Revision as of 21:26, 7 July 2018

Introduction

Shiv Sahay Singh, May 27, 2017: The Hindu

Individuals in Reang attire;
From: Shiv Sahay Singh, May 27, 2017: The Hindu

Reang women wearing tradition Reang jewellery and dress;
From: Shiv Sahay Singh, May 27, 2017: The Hindu

More than 100 km from the Tripura’s capital of Agartala, at the Karnamanipara village in Dhalai district, Chandirung and Phitarung are the only women who can be spotted wearing traditional Reang jewellery called lukoih (a unique necklace made of colourful beads) and rangbauh (a necklace made of coins).

The author, a Professor of history at Tripura University, who himself belongs to the Reang community, has collected field data from 189 Reang-inhabited village councils/gram panchayats covering 28 blocks from six out of the eight districts of Tripura (2017).

“Members of the Reang tribe are generally known to be shy and hardly ever depart from their traditional way of life. Till a few decades ago, they did not mix with people of other communities. However, over the past few years, changes have slowly started creeping into their way of life. Documenting and preserving the centuries-old heritage becomes all the more important,” Professor Reang said.

Culture

Traditional

Manindra Reang, State Minister for Tribal Welfare, said that a museum dedicated to the culture of the Reang tribe is being set up at the office of the department in the Gorkha Basti area of Agartala. The museum seeks to showcase cultural aspects of Reang life in attire, ornaments, dance and rituals.

Reang millennials

Hamjakma Reang is a pop singer and guitarist who, inter alia, sings Hindi-Urdu and Punjabi songs.
She lives in Agartala.

See graphic

Hamjakma Reang is a pop singer and guitarist who, inert alia, sings Hindi-Urdu and Punjabi songs.

Dance

One of the unique dances of the Reang is the Hodaigiri/Hojagiri, in which a group of women balance themselves on earthen pitchers and manage other props. The performance is associated with the harvest.

Education

Data from the field

One of the concerns highlighted in the publication by Professor Reang is the limited access to education.

“Our survey revealed that the educational profile of children between the age group of 6-14 years was not satisfactory. Out of 45,532 children in this age group, 40.9% boys and 38.6% girls are not in school,” he said.

Education has been pressing a concern for the tribe. As per the 2001 census, 66.93% of the Reang population is illiterate.

Language

The Reang dialect is of Tibetan-Burmese origin and is locally referred to as Kau Bru. Though there is no script for the language, some publications follow the Bengali or Roman script to keep the language alive.

Occupation

Jhum cultivation

Traditionally, jhum (shifting) cultivation has been one of the primary agricultural activities of the Reang tribe. However, with land rights being granted, many members of the community have taken to ploughing or settled cultivation.

“In terms of agriculture, the survey revealed that only 13.8% members of the community are practising shifting cultivation while 35.2% are engaged in settled agriculture. About 13.1% of the tribe depend on the collection of minor forest produce for their livelihood while 19.8% are agricultural labours,” Professor Reang said.

Bru refugees in Tripura

2018: Planned return to Mizoram

Prabin Kalita, With eye on polls, Centre sets Sept deadline to get Bru refugees on voter list, July 5, 2018: The Times of India

The Centre is working overtime to ensure a smooth homecoming for Mizoram’s 32,875 displaced Bru people after their 21-yearlong exile in Tripura, all in time for the assembly election later this year.

Besides setting strict deadlines for the resettlement process — including setting up bank accounts and allocating additional land for construction of toilets — the Centre has set a September deadline to update the names of the refugees on the voter list.

Mizoram, the last remaining Congress bastion in the north-east, is slated to go to the polls in December. In 2014, the Election Commission had carried out a special revision of voters in the six

refugee camps of north Tripura where the Bru families were living. A total of 11,243 voters were eventually included in Mizoram’s electoral rolls and allowed to vote in the Lok Sabha election through postal ballots. The move had met stiff opposition from several Mizoram organisations, who said the Brus should not be allowed to vote if they did not stay in Mizoram.

BJP dismissed the possibility of political dividends as a result of the move. “It’s good that they are returning to Mizoram... But I wouldn’t say that BJP will reap the benefits in terms of votes in December. Congress has a strong base among Bru voters, as does the Mizo National Front,” president of BJP’s Mizoram unit JV Hluna said. “We are concerned that though the Centre was instrumental in the repatriation of the Bru families, the implementation of the repatriation schemes will be under the aegis of the state government, which is ruled by Congress.”

The Brus, also called Reangs, have been living in six relief camps in north Tripura areas adjoining Mizoram since 1997 after they fled their homes following ethnic violence.