Projecting an unknown culture

A view of Mro tribal life

Shameem says, 'In the Chittagong Hill Tracts there are eleven tribes and Mro is one of them. Working in the photographic media I have been associated with the Mro since 1997. I go and visit them every three months. Earlier on they had no written language. Manlay, a person of this tribe, formed alphabets for his language and then left for the Himalayas to contemplate in 1984. I found this situation remarkable and worth recording.'. There is a folk belief among the Mro that Thorai or Ishwar gave them a code of life. A messenger was sent in the form of a cow and the Mro language was written on a banana leaf. According to the legend, the cow being tired and hungry on the way back, ate up the banana leaf on which the code had been written. From then on they have a celebration with a cow in which they sing, dance and drink surrounding the cow for three days after which they sacrifice the animal with spears. The sacrifice symbolizes the revenge for the cow's misdeed.

In one of the photographs we see the preserved skulls of many cows sacrificed in the past. These are seen against bamboo shafts and wicker basket in a large, dark shed. In another photograph we see musicians playing a flute called plung and this is followed by song and dance. We come upon the decorations of bamboo in the house where the sacrifice will take place. At the back is a black dog, which is kept as a witness to the incident of the eating of the banana leaf and the dog too is finally sacrificed. Young women are seen dancing in blue and red short sarongs, decked with heavy silver anklets, bracelets, belts ("bichhas") and beaded necklaces. The men who play the flutes are also in coloured sarongs.

About this photo Shameem says, 'Experts might feel that the hazy effect in some places is a fault; but I have done this on purpose to bring in the effect of mystery with the coming together of sunlight and the fog. In the bystander, I represent Manlay, a tribal, who is looking on at his people.' In another picture we see senior ranks of the tribal people at the same function and this photo has been taken just before the sacrifice. They are not decorated like young ones but are also seen through sunlight and wear red shawls which are given to them as a mark of respect by the villagers. In another photograph we see young women with their faces turned away. In this work we see the element of fear during the sacrifice.

There is also the depiction of the 31alphabets of the Mro tribe. In Manlay's notebooks are included a pictorial diary which are also presented at the exhibition. The illustration of the books have been done by a local artist from the Hill Tract. These books are preserved in the Mro temples in the Chittagong Hill Tracts.

Shameem feels that we, in Dhaka, who consider ourselves civilised, have a lot to learn of sense of values from rituals of the minorities which are not commonly known. Shameem would dearly like to make a video of his subjects and is not quite content with the stills. Shameem says, ' I would also have liked to paint the scenes which I have recorded in my photographs which I always try to wrap in an element of mystery.'

Shameem should surely be lauded for his search for lost folk beliefs.