The Impact of Migration on the Folk Beliefs of the Tribal People in Tripura: An Ethnographic Study with Special References to Boroks

This paper attempts to investigate how the influx of tribal refugees from the neighbouring country Bangladesh impacted the socio-cultural and economic aspects of Borok people concentrated in different parts of Tripura. During 1983-98, due to some political conflicts within Bangladesh, thousands of indigenous tribal people migrated and were rehabilitated in refugee camps in Tripura through a contract between Indo-Bangladesh governments. Over time, the rehabilitated/migrant tribal people of Bangladesh impacted the socio-economic-religious life of the local tribal people in Tripura. The religious beliefs and practices of the refugee tribal population dominated the religious beliefs and practices of the local tribal people by outnumbering them. Many local beliefs, practices, and ritual activities thus were neglected and forgotten or blended with the imported ones. The refugee society even challenged the control of the local priests to defend their positions within their society. Without serious effort to retrieve those local practices, such marginalised indigenous traditions shall be lost forever.