By Sukanto Barman (CS Intern)
Bharati Rani, 65, sits in the courtyard of her home in Mechkanta Para village, Thakurgaon district, weaving a dhokra (mat) made of jute. The dhokra is not only a piece of handcraft; it is a living testament to Koch-Rajbangshi heritage. Used for seating, drying crops, or special occasions, each dhokra carries the stories, culture, and vivid reflections of the social life of the Koch-Rajbangshi community.
By Prama Dewan (CS Intern)
In the quiet courtyards across the hills of southeastern Bangladesh, the soft clack of the loom can still be heard. Threads of many colors twist and cross, creating not just fabric, but stories. In these threads live memories of rivers, forests, and hills—woven by Indigenous women who have carried this art through generations.
By Anonymous
The Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) in southeastern Bangladesh, home to 13 Indigenous communities, has long carried the weight of unhealed wounds. In late September 2025, that fragile peace was shattered once again. What began as a protest demanding justice for the rape of a teenage Indigenous Marma schoolgirl in Khagrachari District turned into a communal crackdown on Indigenous communities.
By IPNEWS
From May 2024 to March 2025, Indigenous Peoples News Bangladesh (IPNEWS) carried out a media project with support from Cultural Survival’s Indigenous Community Media Fund. “Amplifying Indigenous Voices: Audiovisual Reporting & Leadership Development in Bangladesh” focused on one goal: making the stories of Indigenous Peoples in Bangladesh heard—clearly, widely, and truthfully.
Cultural Survival strongly condemns the violent attack on Indigenous students and Indigenous Peoples’ rights activists’ protests on January 15, 2025, against the removal of the term "Adivasi" (Indigenous in Bangla) from school textbooks in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh Indigenous Peoples’ News works for the promotion and protection of the rights of Indigenous communities in Bangladesh through journalism. We primarily train Indigenous youth to develop their journalistic and investigative skills. Bringing the untold stories of Indigenous Peoples from the grassroots to the policy table through journalistic reporting is also another major work of IPNEWS BD.
By Dev Kumar Sunuwar (Koĩts-Sunuwar, CS Staff)
By Satej Chakma (Chakma), sub-editor, IPNEWS BD
In Bangladesh, a country with a long history and deep traditions, the stories of its Indigenous Peoples are often missing from the news and other media platforms and don’t always get heard. A newsgroup called IPNEWS is trying to change this narrative.
The Rohingya Language Preservation Project is a Rohingya youth-led research initiative based in the refugee camps in Co’s Bazar, Bangladesh. They seek to preserve the Rohingya language and culture in the refugee camps and beyond. They believe in creating grassroots change through community-led projects that strengthen the capacity and leadership of Rohingya youth in the community. They collaborate and engage with leaders, individuals and groups within the Rohingya society that rebuild and empower the community.
Land Acknowledgement
We acknowledge that we are headquartered on Massachusett land, in Cambridge, MA, and we thank the past, current, and future Indigenous stewards of this territory.
