sunderbans and its relation with Bonbibi

The geographical location, varied topography, physiography, flora and most importantly the fauna of this area has given rise to some popular beliefs and cultures among the population. Before learning about the folk, rituals and cultures of the place, we must know and understand the natural attributes and geographical features and barriers of the land.

"The Sundarbans (Bengali: সুন্দরবন, Shundorbôn) is a natural region in the Bengal region comprising Eastern India and Bangladesh. It is the largest single block of tidal halophytic mangrove forest in the world. The Sundarbans covers approximately 10,000 square kilometres (3,900 sq mi) of which 60 percent is in Bangladesh with the remainder in India.The Sundarbans is a UNESCO World Heritage Site."

The name of the area 'sundarban' literally means and translates into 'Beautiful forest" in Bengali script. The most accepted view is that the name is derived from the 'sundari' trees, a species of mangrove that are found here in large numbers.

The mangrove-dominated Gangetic Delta – the Sundarbans – is a complex ecosystem comprising one of the three largest single tracts of mangrove forests of the world. Situated mostly in Bangladesh, a small portion of it lies in India.

The Sundarban forest lies in the vast delta on the Bay of Bengal formed by the super confluence of the Ganges, Padma,Brahmaputra and Meghna rivers across southern Bangladesh. The seasonally flooded Sundarbans freshwater swamp forests lie inland from the mangrove forests on the coastal fringe. The forest covers 10,000 square kilometres (3,900 sq mi) of which about 6,000 square kilometres (2,300 sq mi) are in Bangladesh. It became inscribed as a UNESCO world heritage site in 1997. The Sundarbans is intersected by a complex network of tidal waterways, mudflats and small islands of salt-tolerant mangrove forests. The interconnected network of waterways makes almost every corner of the forest accessible by boat. The area is known for the eponymous Royal Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris tigris), as well as numerous fauna including species of birds, spotted deer, crocodiles and snakes.

The land of the Sundarbans can be divided into two Ecoregions: Sundarbans fresh water swamp forests and Sundarbans mangroves.

This area presents a wide range of flora and fauna. The Sundarbans provides a unique ecosystem and a rich wildlife habitat, which is rich with predators, avifauna, aquafauna, reptiles etc.

Coming down to the important part is the economy of the area. People of this region depends mainly on natural resources for their daily livelihood. The forest provides raw materials for wood based industries. In addition to traditional forest produce like timber, fuelwood, pulpwood etc., large scale harvest of non-wood forest products such as thatching materials, honey, bees-wax, fish, crustacean and mollusc resources of the forest takes place regularly. Therefore, even if for their daily income or to live in such a land where people can meet their death in every turnings of the roads, where fear dominates any other feelings, in such a situation a godly figure became necessary to fend off their own fears. this is when Ma Bonbibi, a multicultural goddess came into being. In the land of the Sunderbans, ruled by tigers, tides, and the uncertainties of nature, there is a unique tradition of conservation and communal harmony. It is based on the villagers’ unflinching faith in Maa Bonbibi (forest deity) who is believed to bestow them with strength and protection against Raja Dakshinrai (tiger god) as they struggle to eke out a living in the mangrove swamps.

Satellite image of the Sundarbans.

Folk culture & bonbibi

Folk

The folk includes all those persons living within a given area, who are conscious of a common cultural heritage, and have some constant traits like occupation language and religion. The behavioural knowledge is based on oral tradition and not on written scriptures. The group have a sense of identity and belongingness, regardless of its numerical strength. The way of life of the group of people is more traditional, more natural, less systematic and less specialised in comparison to the so called civilised people.
Example: Mayurponkhi gaan, Korta-voja, Jhumur, Dokra shilpo, Chhou, Teracotta, Gajan, Manasa kotha o bhasa, Alkaap, Gambhira, Putul nach, Bhawaiya, Bhatiyali, kaantha shilpo, Bolan, Tusu vadu, Charak, Karam, Jatra, Ranapa, Kobigaan, Bihu, Lavani, Nautanki, Bonbibi and many more. 

Folk culture

The term 'tradition' goes hand in hand with culture. It is derived from the Latin word 'traditio' which means handing down, delivery etc. It includes both the process and product. The word tradition connotes the act of handing down and what is handed down from one generation to another. Tradition is the cumulative heritage of society which passes gradually through all the levels of social organisation like the value system, social structure, and the structure of personality. In the forms of habits, customs, attitudes, ways of life, it is transmitted from generation to generation through words of mouth (oral tradition). Tradition and its transmission implies value judgement about the desire ability or superiority of some transmitted element. In primitive societies there is no real distinction between art and life or between a fine art and an applied art.

Folk culture also refers to the unifying expressive components of everyday life as enacted by localized, tradition-bound groups. Earlier conceptualizations of folk culture focused primarily on traditions practiced by small foot, homogeneous, rural groups living in relative isolation from other groups. Today, however, folk culture is more inclusively recognized as a dynamic representation of both modern and rural constituents. Historically, handed down through oral tradition and now increasingly through dynamic computer-mediated communication, it relates to the cultivation of community and group identity. Folk culture is quite often imbued with a sense of place. If elements of a folk culture are copied by, or moved to, a foreign locale, they will still carry strong connotations of their original place of creation.

 "Indian folk culture is characterized by its simplicity. Aboriginal culture is in many ways the basis of the folk culture. To the villager the old culture is instinctive, a part of his being and a pattern of his life. In Indian culture the basis is religious and so also the village life is primarily religious. There is much more superstition about village religion but the villagers are familiar with the great truths of India and in their own ways they express them in worship, in rituals, in songs, dance and drama."

A glimpse of the variation of Indian folk culture and tradition

Folk lore

Folk lore means folk learning which comprehends all meaning that is transmitted by word of mouth and all crafts and techniques that are learned by limitation or example as well as the products of these crafts. It includes folk art, folk crafts, folk costumes, and folk customs.

Folk tales

Folk tales are prose narratives which are simple, entertaining and amendable to improvisation. These are mostly of fictitious nature and have predominance of fanciful ideas. It does not only include theoretical text but also expression, gesture, acting movement etc.

Among the most common types of narrative folk lore are folk tales. A folk tale is a story that forms part of an oral tradition, and does not have a single, identifiable author. The stories are passed down from one generation to the next, and over time become expanded and reshaped with each retelling. Folk tales often reflect the values and customs of the culture from which they come. They have been used to teach character traits.

Folk tales are not connected to a specific time, place, or historical persons. The characters are usually ordinary people. Similar folk tales are found in different cultures around the world. A folk narrative can have both a moral and psychological aspect, as well as entertainment value, depending upon the nature of the teller, the style of the telling, the ages of the audience members, and the overall context of the performance. A skilled storyteller will adapt the narrative to his particular audience.

• Animal Tales: The Bremen Town Musicians is a folk tale recorded by the Brothers Grimm. Another version is Irish tale, Jack and His Comrades, Panchatantra in Indian context.
• Fables: A fable is a sub genre of folk tales that uses anthropomorphic animals to illustrate a moral. Example: Aesops fables.
• Fairy Tales: Fairy tales involving magical, fantastic or wonderful episodes, characters, events, or symbols. They are often populated by fairies, elves, trolls, dwarfs, giants, and other imaginary creatures. Fairy tales take place in timeless settings, as indicated by the beginning "Once upon a time". The main character is a person who triumphs over difficulties partly through the use of magic. Originally spoken stories, fairy tales became a distinct literary genre in late-seventeenth-century France. Cinderella is a well-known fairy tale.
• Tall tales: A Tall tale is a story about a real or fictitious person whose exploits are wildly exaggerated. These are often folklore related to specific occupations, such as the cowboy Pecos Bill, lumberjack Paul Bunyan and the famous "steel-driving man" John Henry (folklore).
• Myths: Myths feature deities and often concern creation stories.
• Legends: Legends are set in the past and tell of heroes and kings and deeds of valor. They are may be based on real people or actual events. They may also contain lists of succession in ruling houses. In this they function as a sort of verbal historical record. They may also incorporate local tales of ghosts, and buried treasure. Stories about Robin Hood, Ramayana, Mahabharata are legends.

Few examples of folk tales and lores

This blog is especially dedicated towards the culture, tradition and lores of Bonbibi of the islands of Sunderbans and its related facts that are linked with the daily lives of the people of those areas. 

Reference: 

• google images
• wikipedia