About Chakma Peoples
About
Chakma Peoples in Bangladesh: -
More
than 430,000 Chakma people inhabit Bangladesh and adjoining areas of northeast
India. Approximately 300,000 live in the Chittagong Hills area of south-east
Bangladesh, including Chittagong City. They are the largest Buddhist group in
that Muslim-dominated country. The Chakma are not the same as the smaller Chak
tribe, who inhabit areas further south. In India the Chakma are a scheduled (official) tribe. They number over 100,000 people spread over five states, including south-western Mizoram along the Karnafuli River (39,900 in 1981), northern Tripura (34,797 in 1981) and Assam (22,789 in 1971, living in the Karbi Anglong, North Cachar and Cachar districts). Small numbers of Chakma live in West Bengal (141 people) and Meghalaya (103 people).
History: -
The
Chakma have inhabited the Chittagong Hill Tracts since long before the region
became part of the Mughal empire in 1666. Buddhism flourished in Bangladesh
from the 5th to 12th centuries. Since the 13th century, Buddhism has been
confined to the Chittagong area. The Chakma 'continued to acknowledge the
suzerainty of the Arakanese king until 1784'. They have long found themselves
at odds with the predominantly Muslim Bengalis. The construction of the Kaptai
Dam in the 1960s caused 18,000 Chakma people to lose their homes, and this is
believed to be the origin of the present problems. Since the mid-1970s the
Chakma have been involved in a secretive guerilla war against Bangladeshi
soldiers. The fighting stems from the influx of large numbers of Bengali settlers,
who have moved into the Chittagong area and taken over Chakma land by force.
The government does little to stop the illegal settlers, and the Chakma have
fought back out of frustration as they see their lives being rapidly decimated.
In 1987, Amnesty International reported 'arbitrary arrests, torture and
unlawful killings' of tribe members by security forces. Thousands of Chakma
have been killed, hundreds of women and girls raped, and Buddhist temples
smashed and looted. Tens of thousands of Chakma refugees have fled across the
border into India.Religion: -
According
to K S Singh, 'The Chakma are Buddhists and worship Lord Buddha. At the family
level they worship deities like Lakshmi and Ganga. The monk, who may be from
another Buddhist community, acts as a religious teacher and performs various
rites.' The 1981 census in India recorded 97.62 per cent of the Chakma in Tripura as followers of Buddhism, 2.32 per cent as Hindus and the rest as Christians and Muslims. The 1961 census had returned a higher figure of 99.44 per cent as Buddhists. In Mizoram, 98.83 per cent of Chakma are Buddhists.
Christianity: -
According
to the India Missions Association, 7,275 Chakma in India are Christians. In
Bangladesh, the Christian presence among the Chakma is scarcer, although there
are small pockets of believers in scattered villages. Overall, the troubled
Chakma people remain an unbleached and evangelized people group. Experiencing
turmoil and an uncertain future, they need the inner peace and hope that only
faith in Christ can bring.
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People Name General
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People Name in Country
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Chakma
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Population in Bangladesh
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442,000
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World Population
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689,000
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Total Countries
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Yes
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No
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2 ●
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Alternate Names
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Chakama, Chawngma, Daingnet,
Doingnak, Thet, Tsak, चागमा
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MSY50s
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MSY50s
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Country
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Region
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Continent
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Yes
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National Bible Society
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Location in Country
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: More than 430,000 Chakma people
inhabit Bangladesh and adjoining areas of northeast India. Approximately
300,000 live in the Chittagong Hills area of southeast Bangladesh, including
Chittagong City. Source: Peoples of the Buddhist World,
2004
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Specialized Website
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Country
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Region
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Continent
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Yes
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National Bible Society
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Location in Country
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More than 430,000 Chakma people
inhabit Bangladesh and adjoining areas of northeast India. Approximately
300,000 live in the Chittagong Hills area of southeast Bangladesh, including
Chittagong City.. Source: Peoples of the Buddhist World,
2004
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Total States
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1
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Chittagong 442,000
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Website
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Chakma (339,000 speakers)
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Language Code
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Language Written
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Total Languages
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6
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Other People Groups
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Chakma (339,000 speakers)
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Language Code
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Total Languages
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6
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Chittagonian 38,000
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Darlong 6,500
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Kok Borok 2,000
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Usoi 1,300
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Bengali 1,200
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People Groups
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Bible Translation ▲
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Status (Years)
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Bible-Portions
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Yes (1924-1955)
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Bible-New Testament
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Yes (1926-1991)
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Bible-Complete
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No
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Possible Print Bibles
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Resource Type ▲
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Resource Name
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Audio Recordings
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Audio Recordings
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Film / Video
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Primary Religion:
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Major Religion ▲
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84.82 %
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Christianity (Evangelical Unknown)
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15.13 %
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0.00 %
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0.05 %
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0.00 %
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0.00 %
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0.00 %
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0.00 %
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Photo Source
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Kerry Olson
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Map Source
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Anonymous
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Profile Source
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Peoples of the
Buddhist World, Paul Hattaway
Copyrighted © Used with permission
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Data Sources
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* Religion Values
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From latest Bangladesh census
data. Current values may differ.
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