A glimpse of indigenous culture

Riveting performances at the festival. PHOTO: Shawkat Jamil

Bangladeshi tribes enjoy singing, dancing and playing musical instruments. To preserve their rich heritage, the festival showcased all these art forms. The programme began with the rendering of a song, Hamni Hiki Bangladesh by a group of Oraon young people. Then followed a dance by four young Tripura girls clad in ethnic attire and carrying baskets. At the end of the dance, the girls threw flowers at the audience, much to the delight of the numerous people who turned out at the event.

Among the highlights of the magical evening was the Oraon Karam dance. An interesting story surrounds the Karam festival: one version is that the Oraons believe that the Karam tree gave them refuge when they were driven out by the Aryans. From this time onwards, they celebrate this festival and worship the tree with songs and dances.

An enthralled audience watched the Rakhaing combat with a tiger. In this exciting dance, a man with a sword engages in a fight against a tiger. As the music reaches a crescendo the duo battle it out. The momentum picked up later when a group of young Lyngngam girls and boys, dressed in vibrant colours, performed their native dance.

The fag end of the programme featured the popular Rukha-Tla or bamboo dance by Bawm girls and boys. The audience watched spellbound as the unfaltering performers danced between bamboos without losing their momentum. The finale was a bottle dance by the Tripura ethnic community. The dance is generally performed by lighting a lamp on a bottle and swaying to the music with the bottle balanced carefully on the performers' heads. The bewitching dance was a fitting conclusion to a splendid cultural evening. The cultural festival over the next two days will feature other Adivasi communities such as Chakma, Marma, Khasi, Santal, Monipuri and Mro, among others.

Festivals like this can go a long way in bridging the yawning cultural divide between the Bangalee majority and indigenous peoples. The need for such a bridge cannot be overstated since Adivasis from various corners of Bangladesh remain disadvantaged and marginalised. Their culture is endangered and only with the aid of organisations such as SEHD can they find a place in the sun. Meanwhile, dancer Pinky Tripura from the Tripura community of Rangamati has the last word: "I am elated at gaining insights into diverse communities. A festival on this large scale goes a long way in opening one's eyes to the lives and culture of the indigenous peoples."