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Chakma is the name of the largest tribe found in the hilly area of eastern Bangladesh known as the Chittagong Hill Tracts. Their names were first used by British census-takers to describe certain hill people. When the British left India in 1947, the land was divided into two countries, Pakistan and India. The people who lived in the Chittagong Hill Tracts region expected to become part of India.

Instead, the region was given to Pakistan. This caused resentment because the people, mostly Chakma, are primarily Buddhist and they saw themselves more culturally similar to the Hindu peoples of India than the Muslims of Pakistan.


The Chakma population is estimated to be around 550,000. The majority (approximately 300,000 people) are located in the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh. There are also about 80,000 Chakmas in Mizoram State in India, and 20,000 in Burma (Myanmar). Chakma is one of the prominent Tripura tribes.

The people belonging to Chakma tribe believe in the sermons of Lord Buddha. Udaipur, Kanchanpur, Kailsahahar, Belonia, Sabroom and Amarpur sub-divisions of Tripura are the prime locations where Chakma tribes live.

Mythology traces the origin of the Chakmas to the tribe of the ancient kingdom of Champaknagar. One of the king's sons marched east with a large army in the hope of conquering new lands. He crossed the "sea" of the Meghna River and captured the kingdom of Arakan in Burma, where he settled. His people intermarried with the Burmese and gradually adopted the Buddhist religion. The last king of this dynasty was a ruler named Sher Daulat.

The Chakmas are Buddhist and officially follow the Southern, or Theravada, form of the Buddhism. Their form of Buddhism has aspects of Hinduism and traditional religions as well. Every Chakma village has a Buddhist temple (kaang) and the Buddhist priests or monks are called Bhikhus. They preside at religious festivals and ceremonies. The villagers support their monks with food, gifts, and offerings to Buddha. The Chakmas aworship Hindu deities like Lakshmi, for example, is worshipped as the Goddess of the Harvest. They offer the sacrifice of goats, chickens, or ducks to calm the spirits that are believed to bring fevers and disease. Even though animal sacrifice is totally against Buddhist beliefs, the Chakma Buddhist priests ignore the practice.

Chakmas are divided into clans (gojas), which are further subdivided into subclans (guttis). Members of the same subclan are forbidden to marry each other. Parents arrange marriages, titlehough the wishes of sons and daughters are taken into account. A bride price (goods given by groom's family to bride's family) is fixed when the two families negotiate the marriage. The marriage ceremony is known as Chumulong and is performed by Buddhist priests.

The Chakmas speak a dialect of Bengali (Bangla) and use the standard Bengali alphabet.

Place /Location (then and now)	Mizoram , Tripura
Population	550000
Languages spoken	Bengali
Religion/God	Buddism
Food	Millet , corn, vegetables

A strange culture is followed by Chakmas Tribe that is after the birth of a child, the father places some earth near the birth bed and lights a fire on it. The fire is kept burning for five days. Later the earth is thrown away and the mother and child are bathed. A woman is considered unclean for a month after childbirth and is not allowed to cook food during this period. Children are breastfed for several years by their mothers.

Chakmas cremate their dead; their body is bathed, dressed, and laid out on a bamboo platform. Relatives and villagers visit the body and a drum used only at this time is beaten at intervals. Cremation usually occurs in the afternoon. The ritual is presided over by a priest.

Buddhists believe in reincarnation. They think that dead person's spirit will return to earth in another living form. The mourning period for the family lasts for seven days and no fish or animal flesh is eaten during this time. On the seventh day, the final ritual (Satdinya) is held. At this time the family offers food to their ancestors, Buddhist monks deliver religious discourses, offerings are made to the monks, and the entire village participates in a communal feast.

Chakma hospitality is very much honourable. Guests are given home-brewed liquor and the hukka (hooka) pipe. 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 throughout the year. After living for so many years near Muslims, some Chakmas use the Muslim greeting, Salaam.

Chakmas 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, creating a homestead (Bari). Baris cluster together to form hamlets (para) and a number 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 two meters (six feet) above the ground. The house is built on the rear of the platform.

Chakma men have given up their traditional clothes for Western-style shirts and trousers. It is the women who maintain the traditional Chakma style of dress, which consists of two pieces of cloth. One 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 women are skilled weavers and make their own cloth.

The staple food of the Chakmas is rice, supplemented by millet, corn (maize), vegetables, and mustard. Vegetables include yams, pumpkins, melons, and cucumbers. Vegetables and fruit gathered from the forest may be added to the diet. Fish, poultry, and meat (even pork) are eaten, despite the Buddhist taboo on consuming animal flesh. Chakmas do not like milk. They drink alcoholic beverages freely, and every household makes its own rice liquor. Alcohol is consumed at all festivals and social occasions.

The Chakmas are farmers. There is no ownership of land, but Chakma custom holds that no one should interfere with fields that look like someone else is farming there.

Land is cleared of trees and bushes, and any remaining vegetation is burned during the dry season in April. Crops are planted after the first heavy rains.

Harvesting usually takes place in October and November.

Chakmas celebrate various Buddhist festivals and the most important is Buddha Purnima. This is the anniversary of three 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 festival days, Chakmas put on their best clothes and visit the temple.

There, they offer flowers to the image 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. Bishu is another most famous festival of Chakmas, it is a three-day festival which coincides with the Bengali New Year's Day, and 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.