hygiene Services

Note: HRCBM needs your help, please support us to extend help to Munda tribes in Bangladesh. Help us save this important tribes from Annihilation.

There are about 20 ethnic minority communities in the south western region of Bangladesh. They are popularly known as the people of lower cast in the social fabric who are generally deprived and downtrodden in Bangladesh society. Among them, some have their own religion, culture, custom, and language for which they are identified as a section of people with some facets of tribe. Mundas is such a community. The Mundas living in Bangladesh are divided into two casts- the "Munda" cast and the "Munda Mahato" cast. They live in the south-western region, especially in the southern part of Khulna district, Satkhira and in the area adjacent to the Sundarbans. The Mundas is one of the most deprived and disdained communities in Bangladesh.


Picture (courtesy HRCBM-central): The picture depict the region of Bangladesh where Munda lives and the population.

History of the Mundas

The Mundas in Bangladesh are considered as tribes. They are also locally known as "Buno", "Kooli", "Saotal" and "Sardar". No one can say exactly when and how they came to former East Bengal today's Bangladesh. But different people express different ideas regarding their migration into former "East Bengal" today's Bangladesh. According to HRCBM research, the  Mundas were brought  to former East Bengal and today's Bangladesh, from Ranchi of Jarkandh and Bakura, Nagpur, Birbhum, Purulia, Saotal Pargona and Medinipur distrcts of the west Bengal of India. Firstly, the kings of Naldanga in Kaliganj of Jhinaidah (the then Jessore) district brought the Mundas to former East Bengal today's Bangladesh. Basically, they worked as Clubmen ( locally known as Lathial) in the houses of the Kings. Secondly, after the failure of Sautal rebellion in 1850, they were brought to former East Bengal by the British rulers to cultivate the plants of Nil. Thirdly, the landlords of the south-western region brought them to Bangladesh to cut the Sundarbans and make embankment to resist saline water from entering into the cultivable land in a bid to make! human habitation in the places near the Sundarbans. Most of the knowledgeable people support the third idea strongly about their coming to Bangladesh.

Picture (courtesy HRCBM-Central): The picture depicts the origination point of and the forced migration path.

The social and religious status of the Mundas

The Mundas are known in different names in the society such as Buno, Soultal, Kuli and Sarder. But they have their own customs and functions. They are the followers of the 'Sanatan' (original form of Hindu) religion. They follow all the religious customs of Sanatan. They were the worshipers of the god 'Shiva' (symbol of energy and life) in ancient time but now they worhip different gods and goddesses like the Hindus.
Though, once the society of Mundas was mother dominated, now the families are father dominated. They have their own 'Morol' (chief of clan) and 'Raja' ( king ). A Morol dominates a clan and the Raja dominates a good number of clans. The Morols and the king give directives in their social and religious life.

Picture (courtesy HRCBM-Khulna): Secretary of HRCBM-Khulna Mr. Sudangshu Mallick talking with the Morols (Chief of Clan) of Munda tribes in Koyera, Khulna district, Bangladesh.

Physical structure of the Mundas
There is a similarity between the Mundas and the Saotal in their physical structure. They are blackish, curly haired and dwarf in size. They are very industrious but with the passage of time their physical structure underwent significant changes. Some Mundas of new generation are as like as the Bengalis.

Picture (courtesy HRCBM-Khulna): A hunger striken Munda family.

The Tradition
The Mundas are living in the southern region of Bangladesh for couple of centuries. A good number of differences have influenced their life style in religious , social and cultural activities. As far as it is learnt, the Mundas worship the god Shiva but the process of worship differs in different places. As for example, the ways of worshipping of the Bangladeshi Mundas are similar to that of Bangladeshi Hindus. They have a special kind of dance of their own namely 'Nupur' dance. Wearing nupur ( an anklet set with smal vells ) in ankle the Mundas dance in a chorus with music. This dance is called Nupur dance. But a lot of changes have come in this Nupur dance. They gather in a meeting, and sing in devotion to name of Lord 'Krishna' and 'Ram' . But the way of their singing is different from that of the Bangladeshi Hindus.

Picture (courtesy HRCBM-Khulna): A Munda singer is playing traditional "Kirtan" (a spiritual song) while Morols join in.

Most of the Mundas marry within their community. The Mundas of Koyra thana in Khulna district marry with the Mundas of Shymnagar thana in Satkhira district. They marry in their teen age, just like the "Gaouri" (child hood marriage) custom of the ancient Hindus. The bride goes round the groom seven times during the marriage. They have to recite the 'mantras' (hymns). Most of the participants of wedding ceremony are women. The Morol or the Raja gives directives in the marriages. Although the married Monda women wear conch bangle now a days like the "Bengali Hindu" women, they did not wear it in ancient time.

Picture (courtesy HRCBM-Khulna): A group of Munda women.

During the ancient time the main occupation of Mundas was to cut the Sundarbans and to raise cultivable land. Besides, they had to make embankment to prevent the cultivated land from saline water. More over they worked as the muscle men for the local kings and landlords. Though they did hazardous works, they were ill paid. They were given a few lands for cultivation as their wages. But with the passage of time, their occupation has been changed. Now their occupations are catching fish, digging earth and farming in others' lands. They are very much skilled in this works. This tribe do many works both men and women work as day laborers in others land. Both men and women do hard work like earth cutting. They both catch fishes in rivers and ponds adjacent to the Shundarbans. They hunt birds with spars. They hunt tortoise digging the earth of bushes. Some of them collect shells and snails. Some of them also cultivate taking others land on lease. But no where the! y get proper wages. Recently some of them have taken training of carpeting, electrical, welding and motor mechanical course. But their member is very small.

Picture (courtesy HRCBM-Khulna): From left, a Munda women carrying haystack and on the right, man working on small amount of rice paddy that they have received after 6 month work in a paddy field. People exploit Mundas who are hand-to-mouth and pay very little for their work. being a minority and social outcast, Mundas are subject to oppression and and exploitation.

There is a similarity between the Saotal and the mundas in their way of taking foods. Like Saotal, the Mundas eat frogs. snakes. rats, wild animals, shells, snails and earthworm. But now a days, they have made some changes in their food items. They entertain their guests by giving them Tari ( a kind of wine that is made from palm juice ) and Haria ( a kind of wine made from soaked rice ). They themselves also drink Tari and Haria.

But now a days, a change has come in their food habit as they are facing pressure of their surroundings. As the alternative food they are eating the foods that are eaten by the Hindus.

Picture (courtesy HRCBM-Khulna): From top left, a women cuts Mussels to prepare food for the family. On the right, Mr. Tapas Das, a journalist of New Age newspaper who accompanied by HRCBM-Khulna chapter trying to talk with Munda women who are returning to home after catching some mussels and small fish. Bottom left, a Munda woman preparing cleaning and cutting small fish. Monda women returning home after day long search for mussels and fish.

As it stands today, most of the Mundas are landless. Most of them have no land of their own. Some live in either on an open land or on others lands. In ancient time, the landlords who have used Mundas to cultivable their land by cutting the trees and bushes of sundarbans by hand made axe, gave the Mundas some land. In generations, the remaining Mundas of Bangladesh have cultivated paddies on those lands (which they can claim as their own land) and tried to survive what little land they got as gift from the then Zaminder (land lord). But the condition was that they would only enjoy the lands and never would sell the land.

For this the Mundas could not sell their land. But during later period when Bangladesh came to existence as an independent country, some opportunist Muslims targeted the lands of the Mundas and forcefully grabbed most of the land and evicted the Mundas from the Ancestral  land.
The  same opportunist land grabber to disgrace the community imposed the title of "Cooli", "Sarder" and "Buno". The weak and oppressed Mundas who are also a subject of state sponsored discrimination became landless.

Ye, a very few Mundas managed have a little land out of the land grabbers hand. HRCBM investigation reveals those land are barely enough and Mundas are facing constant threats to lose them as well as a result their existence are being threatened. Besides, the number of Munda family members have increased overtime but their lands have decreased since then. For this reason their land has been divided into small pieces. Some of the Mundas are now living as vagabond.


Picture (courtesy HRCBM-Khulna): Poverty striken Munda habitat. The poor and oppressed Munda community formed a colony within a little piece of land in the middle of a Howur (an area that has seasonal flood and submerged under water most of the year).
 

From the ancient time this tribe is deprived of the light of education. The Mundas never come forward to be educated or the government or any other social organization did not come forward to educate them. Their social and surrounding condition also do not permit them to be educated. Very recently some non-government organizations have taken initiative to educate the children of the Mundas. Some Mundas are sending their children to school but they are very few in number.

The Mundas have a language of their own. But they do not know about it's letters. When they speak among themselves, they speak in this language but during others times they speak in a language mixed with Bangla and their own.

Picture (Courtesy HRCBM-Khulna): A school to teach Munda children which is not receiving government fund. The government of Bangladesh is reluctant to provide education to Munda and argues that Munda children should study in the government primary schools with general population. HRCBM representative requested the said to Munda community and found out that their children are treated badly by general population as social outcast and government is doing little about it. Government officials has refused to support or establish any school for the Munda tribes. HRCBM finds such determination of the government of Bangladesh very discriminatory. Apart from this, government has ignored the plights Mundas despite numerous requests and refused to provide any service to Mundas and treated them as social outcast.

Picture (courtesy HRCBM-Khulna): The poverty striken Anil Munda and his wife. Mr. Anil Munda is the king of Mundas at Koyera, Khulna of Bangladesh.

The Mundas are facing a manifold problems. Lack of land aggravates to their already worst livelihood. Like vagabond some roams around to find a peice of land to spent the day while others lives at the mercy of land lord for whom they serve. The Mundas catch fish, work as day laborers and earth cutter and thus they pass their days. The work which is possible by the people of other community, the Mundas are not called for this work but the work which is not possible without Mundas then they are called for the work and the Mundas are paid a very few amount of money to do these works. The Mundas are deprived of education. One of the great problems of Mundas is that they do not use healthy latrine. They have no knowledge about sanitation also. They go to call of nature in the open field and any where they like. They are not aware of fresh drinking water. As they have not enough water, they drink water from ponds or rivers. The Mundas are about to forget their own social and cultural customs. With the passage of time, they are mixing with the Hindus. As they are thought to be the people of low-born, they could not mix with the main stream. After the partition of India and Pakistan, a lot of Mundas went to India because of adverse environment and oppression.

Picture (courtesy HRCBM-Khulna): The members of Munda community. Little to live with these Mundas everyday starts with the struggle for survival.

Picture (courtesy HRCBM-Khulna): With Little or no food, these little children face the cruelty of the world since at the beginning of their age.

Picture (courtesy HRCBM-Khulna): The little may be they are; may perhaps they have little hands yet they tireless in the effort to catch fish and work on others land to bring food to the family.