Bonaz

Bonaz
Total population
	4,400
Regions with significant populations
	Srimangal (Bangladesh) - 4,000; Tripura, India - 400
Languages
	Bengali and Odia
Religion
	Hinduism (majority), Christianity (handful)
Related ethnic groups
	Indo-Aryan peoples, non-resident Odias

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The Bonaz people (Bengali: বোনাজ, Odia: ବୋନାଜ, romanized: Bonaj) are an Odia diaspora community that live in Srimangal, Bangladesh and Tripura, India.

In the nineteenth century, the British brought them over from Odisha to work as tea garden labourers in Srimangal. They are Hindus and maintain a distinct identity in addition to their Bangladeshi identity, due to cultural, linguistic, geographical and historical reasons. Many have adopted the Bengali language;^[1] although only 10% of the community are actually literate in the language. They celebrate Phagwah and Durga Puja, and have managed to preserve some of their ballads and folk-tales orally as well as through performing cultural festivals. They are led by a leader known as a Behera and split into eight clans: Nag, Khanda, Tanidiya, Dudhusha, Rakta Kushila, Suryabamsa, Baghabamsa and Mahanandiya.^[1] A few of the minority that live in Tripura have forcefully been evangelised by the Joshua Project.^[2]

References[edit]

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 Jengcham, Subhas (2012). "Bonaz". In Islam, Sirajul; Miah, Sajahan; Khanam, Mahfuza; Ahmed, Sabbir (eds.). Banglapedia: the National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Online ed.). Dhaka, Bangladesh: Banglapedia Trust, Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. ISBN 984-32-0576-6. OCLC 52727562. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
↑ Joshua Project. "Bonaj in India Ethnic People Profile". legacy.joshuaproject.net. Retrieved 17 March 2020.

Template:Ethnic groups in Bangladesh

[bpedia-1] 1.0 ^1.1 Jengcham, Subhas (2012). "Bonaz". In Islam, Sirajul; Miah, Sajahan; Khanam, Mahfuza; Ahmed, Sabbir (eds.). Banglapedia: the National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Online ed.). Dhaka, Bangladesh: Banglapedia Trust, Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. ISBN 984-32-0576-6. OCLC 52727562. Retrieved 8 February 2024.

[joshuaproject-2] Joshua Project. "Bonaj in India Ethnic People Profile". legacy.joshuaproject.net. Retrieved 17 March 2020.

[1]

[2]

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