Many problems faced by Garo tribal families in northern Bangladesh result from the steady loss of tribal land, without which families are reduced to poverty and broken up by migration to find work.Two main mechanisms at play are the appropriation of traditional but untitled land by outsiders who somehow secure a title, and the seizure of titled land by lenders who take advantage of tribals´ simplicity.Ranikhong, 170 kilometers north of Dhaka in Netrokona district, is in the greater Mymensingh area, the traditional home of Bangladesh´s 120,000 Garos.Father Leonard Rozario of Ranikhong parish observes that after tricking Garos out of their land, non-tribal mohajans (money lenders) exploit them further as day laborers working the fields they used to own.If Garo workers, most of whom are Christians, miss work on Sunday, mohajans commonly do not let them work that entire week, Father Rozario told UCA News.In the face of such exploitation, tribal youth, especially girls in their teens and younger, migrate to district towns or cities to work as housemaids or in low-paying jobs such as in garment factories or beauty shops.Most are capable of much more, but do not have the opportunity. As a result of Christian mission work, about 80 percent of Garos are literate, compared to Bangladesh´s national average of less than 35 percent.Statistically a good number of us are literate, but we do not have high positions in the mainstream administration to bring about change in our own families and society, Manindra Nath Marak, a Garo, toldUCA News.Marak is principal of Birisiri Primary Education Training Institute.However, according to Hitendra Nath Areng, a 65-year-old Garo retired teacher, there is more to the problem. Garos are poor because they are not motivated, Areng says, and their poverty takes a heavy toll on their families.Uttam Ritchil, 30, assistant director of the Tribal Cultural Academy in Netrokona, takes a more middle ground, saying Garos need to protect more carefully what is theirs from those who would deceive them.To make an ideal family we must protect our culture and tradition. Our family peace decreases for lack of foresightedness, Ritchil observed.Indeed, the loss of Garo land has been lessened by an aspect of Garo culture that evolved out of historical struggles: Garo society is matrilineal.As warfare throughout Garo history resulted in the deaths of tribal men, women were left to manage land and property. This situation led to developmentof the matrilineal system, of which outsiders are often unaware.Many non-Garo men who marry Garo women are shocked to find they cannot assume ownership of their wives´ family land.
Posted on: Wed, 16 Jul 2014 06:47:15 +0000
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