Mahle (ethnic group)
Encyclopedia
The Mahle is a small ethnic group
living in the northern districts of Rajshahi
, Joypurhat, Dinajpur, Rangpur
and Sylhet
of Bangladesh
.
Total community size 30,000 (approx) as on Mid 2009 spreading over these 5 districts and sporadically in some other places. In India, the number of Mahle
is around 565,000. Anthropologically they are an Astro-Asiatic tribe. Their forefathers came to this region from the Buru Disham hills of Jharkhand
, India
over a century ago . They speak either their own indigenous community language called Mahle Language or Santali (Saontali), but today’s educated generation speak Bangla and English as well. There are 3 tribes among them: Nagpuriya, Sikroya and Rajmahle. A total of 9 family name
s can be found among the Mahles – Dumri, Bare, Karkusho, Kauria, Khanger, Mandri, Hansda, Baske & Besra, of which the first 4 family names are almost extinct today.
The Mahle people cannot marry within close relatives or within his/her tribe. There are 2 ways of executing the marriage – Angir Bapla & Sunum Bapla. The society is patriarchal, and in marriages the family of the bridegroom pays dowry to the family of the bride. Children bear the family name inherited from the father. Major profession of the community is manufacturing useful household articles using bamboo, e.g., dali (bin), kula (an indigenous multipurpose article used in processing rice/paddy), tungki (a bamboo-made pot to keep salt), hand propelled fan, etc and selling these in the local markets. They earn very little a day, but lives on whatever their ancestor’s trade fetches for them. Intra-community harmony is excellent. Their food habit is just like the other Bangladeshi residents of the region, with the exception of crabs, oysters and pork. Their dresses are a mixture of Bangladeshi Muslim and Hindu culture, and many Mahles wear modern dresses like shirt-pant-salwar-kameez.
Mahle children can not do well in conventional Bangla Medium primary schools
because there is no scope of learning in their mother tongue
. The mother tongue of the Mahle community has no written form. Mr. Zakarias Dumri, Director-MAASAUS and a Mahle by himself, has invented a Romanized Mahle alphabet for their language, which is being used experimentally in 3 primary schools of Damkurahat, Paba, Rajshahi. The schools are Sursunipara, Sinjaghutu and Pipra Multi Linguistic Education (MLE) schools. This new alphabet is allowing Mahle children to study in Bangla as well as their mother language, and as a result, literacy rate
has increased in that area. Children are also doing better results in the schools. Teachers of the school and an NGO named SIL-Bangladesh and Manusher Jonno (for the mankind) is helping him in this endeavor.
There are 3 major festivals of the Mahles – Jitiya Parbon, Syurjahi Puja and Goal Puja. Most of these took place in the months of Bhadra (Mid-August to Mid September) and Falgun (Mid February to Mid March) of the Bangla calendar. Singing and dancing are integral parts of their festivals and celebrations. Jhumer is a prominent form of dance among this community, and almost every Mahle is expert in this dance (However, many Mahles of the current generation do not known this dance well). They use traditional musical instrument
s in their music and dance. They refrain from all household activities on the festival days in the belief that acting otherwise might bring bad fortune to their family. They burn the deceased like the Hindus. Kula (Hatak in their language) is very important in their practical life as well as religious sphere. They use the kula to process rice/paddy, and they also value the Kula as a religious symbol.
Ethnic group
An ethnic group is a group of people whose members identify with each other, through a common heritage, often consisting of a common language, a common culture and/or an ideology that stresses common ancestry or endogamy...
living in the northern districts of Rajshahi
Rajshahi District
Rajshahi District is a district in north-western Bangladesh. It is a part of the Rajshahi Division. The metropolitan city of Rajshahi is in Rajshahi District.-Geography:...
, Joypurhat, Dinajpur, Rangpur
Rangpur District
The district of Rangpur have 4924 mosques, 480 temples, 43 churches and six tombs.In an anthropologic view most people of Rangpur are having Rajbagshi blood in their veins...
and Sylhet
Sylhet District
The district of Sylhet consists 6754 mosques, 453 temples, 96 churches and four Buddhist temples.-Places of Interests:-Historical:#The Shrine of Hazrat Shah Jalal#The Shrine of Hazrat Shah Paran#Shahi Eidgah#Gour Govinda Fort#Kean Bridge...
of Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
.
Total community size 30,000 (approx) as on Mid 2009 spreading over these 5 districts and sporadically in some other places. In India, the number of Mahle
Mahli (tribe)
Mahli is the name of a tribe of India. It is a scheduled tribe of the state of West Bengal and Jharkhand . They mostly reside in Santhal Parganas and certain other regions of Jharkhand, and in the adjoining areas of West Bengal. Their population is dwindling. Mahli people traditionally earned their...
is around 565,000. Anthropologically they are an Astro-Asiatic tribe. Their forefathers came to this region from the Buru Disham hills of Jharkhand
Jharkhand
Jharkhand is a state in eastern India. It was carved out of the southern part of Bihar on 15 November 2000. Jharkhand shares its border with the states of Bihar to the north, Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh to the west, Orissa to the south, and West Bengal to the east...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
over a century ago . They speak either their own indigenous community language called Mahle Language or Santali (Saontali), but today’s educated generation speak Bangla and English as well. There are 3 tribes among them: Nagpuriya, Sikroya and Rajmahle. A total of 9 family name
Family name
A family name is a type of surname and part of a person's name indicating the family to which the person belongs. The use of family names is widespread in cultures around the world...
s can be found among the Mahles – Dumri, Bare, Karkusho, Kauria, Khanger, Mandri, Hansda, Baske & Besra, of which the first 4 family names are almost extinct today.
The Mahle people cannot marry within close relatives or within his/her tribe. There are 2 ways of executing the marriage – Angir Bapla & Sunum Bapla. The society is patriarchal, and in marriages the family of the bridegroom pays dowry to the family of the bride. Children bear the family name inherited from the father. Major profession of the community is manufacturing useful household articles using bamboo, e.g., dali (bin), kula (an indigenous multipurpose article used in processing rice/paddy), tungki (a bamboo-made pot to keep salt), hand propelled fan, etc and selling these in the local markets. They earn very little a day, but lives on whatever their ancestor’s trade fetches for them. Intra-community harmony is excellent. Their food habit is just like the other Bangladeshi residents of the region, with the exception of crabs, oysters and pork. Their dresses are a mixture of Bangladeshi Muslim and Hindu culture, and many Mahles wear modern dresses like shirt-pant-salwar-kameez.
Mahle children can not do well in conventional Bangla Medium primary schools
Primary education
A primary school is an institution in which children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as primary or elementary education. Primary school is the preferred term in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth Nations, and in most publications of the United Nations Educational,...
because there is no scope of learning in their mother tongue
First language
A first language is the language a person has learned from birth or within the critical period, or that a person speaks the best and so is often the basis for sociolinguistic identity...
. The mother tongue of the Mahle community has no written form. Mr. Zakarias Dumri, Director-MAASAUS and a Mahle by himself, has invented a Romanized Mahle alphabet for their language, which is being used experimentally in 3 primary schools of Damkurahat, Paba, Rajshahi. The schools are Sursunipara, Sinjaghutu and Pipra Multi Linguistic Education (MLE) schools. This new alphabet is allowing Mahle children to study in Bangla as well as their mother language, and as a result, literacy rate
Literacy
Literacy has traditionally been described as the ability to read for knowledge, write coherently and think critically about printed material.Literacy represents the lifelong, intellectual process of gaining meaning from print...
has increased in that area. Children are also doing better results in the schools. Teachers of the school and an NGO named SIL-Bangladesh and Manusher Jonno (for the mankind) is helping him in this endeavor.
There are 3 major festivals of the Mahles – Jitiya Parbon, Syurjahi Puja and Goal Puja. Most of these took place in the months of Bhadra (Mid-August to Mid September) and Falgun (Mid February to Mid March) of the Bangla calendar. Singing and dancing are integral parts of their festivals and celebrations. Jhumer is a prominent form of dance among this community, and almost every Mahle is expert in this dance (However, many Mahles of the current generation do not known this dance well). They use traditional musical instrument
Musical instrument
A musical instrument is a device created or adapted for the purpose of making musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can serve as a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. The history of musical instruments dates back to the...
s in their music and dance. They refrain from all household activities on the festival days in the belief that acting otherwise might bring bad fortune to their family. They burn the deceased like the Hindus. Kula (Hatak in their language) is very important in their practical life as well as religious sphere. They use the kula to process rice/paddy, and they also value the Kula as a religious symbol.