Different Tribes of Tripura
Ethnic Identities of Tripura Tribes:
Tripura a hilly State in the North-Eastern region of India is the homeland of different tribes. Altogether there are 19(nineteen) tribes in the State. They could be divided into 2(two) major groups as (i) Ab-original and (ii) Immigrants. All the aboriginal tribes have been migrated in this territory from a place in-between Tibbet, up hills of Burma like Arakan Hills Tracts and Shan State and adjacent to China. Aboriginal tribes are Tripuri, Reang, Jamatia, Noatia, Lusai, Uchai, Chaimal, Halam, Kukis, Garos, Mog and Chakma. Other tribes like Bill, Munda, Orang, Santal, Lepcha, Khasia, Bhutias are the immigrant tribes came and settled here for economic reasons. Most of them are Central Indian Tribes and came from Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Orissa and West Bengal. Some of these tribes are however Northern-Frontier tribes came from Bhutan, Meghalaya, Sikkim and North Ben-gal. Chakmas and Mogs are Arakan Tribes entered Tripura through Chittagang Hills Tracts.
Linguistically tribes of Tripura could be divided into 3(three) groups (i) Bodo Groups, (ii) Kuki-Chin Groups and (iii) Arakan Groups. Tripuri, Reang, Jamatia, Uchai and Noatias are Mongoloid tribes and belong to Bodo linguistic group of tribes. Kukis, Lusai and most of the tribes under Halam tribes are linguistically belongs to Kuki-Chin group and speak in Kuki-chin language. Mog and Chakmas speak in Arakan Language. By religion, most of the Tripura tribes follow Hinduism. But Lusai-Kukis are mostly Christian. Chakmas and Mogs follow Buddhism.
Different Tribes of Tripura
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Tribal Pujas And Festivals
Garia Puja
Garia is a popular deity whom the Reangs pay reverences in every year in the Chaitra-sankranti day, which lasts for seven days up to the 6th Vaisakh. Like the Tipras, the deities of the Reangs have no anthropomorphic forms. A green bamboo pole measuring 1 mtr. 30 cm in height is decorated with the floral designs around it. It is tied by the threads of white and black colored cotton. A garland of cotton also is hung at the top of the pole (it is called Keda), which is planted in the ground when a banana leaf is placed in front of it. Chanting the mantras the Aouchai sacrifices the fowls and eggs along with the fruits. At last wine is served to the deity. It has been found that the symbol of the deity is carried from the house to house by a good number of devotees on request. The members of the caring party of the Garia begin to sing and dance with the sound of drum rhythmically. The songs are more or less erotic in character, but it is known from the song that the blessings of the day deity is necessary to relief the sufferings and to increase the production of crops. The Reangs believe that Garia is the deity who gives wealth, strength and children.
Ker Puja
The Ker puja is observed by the Reangs for the welfare of the village where the village community takes share of it. The Supernatural belief of the Reangs is that the festival Ker is held in order to shield from disease, anxiety, epidemic, capture, and all sort of natural calamities caused by the Supernatural deities. The Ker is celebrated in the month of Phalgun-Chaitra on any Saturday or Tuesday. Sri Pradip Nath Bhattacharjee is of the opinion that “The chief characteristic of the Ker is MUDRA which indicates binding of festering with seal of an area. During the puja the villagers are restricted to light an oven, they are not supposed cross the boundary of Ker”.
Lampra Puja
The purpose of the Lampra puja of the Noatias is analogous to the other tribes of Tripura. Akhatra and Bikbitra, the benevolent deities are worshipped regularly at the family level whenever necessary. Usually, the Lampra puja has to be performed on the occasions such as marriage, house inauguration and rice feeding ceremony, Garia Puja, Ker Puja and be-ginning of all social and religious ceremonies. The deities of Lampra Puja have to be propitiated by sacrificing animals and eggs along with several offerings.
Rondok Puja
The deities of the Jamatias generally associated with the land and agriculture. The nature deities who preside over the paddy and cotton of the hilly region are worshipped as MAYLWNGMA and KHULWNGMA. So that there will be no crisis of fooding and clothing. Beside this animistic belief, the traces of animatisms are also related to the worship of these deities. The most notable fact is that the deities cited above have no specific form or shape. The symbols of the deities are peculier; two earthen pots contained with newly un-dried rice are decorated with the rice powder and vermillion on the tops of which some pebbles are kept. And the garlands of cotton thread are fastened to them while these are placed in a house. These two earthen pots are called RONDOK which seem to be appeared as the symbolic representations of both the deities. This ritual is observed twice in a year viz, before the Garia Puja and on the newly rice eating festival,MWYTANMWNG OR TWYMANKERMWNG PUJA.
Naksu matai Puja
Generally tribal communities of Tripura are not worshipper of the snake, but according to another type of opinion, the Jamatias along with the other tribes of Tripura like to identity NAKCHUMATAI as the goddess of snake. It is accepted by some community that Nakchumatai is believed to be the embodiment of Hindu influence, though I have no proof of it, I can not help suspecting its existence in the hilly region of Tripura. It is not extremely difficult in the present state of our knowledge to say that the worship of bamboo (bambusa arudinaea, petz) is traceable in the folk religious ceremony of Bengal where bamboo is the symbol of the Vastu devata or the God of residential house who is said to be the deity of dwelling house as a guardian. The Supernatural deity, who presides over house according to the belief of the Jamatias, may be compared to the vastu devata of the Bengalese. It is significant fact that a snake is also a vastudevata who dwells in the boundary of a Bengalee householder whom they respect. It is a crime of them to kill a Vastusarpa. However, the scheduled date for the worship of Nakchu-matai is Chaitra sankranti.
Tuyabuma Puja
enerally, the TUIBUKMA puja is celebrated once a year. The nature deity of water is identified as the Goddess TUYABUMA. Now a days the Reangs are in belief that Tuyabuma is the wife of the God ACHU SIBRAY. The worship of Tuyabuma is observed by an individual or collectively in the community level by the villagers raising a fund. The deity, Tuyabuma has to be propitiated by sacrificing he-goats or buffalos in the same way according to the tradition of the Reangs. The worship of TUIMA of the Tipras is similar to the worship of TUYABUMA.
Dharmakam Puja
This Puja is performed by Chakma Community. From the religious point of view the Dharmakam puja is an extra-ordinary ritual the success of which totally depends upon a number of miracles. The lorhi performs the Pujas outside the village generally in the dense part of the jungle because an uncanny sylvan semi darkness and solitude are required for his ritual. On the appointed day rice is cooked by a person who has to observe some ritualistic in which the cook is not allowed to talk or the entrance of any one to this area is strictly prohibited. Then the cooked rice is stuffed into a banana leaf packet and carried to the venue of the puja. The other offerings of the Jadia puja consist of coconut, banana, sugar cane and sweets. Streamers are improvised by tieing shred of cloths on bamboo spikes and put a loft. As the priest starts the puja by reading from the Dasaparami Tara, a faint streak of smoke will be seen rising from the capsule. The smoke signifies that the God has been pleased and graciously accepted the reverence of his mortal devotees. Every one will then prostrate themselves in salutation to the invisible deity. Like the other Pujas, the Lorhi sacrifices fourteen roosters and a pig. After a few minutes incidentally a spider will appear from an unknown place and spin a web around the rice-filled capsule, which indicates that the puja has been accepted by the deity. Thanmana Puja
One of the most Characteristic traits of Chakma religion is the observation of Thanmana puja or Ganga puja in the month of January. The nature deity of water has been identified as Ganga who is similar to Tuima of the Kakbarak speaking tribes of Tripura. This ritual is to be held for aiding Jhum cultivation or increasing its yield in which the educated Elite and the Bikkus do not take active part. Two bamboos made pedestals, one big and one small are made on keen deep water of river according to the rank and position of the deities. The bigger pole represents for the bigger deities like Ganga, Biatra, Than, Chella, Bajammatti, Parameswari, Bhut, Rakhyoal and Thammang and the smaller one is for the deities like Chekong, Maji, Shiji, Baradhan, Kali, Jundur, Aanesha, Laojya, Thakur, Hatya who are supposed to be smaller.
Bijhu Festival
Visu or Bijhu is the most significant and holy festival in the religious point of view and it is stared in the last day of Chaitra, continues for 3 days. It has been found that no body of the Chakma community works for their bread on the occasion if Bijhu festival. An important ritual called ‘Phool Bijhu’ starts one day earlier than the (Mul Bijhu). The last day of the festival is called ‘Gecha-Pacha’. The Chakmas collect the vegetables, leaves of trees and roots from the forest in the sacred day of Phool Bijhu. Next day they rise early in the morning and after having bath from the river both the boys and girls come to the house to release the household domestic animals from captivity and necessary foods are offered to the animals. The virtuous people gather round the temple and start to chant the name of Lord Buddha. Afterwords, these people enter the temple and pay due to offering to Lord Buddha. “Gach-Pacha” is celebrated on the third day. The fowls and pigs are killed for the feast in which the friends and relations take part. The song and dances of the Chakmas are essential accompaniments of the festival, which continues for a week now a day.
Lakshmi Purnima
Another important puja is known, as Tuyachaumi has to be observed by sacrificing a fowl to ensure the birth of a child. The Akchai conducts the ritual and sacrifices fowl. As soon as the child is five months old, the Bagcha puja is arranged for the child so that he may stand and move freely. The fowl, Butuk (rice beer) and Arok are offered by the Akchai on behalf of the performer of ritual.The Goddess of river, according to the Uchais is the mother goddess who is called Tuima. She looks after the happiness, peace and prosperity when appeased in the right way, bless the Uchais. The offerings of buffalo, he-goats and fruits have to make to the deity by the Akchai on behalf of the performers. The Ker puja has to be performed once in a year by a village collectively for the safety of the village. This ritual is observed in open courtyard of the head of a village called Choudhuri, generally, in the month of Agrahayana. The ritual is followed by the suvvessive taboos. As soon as the Ker puja starts, the taboos are brought into operation. No person is allowed to enter the village or no one is given permission to leave the village. This restraint lasts for about a few hours only after which the aspirant may be permitted to go his routine. The Achai conducts the ritual and sacrifices pigeon’s ducks. Eggs, he goats to satisfy the deities.
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