Chakma people

Ethnic group from the Indian subcontinent / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Dear Wikiwand AI, let's keep it short by simply answering these key questions:

Can you list the top facts and stats about Chakma people?

Summarize this article for a 10 years old

SHOW ALL QUESTIONS

The Chakma people (Chakma: π‘„Œπ‘„‹π‘„΄π‘„Ÿπ‘„³π‘„¦; Burmese: α€žα€€α€Ήα€€α€™,α€’α€­α€―α€„α€Ία€Έα€”α€€α€Ία€œα€°α€™α€»α€­α€―), are an ethnic group from the eastern-most regions of the Indian subcontinent. They are the largest ethnic group in the Chittagong Hill Tracts region of southeastern Bangladesh, and the second-largest in Mizoram, India (Chakma Autonomous District). Other places in Northeast India also have significant Chakma populations. Around 60,000 Chakma people live in Arunachal Pradesh, India; a first generation migrated there in 1964 after the construction of the Kaptai Dam forced them off their lands. Another 79,000 Chakmas live in Tripura, India, and 20,000-30,000 in Assam, India.

Quick facts: π‘„Œπ‘„‹π‘„΄π‘„Ÿπ‘„³π‘„¦, Total population, Regions with ... β–Ό
Chakma People
π‘„Œπ‘„‹π‘„΄π‘„Ÿπ‘„³π‘„¦
Total population
947,926(est.) (2021)
Regions with significant populations
Bangladesh,[1] India[1] and Myanmar
Flag_of_Bangladesh.svg Bangladesh552,845 (2021)[2]
Flag_of_India.svg India296,306 (2023)[3]
          Mizoram111,393
          Tripura96,707
          Arunachal Pradesh58,206
          Assam30,000
Flag_of_Myanmar.svg Myanmar86,617(2023)
  βˆŸFlag_of_Rakhine.svg Rakhine State77,976
  βˆŸFlag_of_Chin_State.svg Chin State8941
Languages
Changma, Chakmas
Religion
Dharma_Wheel_%282%29.svg Theravada Buddhism
Related ethnic groups
Daingnet, Tanchangya, Rakhine, Bamar
Close β–²

The Chakma possess strong ethnic affinities to Tibeto-Burman groups in Northeast India. Because of a language shift in the past to consolidate power among the tribes, they adopted an Indo-Aryan language, Chakma, which is closely related to the Chittagonian dialect of Bengali, predominant near the areas in which they live.[4] Most modern Chakma people practice Theravada Buddhism, due to 19th-century reforms and institutionalization by Queen regnant Rani Kalindi. In Myanmar, Chakma people are known as Daingnet and are one of the 135 officially recongised ethnic groups there.

The Chakmas are divided into 31 clans or gozas.[4] The community is headed by the Chakma Raja, whose status as a tribal head has been historically recognized by the Government of British India and the Government of Bangladesh.1

The relationships between Chakmas and their neighbors are complex. On one hand, many Chakmas are well-integrated in mainstream middle-class Bangladeshi and Indian society and are particularly notable for their service as officers and ambassadors in Bangladesh's military and diplomatic corps. Chakma politicians have served as ministers in the national ministry of Bangladesh and the state ministry of Tripura. However, the persecution of the indigenous tribes of the Chittagong Hill Tracts, of which the Chakma are the predominant ethnicity, has been described as genocidal, but since the Chittagong Hill Tracts Peace Accord, violence in the area has been greatly reduced.[5][6]