Jumma

Jumma is the name which one collectively gives to the ethnicities indigenous S of the area of the Bangladesh traditionally called " Chittagong Hill Leaflets ". The government recognizes of them officially 11, namely:

  1. Bawm ;
  2. Chak ;
  3. Chakma ;
  4. Khumi
  5. Khyang ;
  6. Lusai ;
  7. Marma ;
  8. Mru ;
  9. Pankhu ;
  10. Tenchungya ;
  11. Tripura, whose true name is Garo.

Language and culture

The majority of the Jumma groups speak about the Langues tibéto-Burmeses, except Chakma, whose language belongs to the group known as " Bengali-assamais" Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European Languages, and the chak, which is not classified.

Jumma are in great majority Buddhist. They cultivate according to the practice known as Jum (Essartage), from where their name. In April, generally the second week of the month, they celebrate the Biju, the Buddhist New year. They also express, at the beginning of November, their devotion towards Bouddha at the time of their great festival: the Kotin Cibor daN.

The peace agreement

December 2nd, 1997, the government of Bangladesh and the Parbatya Chattagram Jana Sanghati Samity (PCJSS), " solidarity association of the people of Chittagong Hill Tracts" , signed with Dhaka a peace agreement.

The principal element of this agreement is the creation of a " Chittagong Hill Regional Leaflets Council" constituted by the local councils of the 3 districts. This district council will have 22 members named for 5 years. Its president, who will have to be indigenous and will have the statute of minister of state, as well as the other member, will be elected by the 3 councils of district.

14 members of the district council (12 men and 2 women) will be elected among the populations indigenous S. For the men:

  • 5 will be Chakma,
  • 3 Marma,
  • 2 Tripura,
  • 1 Mru or Tenchungya and
  • 1 Lusai, Bawm, Pankhu, Khumi, Chak or Khyang.
One of the women will be Chakma and the other, of one of the other groups.

7 members (6 men, 1 women) are elected in the population Allochtone, each of the 3 councils of district electing 2 men. It is not specified of which district will be the woman.

The district council will have as a task the coordination of the development of the 3 districts, their administration, the maintenance of law and order, the activities of ONG, the management of the catastrophes and the supplementary programmes.

The conflict

Jumma have undergone for more than 20 years a conflict with the government of Bangladesh which followed and follows always a policy of settlement of the area by Allochtone S Bengali S whose result is that the indigenous S are just majority. Thus, in the Années 1980 there was more than 60.000 refugees in India, with the Tripura. In spite of the signature of the peace treaty, which allowed their return in their area of origin, their situation remains very precarious.

The treaty is still not applied and the government of Bangladesh follows again a policy of Répression against Jumma. The economy is between the hands of the Bengali, who are often officers of the army. December 2nd, 2007 will be the day of the tenth birthday of the Peace agreements signed between the people jumma of Chittagong Hill Tracts and the government of Bangladesh, which opinion of ONG specialized in the respect of the human rights very little respected only its engagements

See too

Internal bonds

External bonds

  • International Survival

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