Tanchangya in Myanmar (Burma)

Men has been living in this universe since immeasurable years ago. As they had
been passed their life depends on the suitable and unsuitable condition and sometime
even they are forced to immigrate permanently and occasionally in a suitable
condition they continue their life in one place by doing their duty of social cultural,
political and education. As we often used the word man. Actually, what is the real
meaning of "man" I would like to mention according to different philosophies.
In Chinese philosophy, we find the word man means "human heartiness" which
means a person who has compassion, cordial, sympathetic and love towards others
person are known as man. Greek philosophy refers the word “man” means one that
can use reasoning. It refers to the person who has knowledge based on justification,
non-discrimination, right governing etc. It means the deeds which are advantage for
individual as well as for the whole community. In Indian philosophy, it mentions
"person who has a perfected soul. It means one who possesses the good qualities of
man included patriotic, social, and cultural and so on. In addition, according to
Buddhist philosophy "One who is excels all other beings in terms of mind and its
development. The word in terms of mind and development referred to those person
whose mind is pure by eradicating all the bad mental states are stinginess, selfishness,
anger, envy, jealous, ignorance when a person mind is absent the bad mental states his
mind is pure based on loving-kindness, compassion, non-hatred, one-pointedness of
mind, active of mind to do good or meritorious action, intelligent, mindfulness etc.
When a group of men are formed and live under the same culture. Society and
custom are known as community. In this world there are different types of community
are inhabited. Among different communities, I would like to point out one of the small
ethnic community known as Tanchangya or Tongchangya. The word Tanchangya is
the combination of two words. Toin > Tong > Tan and Gang + ya > Changya. The
word Toin is one of the river names in Southwest part of Myanmar (Burma). In the
earliest time, the people of Tanchangya dwelt in the Toin River. And the word "Gang"
means the river and "Ya" means persons who live, in Tanchangya language. As day
by day the resource of human power is developed so that they choose a standard way
of title. So also the people of Tanchangya people has chosen their race name as
“Tanchangya” At present Tanchangya people are living in Bangladesh in the district
of Rangamati, Bandarban, Khagrachari, Chittagong and Cox's Bazaar. In India, they
live in the state of Mizoram and Tripura. And in Myanmar, they live in the state of
Rakhine and Chin and in the Yangon division (Rangoon). Those who are dwelling in
those states claim themselves as "Chakma or Doin nak. However, their behavior and
the way of practice of culture social and language are similar with the Tanchangya
who stay at India and Bangladesh. Tanchangya and Chakma are little similar but way
of culture and language a little bit different. As I had mentioned before, about the
Tanchangya community, who are dwelling in different parts of Myanmar.

Demography and Education life

The populations of Tanchangya are numerically small community having 20,000
people as per the census of private Tanchangya Organization in 1998. However, at
present approximately 30,000 people within a decade. The percentages of their
literacy are very low in Myanmar. In the secular education very few are educated with
graduation whoever in the religious field of education they are educated. Some of the
monk completed and some are doing to complete the degree of "Dhammacariya"
(Teacher of Dhamma). Since their childhood, most of the male children stay in the
monastery and learn the teaching of the Buddha. They become novice (samanera) and
in their twenty-years received become monk and teach the teaching of the Buddha for
the welfare of all. Now due to the modern environment the young generations are
attending in the school of secular studies. The Tanchangya community belongs to the
Mongoloid Group. They are sturdy, strong, brave, modest, talent, open and simple
mind in nature. They have a medium and round face with slim, tall figure and fair skin.

Economic Life
The People of Tanchangya does cultivate paddy in wet land cultivation where ever
water logging low lying lands in between the ridges are available . They also cultivate
yum, potatoes, mustard seeds, gardening like fruit garden such as orange, banana,
pineapple, lemon, sugarcane etc. Moreover, plantations of tree etc also do. They
cultivate their crops in plain areas, where water can easily drainable and by terracing
the gentle hill slopes. They cultivate ginger in great extent and sell the raw material
(articles) in the weekly market in wholesome and retail prices. They are industrious.
Manufacturing of cane and bamboo goods is required for domestic purposes which are
another important source of earning their livelihood.
A few people also engage in government and non-government service in Myanmar.
The Tanchangya love the "Beauty of Nature". They enjoy and continue their life in the
natural environment.

Cultural Life
1. Language. The Tanchangya in Myanmar has preserved the language, which the
olden day or old generation used to speak. Due to the influence of the Burmese
Culture, they speak some of the word with frequent inclusion of Burmese words.
Some of the old generations of Tanchangya words were almost forget by the
Tanchangya of India and Bangladesh of the young generation. While in Myanmar
they still use. Like “Thor” mean monk. “Along” means all, good morning mean “Gom
dibhuya binya”, thank mean “gom gom/paye paye ,( gom uye gom uye), “duhu” mean
bag, rath mean train or aeroplane, park means “aram”, quality means vanna, by cycle
means teng gari, ghost means jettha, bhut. Their languages are included of some
ancient important language such as Pali, Prakrit, Bengali and Sanskrit, which are part
of the Aryan Language Group.

II.Dress
The Tanchangya people in Myanmar now are mixed up with the traditional dress of
Burmese (Myanmar) like loincloth, shirt and other modern western dress such as shirt,
hat, dress, suit and so on. Tanchangya people in India and Bangladesh had preserved
with colourful dress.

Social life.

I. Family structure.
The Tanchangya in Myanmar follow the patriarchal and matriarchal system of
family structure. The father and mother are the head of the family. They have both
joint family and separate or single-family structure.
II. Marriage system.
The system of marriage of Tanchangya in Myanmar is same with the
Tanchangya in India and Bangladesh.
There are many types of marriages among Tanchangya such as: -
I. The bridegroom take to the bride's house
II. The lover elopes and marries
III. The couple married in the temple
IV. Couple runs away to another place
V. Court Marriage.
It is called Sa-nga in Tanchangya of the word wedding. Monogamy and
polygamy are existed in Tanchangya community.

Law of Inheritance
The law of inheritance of Tanchangya is similar with the Tanchangya in India
and Bangladesh. The male Children of a deceased father divided the property
equally among themselves including furniture, cattle etc. However, the daughter
cannot claim any share of the property except when they have no brothers but if the
son and mother have agreement can have share the property. The children of a
father who is mad or becomes recluse get equal share of his property. If the
deceased father does not have children, the adopted son will inherit all the property.
If a wife is separated when she is pregnant and if she gives birth to a male child, he
will inherit her ex-husband's property. If someone dies as a bachelor on without
 any children, his property will go to his brother.

Religious Life
Since innumerable decades ago, the community of Tanchangya is the follower
of Buddhism and until now with deep confidence. They take refugee throughout
their whole life the Triple Gem, the Buddha, the Dhamma and the Sangha. They
have the confident that Buddha is the supreme guide in order to liberate from
suffering to happiness, ignorance to enlighten, misery to open-handed evil to good,
wrong-view to right view, conceit to modest, laziness to industrious, doubtful to
trusty non forgiveness to forgiveness enemy to friendship, restlessness to one
pointedness of mind, hatred to loving-kindness, lair to truth, theft and drunkard to
good person and so on.
They visit to the temple and take five precepts along Triple Gem and listen the
Buddha's teaching preach by most venerable monk in the temple. In the full moon
day and new-moon day they worship to the Buddha by offering candle, sense stick,
flower honey etc as the lord Buddha had preached his Noble Doctrine for the
happiness of all human being in this world. They observe the religions festival with
colorfully such as Kathina etc on Vesakha, Asalha, Katthika, Magasira etc. They
also celebrate the "Water Festival" to the mark of the end of old year and
beginning of the New Myanmar Era for ten days. Just like bisu or bishu the end of
Citra of old year of Bengali and New Year of Bengali.

Conclusion
As I had mentioned the topic is Tanchangya in Myanmar (Burma) about their life
style, in culturally, socially, economically educationally and religiously. As some of
them regard that Tanchangya is a sub-community. Really they are not a sub-
community because they are rich with heritage of language, culture etc. As I
want cordially to invite to the researcher those who want to know clearly and deeply
about the colourful and rich heritage community of Tanchangya to do further resource.
I mentioned so superficially because of lack source in this article.