Jankriti International Magazine Jankriti Issue 27-29, july-spetember 2017 | Page 80

Jankriti International Magazine/ जनकृसत अंतरराष्ट्रीय पसिका love to celebrate their own festivals and enjoy the festivity of others too. Each festival comes with an energetic fervour and lots of entertainment. These ethnic components are so colourful that people outside the tribal communities, including research scholars will have immense interest to know about the tribal culture of Tripura. There are 19 tribes in Tripura namely, (1) Tripuri ,(2) Reang, (3) Jamatia ,(4) Chakma, (5) Lusai, (6) Mog ,(7) Garo, (8) Kuki, (9) Chaimal, (10) Uchai, (11) Halam, (12) Khasia, (13) Bhutia, (14) Munda, (15) Orang, (16) Lepcha , (17) Santal, (18) Bhil, (19) Noatia. Tripuri are treated as one of the major tribes of Tripura. Tripuri community The Tripuris are the largest tribal community in Tripura. They are also found in significant numbers in neighbouring Bangladesh, having similar Culture and language. The Tripuris , who are spread all over the civil subdivisions of Tripura, lived mainly on the slopes of hills in a group of five to fifty families. They lived in a specially built bamboo house raised two to five feet from the ground. The height of the house was considered to be a protection against the depredations by wild animals. This house known is known as “ Gairing” where they now rarely live. Religion: The most important features of the religious history of Tripura is the synthesis, Aryan and non- Aryan known as Bengali Hindu And Tripuri Hindus. By origin the Tripuri society had no system of idolatry. The deities males or females worshipped by them have no image or patima but of symbolic image made out of green bamboo. Vol. 3 , issue 27-29, July-September 2017. ISSN: 2454-2725 But due to culture-contact with the Bengali Hindus they turned to be idol-worshiper. Leaving aside the plain dwellers, the Tripuris of interior hill areas also worship the image of some Hindu deities. What is interesting to note here is that the Tripuri society has customary practice to worship an unmarried girl as the representative of the goddess fortune , Laxmi. This worship of goddess Laxmi is held during the harvesting time of jhum cultivation. Dance: Tripuri people are a beauty-loving and havind good sense of humour and artistry. It is evident from their vogue of dance and music through which their thoughts and emotions are charmingly depicted. They have mainly four types of dances which may be classified into two, ceremonial or ritualistic and recreational. These are Garia, Mamita, Lebangbumani and Mashak Surmani. Garia deity to the Tripuris Garia is a god of wealth and prosperity and accordingly the Garia had long since been worshiped by them. The worshippers offer their oblation with intense longing for the aim of wealth and prosperity. The worship of Garia deity can also be termed as the cult of jhum cultivation as they hold that having of good crop is essentially interwoven with the blessing of Garia deity whose boon can be acquired only by way of offering puja before they start jhoom cultivation by cutting and burning of forest. Garia Puja is associated with the concept of agro-based rituals followed by dance recital known as Garia dance. Therefore the jhoom cultivators celebrate Garia puja iin an enthusiastic manner commencing from the last day of Chaitra and up to the end of 1 st week of Baisakhi. This week-long celebration of Garia puja bears a profound significance of the socio- cultural as well as socio-religious life of Tripuris. वर्ष 3, अंक 27-29 जुलाई-सितंबर 2017