In the Valley of Banderban
Nazrul Haider Chowdhury | Bangladesh
Photographer: Nazrul Haider Chowdhury
Exhibit Title: In the Valley of Banderban
Location: Bangladesh
The Bawm tribe has branched out from the Chinese speaking Kuki tribe. Historically, this community belongs to the Arakan area, ancient Mianmar. In 1838 one of their young leaders named Liang Kung, invaded a segment of the Khumi community and brought along with him a large number of people of that community as captives.
Previously, the Bawm ancestors were animist. But since 1910 they have began converting to Christianity, and have gradually adapted a modern life style. Now they live in the Chittagong hill track, Southeastern region of Bangladesh.
For various reasons, the Bawms have been migrating since long. However, since 1980 they started leaving extreme hill area and have their new abode to the Ruma area, a hilly urban locality in Banderban district. Although they have been in a way of modern life they are still preserving their own cultural heritages and traditions. Following that they are carrying on with traditional “Jhum”, a specialized cultivation system, weaving and handicrafts made by bamboo as their means of income sources. They still like their traditional modes of life simultaneously adapted academic education as a must for their next generation.
As a freedom state, the history of Bangladesh is not that much older, like its different indigenous groups. According govt. and non- govt. statistics, there is almost 45 indigenous groups are available here in Bangladesh. And most of them are living in the south eastern hill tracts areas of greater Chittagong, Sylhet, Maymansing, Patuakhali including many areas of north Bengal. As the other indigenous groups of the world, these people are also depending on nature to survive their lives by maintaining livelihood. And this simplicity is very clear in every spear of their everyday lifestyle. The maximum portion of their daily necessities are serving by their native environment, which is still represented in their spiritual thoughts and customs. The Bowm community is one of them.
Now a days it sounds very alarming that, the number of Bowm community people and their diversities are decreasing day by day. These people are getting harassed and marginalized in the name of development, modern tourism, forestation and in name of many others excuses. And the most vulnerable thing is that, the overall situation s almost similar about other indigenous groups not only in Bangladesh, but also in all over the world. Through my photographs I tried to focus on this alarming issue.
Nazrul Haider Chowdhury.
E mail : queue_haider@yahoo.com
Phone : +8801713020449
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