Sushmita Chakma, the first and only female lawyer in municipal court in Chittagong Hill Tracts, Bangladesh, finds her roots in the Buddhist Chakma tribe.

"In the Chittagong Hill Tracts, women have always been working alongside men. There is no distinction between male and female... Women and men move around freely, walking everywhere, to the market, the temple, through the hills and plains."

Historically, the women in our region are different from those in Dhaka, or most of Bangladesh. Our language is different, our culture, dharma, way of life is unique. First, there is no tradition of purdah in our people. The indigenous tribes are mostly Buddhist and Hindu. In the Chittagong Hill Tracts, women have always been working alongside men. We share our work, our space, our livelihood. We [women] have a tradition of filling our basic needs ourselves, like making clothes, household items, gathering food. We have always seen that women here are self-sufficient, that the people here are self-sufficient. My personal opinion is that in Dhaka city, you can move freely, but most of the time you are gawked at, stared at for being part of this new generation that moves around with ease. Here, there is nothing to stare at because people are part of nature. You see, we mix with nature. We do not separate ourselves from it. We do things that are needed, that are necessary. For instance, I wear a skirt to keep my bottom half concealed. As part of our tribal dress, I would wear a blouse to keep my top warm. But I do not cover my head because it is not natural and necessary. If it is cold or raining I may. In the previous generation, there was not a great need in our society for education. To subsist, we used the plains for farming. The forests gave us bamboo for houses and our firewood. As times are changing, parents are emphasizing school. They see that there is a need for education, that better jobs come with more training, so they are moving in that direction. The literacy rate here in the Chittagong Hill Tracts is higher than in many other Bangladeshi regions because we realized earlier that we would need higher education. Of the indigenous populations, I am the first female to work in the court here. My income may be less for working in the local court, but working for my people will be more meaningful....

Translated from Bengali

This online exhibition was created in December 2001. To reach Fariba Alam, email her at faribaalam@yahoo.com