Bru Rau Ba Buktoi Nchingye Phai Mi | Mahendra Manikya Kingdom | Bru History

Reang are the second largest tribal community of Tripura. They are recognized as one of the 75 primitive tribes in India. Numerically as per 2011 Census they are 1,88,220 persons in this State. Reangs are said to have come first from Shan State of upper Burma (now Myanmar) in different waves to the Chittagang Hill Tracts and then to Southern part of Tripura. Similarly another group entered Tripura via Assam and Mizoram during 18th Century.

Reangs belongs to Indo-Mongoloid racial stock. Their languages has affinity of Austro-Asiatic groups under Tibeto-Burman family. Ethnically Reangs are divided into 2(two) major clans (i) Meska and (ii) Molsoi. Their language is known as “Kaubru” which have a tonal effect of Kuki language though broadly it is Kok-Borok dialect.

Reangs are still a nomadic tribe and a large numbers among them maintain their livelihood involving Hilltop Jhum Cultivation and other food gathering activities like collection of jungle fruits, leaf, plants, fishing in stagnant water in hill slopes, hunting of wild animals and birds etc. Reangs have faith on different deities like Buraha, Bonirao, Songragma, Jampira, Lampra etc. There are also some female deities like Mwtaikotorma, Tuibuma, Mailoma, Ganga etc. Reangs believe in spirits and existence of soul. By religion they are Hindus and most of their deities are akin to gods and goddesses of Hindu faith. Among Reangs followers of Vaishnavism are found in good numbers.

Reangs traditionally are endogamous and do not marry outside their community. The village council chief is known as “RAI” permits Divorce and Widow marriage. They cremate their dead bedside a river or chara after observing series of rites and rituals and funeral procession.

Reangs’ folk life & culture have outstanding cultural components. Hozagiri dance with melodious tune of flute is most attractive throughout the country and abroad.
Due to social transition and modern wave of life, considerable changes could be seen among Reangs in the field of agriculture and other economic activities, social and cultural life, awareness for education, health and sanitation etc. So Reangs are now an aware and progressive tribe of Tripura.

Reang is one of the Tripuri clan of the Northeast Indian state. The Reangs can be found all over the Tripura state in India. However, they may also be found in Assam and Mizoram. They speak the Kokborok language.

The Reangs are a semi-nomadic people who farm hillsides by the jhum (slash and burn) or shifting method. This forces them to relocate after a few years. The Bru/Reang are a Tripuri clan from the Indian state of Tripura. They speak a dialect of Kokborok language, which is Tibeto-Burmese in origin and known locally as Kau Bru. They are known as "Riang" in the Indian Constitution. The Reang, on the other hand, identify as "Reang" rather than "Riang," and are often referred to as Bru. The Bru or Reang Community is made up of 12 clans or panjis: Molsoi, Tuimui, Msha, Taumayakcho, Apeto, Wairem, Meska, Raikchak, Chorkhi, Chongpreng, Nouhkham, and Yakstam.

According to Part XVII of the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order, 1950, the Riang (Bru) tribe is a sub-tribe of the Kuki tribe and one of Mizoram's Scheduled Tribes. The Kukis and Mizos are members of the Kuki-Chin Linguistic Group, while the Brus belong to the Bodo Linguistic Group. As a result, the Tripura Bru/Reang are designated as a distinct tribe under Section 16 of Part XV - Tripura of the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order 1950.

In 2018, following the Union Home Ministry's decision to give voting rights to around 30,000 people who had fled from Mizoram to Tripura in 1997 in the wake of inter-community violence, The Election Commission asked the State of Mizoram to revise its rolls for the 2018 polls and include the members of the internally-displaced community. As many as 32,876 people of the Bru tribe were set to be repatriated to Mizoram after a tripartite agreement was signed between the Centre, Tripura and Mizoram government.[5] On 16 January 2020, a quadripartite agreement was signed among the Centre, state governments of Tripura and Mizoram and Bru representatives to facilitate permanent settlement of Bru IDPs( Internally displaced people's) from Mizoram in Tripura, benefitting around 34,000 IDPs.

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