One of the indigenous communities with individualism among the other ethnic groups rich in culture and tradition is the Pankhua or Pankho. They are the kuki-chin-mizo group who reside both in Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh and in Mizoram, India. Their language is known as Pankho language.The pankho people mostly live in Bilaichari, Barkal of CHT.From the census conducted in 1991, the people are only of 3227in population.
The Pankhos claim themselves as Buddhist although most of them have adopted Christianity during the British period and their culture and dress. They worship the mother nature in their own way and also have their own God named Potyen. The second solicitation is towards the God named Khojing who is the deity of the forests in hills and controls the well being of Jhumcultivation. It is considered that tiger is the favorite animal of deity Khojing so tiger holds a high position for the Pankhopeople. His worshipping is one of the largest occasions for them.Their culture is affluent with famous legends and fairytales.
They are dependant on Jhum cultivation. Now, coping with time as they are getting educated so they are also leaning towards the jobs other than cultivating jum and both men and women play a great role in cultivation. The women weave their own traditional attire and they make many traditional equipment using bamboos where their creativity is bloomed. They have their own mother tongue enriched with many famous romantic and folk songs.
The people bury their dead bodies and they follow their own tradition in regards of the successions. As their society is based on patriarchy so the sons are the chosen as descendants of their father. The father is the executive of the family.
The marriage ceremony of Pankho people is also opulent in nature. Early marriage is not familiar to them at present and divorce and widow marriage is mostly common. The marriage is to be confirmed by Inkai which is a deposit form from the groom's family. Their marriage ceremony is celebrated with great enthusiasm.
This distinguished type of indigenous group have introduced themselves as individual fellowship with their languages, clothing, customs, occasions and so on.
The indigenous societies are unique and colorful in nature. They have been adding the beauty of Bangladesh with their cultures and traditions. With time, they are trying to cooperate with the changing nature of world. The security as ethnic groups who are vulnerable and a very easy prey of colonial power should be ensured in CHT. The govt and authority concerned need to be cautious with the preservation of different tastes of customs of each indigenous community. The population is already very low so to preserve the beauty of diversity, it is not too late to make steps necessary for their security in Bangladesh.
Written by Priase Chakma
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