Marmas

The Marma () are the second-largest ethnic community in Bangladesh's Chittagong Hill Tracts, primarily residing in the Bandarban, Khagrachari and Rangamati Hill Districts. They belong to the same community as the Rakhine people. There are three endogamous groups of Marma within the Magh Community which are known as i) The Thongtha, Khyongtha, Mrokpatha, ii) The Marma, Mayamma, or Rakhaing Magh, iii) The Maramagri, otherwise called the Barua maghs.

Ethnonyms

Between the 17th and 18th centuries, the Rakhine began calling themselves Mranma (မြန်မာ) and its derivatives like Marama (မရမာ), as attested by texts like the ''Rakhine Minrazagri Ayedaw Sadan'' and the ''Dhanyawaddy Ayedawbon''. This endonym continues to be used by the Marma. The term "Marma" is derived from "Myanmar," which was first used in the early 1100s. In the Marma and Arakanese, Myanmar is pronounced ''Mranma'' (), not ''Myanma'' (). In the Burmese language, the Marma are known as the ().

By 1585, European, Persian, and Bengali accounts began describing the Marma and other Buddhist groups like the Barua people in the region as the Mugh or Magh, which were not used by the groups themselves. The word's etymology is likely to derive from Magadha, the name of an ancient Buddhist kingdom. The Marmas considered these names to be pejorative because of the word's association with piracy, and thus assumed the name Marma in the 1940s. Some Marmas in the Indian state of Tripura continue to self-identify as Marima, or as Moghs or Maghs.

History

The ancestors of the Marma, the Rakhine, live in a coastal region between Chittagong and the Arakan Mountains, in what is now Rakhine State of Myanmar. Between the 15th and 16th centuries, the Rakhine and all the Buddhist groups in the region received a reputation for piracy in association with the Portuguese, due to endemic piracy in the Bay of Bengal. Between the 16th and 18th centuries, the Marmas migrated from their homeland to the Chittagong Hill Tracts, coinciding with the Kingdom of Mrauk U's conquest of Chittagong.

Records of the East India Company and others indicate that the Marmas migrated from the Kingdom of Mrauk U to Chittagong of Bangladesh in two phases of migrations during 14th to 17th centuries in the golden period of Mrauk U. In the first phase, during the Mrauk U Kingdom expanded to some parts of Chittagong Division. Secondly, Marma ancestors fled to Chittagong and settled down as the Arakanese kingdom was conquered and annexed by Burmese king Bodawpaya in 1785.

In 1971, following the Bangladesh Liberation War in which Bangladesh achieved independence, the country's majority Bengali Muslims began settling in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, which has displaced native inhabitants.

Genetic studies

Genetic studies have indicated that the Marma populations share a high frequency of Indian and low frequency of East Asian specific maternal haplogroups, and have the highest haplotype diversity when compared with Tripura and Chakma populations, suggesting deep colonization of the region by Marmas.

Marma in Bangladesh

According to 2022 census, Marmas are Second largest ethnic group in Bandarban District (17.49%), third largest in Rangamati Hill District (7.93%) and fourth largest in Khagrachhari District (10.39%).

They are the largest ethnic group in Rowangchhari Upazila (49.48%), Guimara Upazila (38.10%), Rajasthali Upazila (36.65%), Thanchi Upazila (31.37%) and Ruma Upazila (31.04%).

Culture

The Marmas are subdivided into 12 clans, named after the place from where they migrated. These clans include the Ragraisa, consisting of Marmas living south of the Karnaphuli river, the Palaingsa from Ramgarh Upazila, the Khyongsa (ချောင်းသား) from riverside communities, the Toungsa (တောင်သား) from the hill ridges, and smaller clans including the Longdusa, the Frangsa, the Kyokara-sa, and the Talongsa (တလိုင်းသား).

The culture of the Marmas is similar to that of the Rakhine people, including their language, food, clothes, religion, dance, and funeral rites. Marma men wear a sarong called '' lungyi'', while Marma women wear a sarong called ''thabein''.

Marmas mostly depend on agriculture, traditionally practicing slash-and-burn cultivation on the hills. Their belief in Theravada Buddhism is as deep as the Rakhine society's, with an emphasis on ritual practices in deities. Some Marmas also practice Animism, Christianity.

Marmas follow the Burmese calendar. They celebrate the New Year, called '' Sangrai'' (), which begins on the first day of Bohag. They make ''sangraimu,'' which is a form of traditional cakes. They take part in Sangrain Relong Pwe (; water pouring), where young Marma men and women spray each other with water. Sangrai is celebrated in three days, On the 1st day, called Painchwai or Akro, homes are decorated with flowers. On the 2nd day, Sangrai Akya, Marmas participate in traditional sports, dances, cultural activities and hold meetings regarding community issues. They also go to monasteries to participate in the Buddha statue's bathing (cleansing) ritual on this day. On the 3rd day, called Sangrai Atada, they cook a vegetable dish made out of more than 100 ingredients, called ''hangbong'' (; ''pachan'' in Bangla).

After death, Marma elderlies are cremated, while younger deceased Marmas are buried.

Festival

Like other ethnic peoples, the Marma's celebrate a variety of traditional festivals such as birth, death, marriage and New Year. The main festivals of Marma's are: - Buddha Purnima, Kathina, Oyahgyai or Prabarana Purnima, Sangrai etc. The Marma New Year festival is called Sangrai . In addition to these festivals, other natural festivals are also celebrated, which are often similar to other indigenous ethnic groups in Bangladesh.

Buddha Punirma

On this full moon day, Mahamati Gautam Buddha was born, attained enlightenment and attained Mahaparinirvana . It is a religious festival. Every year the festival is celebrated with great enthusiasm and fervor.

Kathina

One night it's the color of cotton yarn from the Buddhist beggars wear cibara are made each solid cibara say.

Wagyoi or Prabarona

Wagyai or Prabarona Purnima is a major religious festival of the Marmas. On this day this festival is celebrated with great joy and happiness in every society of Marmas and Bihar. These days delicious cakes are made at home. On this day at night, lanterns are blown to worship and dedicate the great hair of Gautam Buddha .

Sangrai

The name of the Marma New Year festival is ' Sangrai '. This is one of their main traditional ceremonies. They organize this festival on the Bengali new year occasion of month Boishakh. On the occasion of the New Year, they organize various interesting events in Sangrai. Water festival is one of these events. On that day, the Marma youths rejoiced by sprinkling water on each other. By sprinkling water, they wash away the dirt and ink of the past year. Apart from that, they also find the person of their choice through water sports. In addition to water sports, they celebrate the Sangrai festival by performing other rituals such as pangchowai (flower sangrai), sangrai ji, candle lighting and buddhasnan. They enjoy their festivals by speaking on their mother tongue.

Notable people

Bangladeshi

* Uk Ching Marma, Bangladeshi freedom fighter
* Ushwe Sing, Bangladeshi politician
* Saching Prue Jerry, Bangladeshi politician
* Aung Shwe Prue Chowdhury, Bangladeshi politician
* Ma Mya Ching, Bangladeshi politician
* Anai Mogini, Bangladeshi footballer
* Mitul Marma, Bangladeshi footballer
* Aungmraching Marma, Bangladesh national team footballer and former captain
* U Pannya Jota Mahathera, Bangladeshi Theravada monk

Indian

* Mailafru Mog, Indian politician and member of Tripura Legislative Assembly

See also

* Barua (Bangladesh)
* Bengali Buddhists
* Bohmong Circle
* Buddhism in Bangladesh
* Mong Circle

References

External links

Ethnologue profile


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{{Ethnic groups in Burma

Ethnic groups in Bangladesh
Chittagong Division
Sino-Tibetan-speaking people
Ethnic groups in Myanmar
Ethnic groups in India
Ethnic groups in Northeast India
Ethnic groups in Tripura