The only Tribal Cultural Museum in the Hill Tracts region was established at Rangamati town in 1978 and
run by the Tribal Cultural Institute .
It preserves valuable objects and articles of different tribes depicting their socio economic, cultural and
historical tradition
The Tribal Cultural Institute, Rangamati was established in 1978 with a view to promote and preserve
traditional tribal culture and to carry out the research about the ways of life of the tribal people and their
customs practices. To enrich national culture through preserving, promoting and developing the traditional
culture of this area is one of the principal goals for establishing the Tribal Cultural Institute (TCI). TCI has
been transferred to Rangamati Hill District Council on 1st May 1993.
This museum has well-thought-out displays on the Adivasis of the Hill Tracts, including costumes, bamboo
flutes, coins, silver-and-ivory necklaces and animal traps. There is also a map showing where the different
people of the region live. Look out for the Marma and Chakma ‘books’ carved onto palm leaves, which date
from the 1860s.
These include typical tribal dresses, ornaments, arms and ammunitions, coins, statues made of wood,
bronze and other metals, musical instruments, ivory products, handicrafts, paintings on tribal life etc.