Revue des arts et des sciences sociales

The Munda's an Ethnic Community in the South-West Coastal Region of Bangladesh: Buno/Kuli/Sarna/Horoko, Indigenous People during the British Period Coming from Ranchi

Abstract

Shaiful Huda

The Munda’s (Adibasi) are an aboriginal community of the Kingdom of Royal Bengal Tiger of the Sundarbans Mangrove ecological zone (the south-west costal region). The Munda’s are called ‘Sarna/Buno/the forest Man/Kuli/Horoko/the deprived Man/the neglected Tribe. They live surrounding the Sundarban’s Mangrove forest and depend on the ecology for their subsistence and livelihoods. During the British period, the Indigenous people travelled to Bangladesh about 220 years ago coming from Ranchi, the capital of Jharkhand (Bihar) and have been here ever since. The group is one of the Indian largest scheduled tribes. The Munda’s practice indigenous religion, distinctive culture and play. They are excellent in singing, dancing, drinking, working, catching fish/crab and shrimp collecting wood honey etc. They also believe in ghosts (Bhut) and spirits-both good and bad and call on them to either help someone who is sick or to do damage to another person. They also dedicate Hen for the rituals celebration for their God (Sing Bonga-The Sun) and spirituals power. They believe that, after death the soul come back at their home and save them different types of dangers from some bad souls and bad Tantriks. They follow their ancient process or their forefather’s direction. During the festivals, they serve rice wine ‘Haria /Tari’. They are addicted Rat’s meat, Snails, Crabs, Pigs, wild Cats, Civet and dead animals due to injuries. They speak in ‘Mundari/Nagri/Sadri’ which is mixture of Bengali, Hindi and Persian.