Bru social and economic

The Bru—known as Reang in Tripura—are an indigenous, predominantly rural Scheduled Tribe concentrated in India’s Northeast. Their core settlements lie in Tripura and Mizoram, with smaller populations in Assam and parts of Manipur. Despite living across state borders, they share a cohesive cultural identity grounded in language, kinship, and land-based livelihoods. Over the past three decades, displacement from Mizoram and subsequent resettlement in Tripura have reshaped their social and economic landscape. What follows is a concise, 360° profile of the community’s social organization, culture, and economy, along with current opportunities and challenges. People, language, and identity Bru identity is tied closely to their language—variously written as Bru, Kaubru, or Kokborok-Bru—belonging to the Tibeto-Burman family. There is no single standardized script in everyday use; Bru are typically multilingual, also speaking Bengali, Kokborok, Mizo, or Assamese depending on where they live. T...