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Who are the Indigenous People of the Chittagong Hill Tracts

  Who Are the Indigenous Peoples of the Chittagong Hill Tracts? By V.L. Questor (October 18, 2025) The Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) lie in the southeastern corner of Bangladesh, bordering Myanmar and India—a land of mist-covered hills, bamboo forests, and quiet rivers that hide a deeper story of resilience and identity. This region, though geographically small, is home to some of South Asia’s most culturally distinct and politically marginalised Indigenous communities. A Tapestry of Peoples and Cultures The Indigenous peoples of the CHT—collectively known as the Jumma peoples—comprise more than a dozen ethnic groups, including the Chakma , Marma , Tripura , Mro , Bawm , Lushai , Khumi , Khyang , Pankhua , and Chak communities. Each group possesses its own language, customs, and traditions, forming a unique mosaic of cultural diversity within the Bangladeshi state. The term Jumma derives from jhum , or shifting cultivation—a traditional agricultural practice that sustains both li...
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An Appeal on Behalf of Indigenous Peoples in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, Bangladesh

  To,  His Excellency António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations sgcentral@un.org Cc: ohchr-expertmechanism@un.org ,  rcs-unbd@un.org BCC: ohchr-InfoDesk@un.org Subject: An Appeal on Behalf of Indigenous Peoples in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, Bangladesh   Dear Mr. Secretary-General, With profound respect, I write to you as a voice for the Indigenous peoples of the Chittagong Hill Tracts (Rangamati, Khagrachhari and Bandarban districts) in Bangladesh. These Jumma communities have, for decades, experienced systematic dispossession of their ancestral lands, militarisation of their home areas and the erosion of their cultural identity — despite the signing of the 1997 Peace Accord which promised demilitarisation, regional autonomy and recognition of Indigenous rights. While the United Nations has spoken with moral clarity on many crises worldwide, the situation of the Indigenous peoples in the Chittagong Hill Tracts appears to have remained largely unadd...
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The history of the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT)

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  AI Mode All Images Videos News Short videos Forums Web Books Maps Finance Search tools Feedback AI Overview +5 The history of the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) is   marked by the region's incorporation into British India, then Pakistan, and finally Bangladesh, alongside a long-standing conflict between the Bangladeshi government and indigenous peoples .   Tensions escalated in the 1970s and 1980s due to a government-backed transmigration program that displaced and harmed the local indigenous population, leading to a decades-long insurgency by the   Shanti Bahini .   The conflict ended with the signing of the 1997 CHT Peace Accord, which aimed to grant regional autonomy, but its full implementation remains a point of contention.     Historical Timeline British and Pakistani Era:   The CHT became part of British India and later the eastern wing of Pakistan, and after 1947, a part of the territory that would become Bangladesh.   Post-Bangladesh...
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