The Hidden Culture of the Munda Tribe
Otibeguni is proud to present the first completed project funded through our Indigenous Storytellers' Fund: "The Hidden Culture of the Munda Tribe," a short documentary by Md Abdullah Al Sabid.
Set in the Burigoalini region of Satkhira, near the edge of the Sundarbans, the film offers a brief look into the everyday cultural and religious life of the Munda community. Through conversations, rituals, music, and moments of worship, it shows how the community continues to hold on to its language, customs, and inherited traditions even as many of them are slowly fading from daily life.
The documentary touches on practices such as Karam Puja and Saraswati Puja, as well as the community's belief in forest-protecting figures like Bonobibi, Ali Modon, and Shah Jongoli. These glimpses point toward a much larger world of stories, rituals, and local beliefs connected to the Sundarbans.
This project only scratches the surface. Otibeguni is keen to explore these traditions further, especially the stories of Ali Modon and their relationship to the broader universe of Bonobibi legends.
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