Bru(Reang) tribe

In news

Part of North have witnessed violent protests recently over the proposed resettlement of Bru tribals

About the Bru tribe

Reang (Bru) are one of the 21 scheduled tribes of the Indian state of Tripura.
They also live in Mizoram and Assam.
They speak the Reang dialect of Kokborok language which is of Tibeto-Burmese origin and is locally referred to as Kau Bru.
The Bru are the second most populous tribe in Tripura.
In Tripura, they are recognised as a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG).
They are primarily an agrarian tribe. In the past, they mostly practised the Huk or Jhum cultivation like most other Tripuri tribes.
They were targeted by the Young Mizo Association (YMA), Mizo Zirlai Pawl (MZP) and a few ethnic social organisations of Mizoram. They had demanded that the Bru be excluded from electoral rolls in the state.
In October 1997, following ethnic clashes, nearly 37,000 Bru fled Mizoram’s Mamit, Kolasib and Lunglei districts to Tripura where they were sheltered in relief camps.
Since then, over 5,000 have returned to Mizoram in nine phases of repatriation, while 32,000 people from 5,400 families still live in six relief camps in North Tripura.

Their Culture

Like other Tripuri people, the Reang are polytheists and believe in multiple Gods and Goddesses.
Their important festivals are Buisi, Ker, Gonga Mtai, Goria, Chitragupra, Hojagiri, Katangi Puja, Lampra Uóhthoh.