Bom people

Portrait of a Bom woman in the Chittagong Hill Tracts
Total population
ca. 16,000
Regions with significant populations
Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh :10,000
Assam (India): 5,000
Myanmar: 1,500
Languages
Bawm language
Religion
Christian

The Bom or Bawm (Bengali: বম), are a community inhabiting in the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh. The Bawm are one of smallest ethnic groups in Bangladesh.In 2004, around 5,000 Bawm inhabited India, with a population in all countries totaling around 16,000. In 2011, 10,000 Bawms inhabited the Chittagong hills of Bangladesh and 1,500 Bawm inhabited Myanmar.[1]

History

The Bawms of the Chittagong Hill Tracts in Bangladesh call their settlements “Bawmram ” which means a Bawm inhabited area or region. To the Mizos of Mizoram and the Chins of Chin Hills, their settlements have also been known as “Bawmram.” Many archeological relics, sanctuaries, ruined villages, imprints and reminiscent are found in the north-eastern side of the present Chittagong and Chittagong Hill Tracts. These are important indicators of the earliest Bawm settlement. The Bawms and other Kuki-Chin tribes are the first inhabitants in the Chittagong Hill Tracts. Most of the Bawm tribe were known as "Kuki" by the Bengalis. They are known also as Chin in Myanmar.

Religion

Owing to the efforts of Baptist Christian missionaries funded by the British government since 1918, the majority of the Bawm have converted to Christianity, and it was said that all of them are Christians. They are strongly believe in Christ. There are about 107 Pastors, 98 Evangelists and 321 elders among the Bawms serving in different Churches like Evangelical Christian Church (ECC), Presbyterian Church in Bangladesh (PCB), Bangladesh Christian Church (BCC), Evangelical Reformed Presbyterian Church (ERPC), Bangladesh Bawm Tribal Baptist Church (BBTBC),Independence Baptist Church Bangladesh(IBC - B), Bangladesh Baptist Church Sangha (BBCS) and Church of Christ (COC) etc.

References

  1. ↑ Kim, Roy & Sangma. 2011. The Kuki-Chin Communities of Bangladesh: A sociolinguistic survey. SIL International.

Loncheu, Nathan (2013). Dena, Lal, ed. Bawmzos: A Study Of The Chin-Kuki-Zo Tribes Of Chittagong. Akansha Publishing House. ISBN 9788183703468. Retrieved 17 March 2013. 

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