Chakma tribe

The Bengali-related Indo-Aryan Chittagonian transformed the Changma Vaj language into Eastern-Indo Aryan from its Tibeto-Burman origins. The people themselves as classified as Mongoloid. Hinduism and Theravada Buddhism are the religions of the Chakma.The Chakma people are the largest ethnic group in the Chittagong Hill Tracts region in southeastern Bangladesh, second largest in Mizoram and fourth largest in Tripura of North East India. Their ethnicity is closely linked with the peoples of East Asia. However, the Chakma language (written in the Chakma script) is part of the Indo-Aryan language family of the Indian subcontinent. Most Chakma people are adherents of Therevada Buddhism. The Chakmas are divided into 46 clans or Gozas. 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.

Originally a nomadic community with a presence in Arakan, the Chakma settled in hills near coastal Chittagong and signed a treaty with Mughal Bengal in 1717. The government of British India provided tribal autonomy to the area which continued after the partition of India. During the construction of the Kaptai Dam in the 1960s, many Chakma settlements were submerged due to the creation of the artificial Kaptai Lake. In the mid-1970s, the eruption of the Chittagong Hill Tracts conflict caused some Chakma people to become refugees in NEFA (present Arunachal Pradesh). The conflict ended in 1997 with the Chittagong Hill Tracts Peace Accord. Today, Chakma communities are found in both Bangladesh and India. Notable Chakma people include Bhuvan Mohan Roy, Nalinaksha Roy, Benita Roy, Tridev Roy, Debashish Roy, Chandra Kalindi Roy Henriksen, Manabendra Narayan Larma, Jyotirindra Bodhipriya Larma, Kalpana Chakma, Kanak Chanpa Chakma and Amit Chakma. Chakma people also serve as officers and ambassadors in Bangladesh's military and diplomatic corps.