 |
| Sapa people. Source: Flickr. (c) ngorcwg |
44. RO MAM - 301 people; Location: The Ro Mam live in Le Village, Mo Rai Commune, Sa Thay District of Kon Tum Province. Customs and habits: The village of the Ro Mam is called a "de". It is headed by an old chief. Each family is comprised of 10-20 people of various generations who have blood ties and who live under the same roof. Each nuclear family forms its own economic unit. The Ro Mam's matrimonial rites are performed in two steps, the engagement phase and wedding phase. Several days after the wedding, a young couple may divorce. However, once they have lived together for a long time they are not allowed to divorce. When a person dies, their body is placed in the cemetery. The cemetery is always located at the west end of the village. Culture: The Ro Mam language belongs to the Mon-Khmer Group Rituals and ceremonies are usually held during the production cycle from the start of the slashing of the field until the land is set on fire, and eventually when the rice is brought to the house. These communal village activities have been preserved to the present day. Costumes: Women wear skirts and short sleeved shirts. The skirts are made from coarse cloth without decorations, and they fall down below their knees. Men wear loincloths, where the front flap hangs over their knees and the back flap falls below their shins. Women like to wear earrings, bracelets, and necklaces made from glass beads. Economy: The Ro Mam survive mainly from slash-and-burn cultivation, hunting, and gathering. Sticky rice is their staple food.
45. SAN CHAY - 147,315 people; Location: Concentrated in Tuyen Quang, Thai Nguyen, and Bac Giang provinces. Communities of San Chay are also found scattered in Quang Ninh, Yen Bai, Lang Son, and Vinh Phuc provinces. Customs and habits: Ancestral worship is widely practiced but is influenced by Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism. Houses are usually built level to the ground. The San Chay house is said to resemble the "Buffalo Genie", the four pillars of the house symbolize the four legs of the buffalo, the paths around the house represent the ribs, and the roof represents the backbone. One of the two corners of the penthouse is usually used as the altar for the ancestors and is regarded as the holiest section of the house. The San Chay inhabitants belong to various family lineages, each lineage having several branches. The father is the head of the family. After a wedding, the wife lives with her parents and she settles permanently at the husband's house only after her first childbirth. Culture: The language of the San Chay is classified with the Tay-Thai Group. The San Chay have many old tales, folksongs, proverbs, and sayings. A particularly popular cultural activity is the "sinh ca", an alternating love song chant. Their musical instruments include castanets, small copper bells, cymbals, wind instruments, and drums. Costumes: The modern attire of the San Chay tends to resemble the Kinh or Tay. Economy: The San Chay cultivates wet rice and agriculture, which plays an important role in their livelihood.
46. SAN DIU - 126,237 people; Location: The San Diu live in the midlands of Quang Ninh, Hai Duong, Bac Giang, Bac Ninh, Vinh Phu, Thai Nguyen, and Tuyen Quang provinces. Customs and habits: The San Diu house is built level with the ground. The roof is usually covered with thatch or tile, the walls are built of bricks, and the houses are clustered closely together in each village. The husband (father) is the head of the family. The children take the family name of the father and only sons have the right of inheritance. The parents also decide when their children should marry. The funeral ceremony of the San Diu has many rites. The San Diu worship their ancestors and the God of the Kitchen. They hold many annual ceremonies usually before crop planting, after crop planting, after the new rice matures, and when they need to pray for rain. Culture: The San Diu language belongs to the Han Group. The San Diu sing alternating songs (soong co) during cultural activities and at festivals. They have many musical instruments such as horns, clarinets, drums, flutes, cymbals, and castanets. They also like to play many games such as walking on sticks, a game involving sticks, badminton in the San Diu way, and tug-of-war. Costumes: The San Diu have gradually adopted the Kinh style of dress. Economy: The San Diu engage in rice farming practices through submerging their fields, animal and forest exploitation, fishing, fish breeding, tile and brick making, blacksmithing, and basketry. The San Diu also manufacture the no-wheel "quet" cart drawn by a buffalo to transport goods.
47. SI LA - 840 people; Location: Lai Chau Province; Customs and habits: The Si La live in houses built level to the ground. The kitchen is usually placed at the centre of the house. Relationships between the members of a lineage are very close. The head of a lineage is usually the oldest man who plays an important role in the village. He also acts as a leader in charge of internal affairs, and especially during worship. The “mo” (sorcerers) is well respected. The Si La wedding ceremony is celebrated in two stages with one year passing in between the stages. The family of the groom must hand wedding presents to the bride's family prior to meeting the bride and bringing her home. The burial ground of the dead occupies a plot at the end of the village. Graves of members of the same lineages are grouped together. The Si La often build the funeral house for the dead first, then dig the grave for the house. The coffin is made from a hollowed tree trunk. When a person dies, the Si La organize different kinds of ceremonies. They never clean the graves or exhume the dead's remains, but they maintain the custom of mourning their parents for three years. The Si La also worship their ancestors and the spirits of the village. Culture: The Si La language belongs to the Tibeto-Burman Group. Costumes: The attire of women is quite unique. The upper parts of their dresses are different colors and decorated with silver and tin coins. Their headgear varies according to age. When travelling, they always carry a woven handbag with red fringes attached to the hems of the handbag. In the past, men have painted their teeth red and women have painted theirs black. This custom is no longer observed by the young people. Economy: The main forms of income are rice and corn cultivation. Hunting and gathering are also a significant part of the life of the Si La.
48. TAY - 1,477,514 people; Location: The Tay lives along the valleys and the lower slopes of the mountains in Cao Bang, Lang Son, Bac Kan, and Quang Ninh provinces, and in some regions of Bac Giang and Bac Ninh provinces. Customs and habits: Ancestor worship is a religious rite of the Tay. The altars for the ancestors are placed in a central location in the house. The altar room is such a sacred place that guests is not allowed to sit on the bed in front of the altar. After giving birth, women are also not allowed to sit on the bed in front of the altar. Tay villages are always built at the foot of a mountain and are often named after a mountain, field, or river. Each village contains about 15-20 households. Culture: The Tay language belongs to Tay-Thai Group. There is a rich traditional folklore with all kinds of poems, songs, dances, and music. Tay songs include the "Hat Luon" (a kind of duet between lovers), wedding songs, and lullabies. Costumes: Tay women wear knee-length dresses, which are split at the right side with five buttons along the armpit, and narrow sleeves. Economy: The Tay has developed agricultural practices quite well and are able to cultivate all kinds of plants including rice, maize, and sweet potato.
49. TA OI - 34,960 people; Location: A Luoi District of Thua Thien-Hue Province and Huong Hoa District of Quang Tri Province. Customs and habits: The communal house of the Ta Oi is called the Rong. It is built at the centre of the village and is a fairly elongated house. The children take the family name of the father and only sons have the right to inherit the family estate. The head of a lineage plays an important role in village affairs. Young Ta Oi men and women are free to choose their partners. They believe in animism and organize many ceremonies for Giang. Several years after the burial of a deceased person, the dead's lineage organizes a ceremony to exhume the dead's remains and build a funeral house with sophisticated decoration and statues around the fence of the funeral house. Culture: The Ta Oi language belongs to the Mon-Khmer Group and is close to the Bru-Van Kieu and Co Tu languages. The Ta Oi have managed to preserve many of their proverbs, folk songs, puzzles, and stories. Popular folk songs include Ka loi, Ba boih, Ro in, and especially the romantic Cha Chap song. Gongs, string zithers, flutes, trumpets, drums, and pan-pipes are popular musical instruments of the Ta Oi. Costumes: Women wear shirts and skirts, but the skirt is usually knotted up to cover their chests. Men wear loincloths and short vests, or leave their upper torsos naked. Ornaments made from copper, silver, glass beads, and ivory are also popular. Economy: The Ta Oi practice a slash-and-burn method of cultivation and grow wet rice through this process. They are also good at horticulture and fish rearing in artificial ponds.
50. THAI - 1,328,725 people; Location: Lai Chau, Dien Bien, Son La, Hoa Binh, and Nghe An provinces. Customs and habits: The Thai worship their ancestors, the heavens, the earth, ban, and "muong". They also hold rituals to pray for good crops.The Thai live in houses built on stilts. Among the Black Thai, they prefer roofs that are shaped like a tortoise carapace with decorations called "khau cuts" at each ridge. A Thai man first lives with his wife's family for several years until the couple has a child; they then move to the house of the husband's family. The Thai organize funerals as a farewell party to see off the dead to the other world. Culture: The Thai language belongs to the Tay-Thai Group. They have a valuable legacy of myths, legends, ancient tales, versed stories, and folksongs. They like to sing and recite the "khap" along with the accompaniment of string instruments and a dance performance. Their folk dances such as "Xoe", "Sap", "Han Khuong", and "Con" are reflection of the Thai's unique cultural characteristics. Costumes: The men have adopted the Kinh's clothing style, while Thai women have retained their traditional clothes which include short vests, long black skirts, scarves, and ornaments. Economy: The Thai are experienced in cultivating rice and orchards. They also breed cattle and poultry, make bamboo articles, weave cloth, and produce ceramic ware.
51. THO - 68,394 people; Location: The Tho live in the western parts of Nghe An Province. Customs and habits: Formerly, the Tho lived in houses built on stilts. Now they prefer houses built on the ground. Close relationships and a desire to help each other have existed for a very long time in Tho society. Young Tho boys and girls have enjoyed considerable freedom through a custom known as "Ngu Mai". They are allowed to lie together and have heart-to-heart talks with each other. In the course of these nocturnal parties, each boy and girl will eventually find their sweetheart. As for marriage, a boy's family must spend a lot of money in preparation for the celebration of the wedding. Therefore, a boy must work many days for his future in-laws. The Tho worship innumerable genies and spirits. They also have great respect for pioneers who have made contributions to the clearing of the land and the building of the village, and for the numerous war heroes. All families also worship their ancestors. Each year, the most important ceremony called "Going to the Field" is held. Culture: The Tho language belongs to the Viet-Muong Group. Costumes: Tho attire resembles the farmers’ dress of the Kinh in the early half of 20th century. Tho women buy skirts from the Thai and wear a square white cloth around their heads which serves as a female head dress. The morning ribbon is a long white piece of cloth. Economy: The Tho cultivate rice and hemp. With rice cultivation, they often use ploughs and harrows to till the soil. Hemp is grown primarily for producing items for daily use. The forest provides various kinds of vegetable for Tho daily life.
52. XINH MUN - 18,018 people; Location: Son La and Lai Chau provinces and along the Vietnamese-Lao border regions. Customs and habits: Xinh Mun houses are built on stilts, have vaulted roofs shaped like a tortoise shell and stairways at both ends of the house. The children take the family name of the father. After the death of the father, the eldest brother is elevated to an important position. According to marriage customs, the family of the groom must give money to the bride's family. After the proposal, engagement, and wedding, the husband goes and lives with his wife's family. A few years later, when the married couple has a few children, the wife is then welcomed to her husband's house. The couple must change their name and take another name given by the mother-in-law's younger brother. It is the habit of the Xinh Mun to chew betel nut, dye their teeth black, and drink alcohol. During the production of rice, people hold many ceremonies and maintain many taboos. The villagers annually organize a ceremony to honor the spirit of the village. Culture: The Xinh Mun language belongs to the Mon-Khmer Group. Costumes: They wear garments that resemble the Thai and Lao. Economy: The Xinh Mun grow glutinous rice and corn on burned land and terraced fields. They also gather, rear animals, hunt, make basketry articles, and have developed a system of bartering goods.
53. XO DANG - 127,148 people; Location: The Xo Dang are concentrated in Kon Tum Province and scattered in the mountainous areas of Quang Ngai and Quang Nam provinces. Customs and habits: The Xo Dang believe in animism and worship many spirits related to the production of food and life. Each village has a "Rong" (communal house), and the roof of this communal house forms two steeply rising surfaces that resembles an axe-head. The village chief is the most respected person in the community and all village affairs are managed by the chief. Xo Dang people do not have family names as the proper name consists of only one word with a prefix indicating the sex of the person, "A" for men, and "Y" for women. Male and female adults are allowed to seek their own loves. The Xo Dang wedding is very simple. After the wedding, the married couple lives in rotation of their families for a few years. Culture: The Xo Dang belong to the Mon-Khmer Group. The buffalo stabbing ritual is held annually. The Xo Dang enjoy singing, dancing, playing gongs, and telling old tales. Xo Dang men are good at architecture, sculpting, and painting. Economy: Farming is the main form of income generation. Cattle and poultry raising, hunting, picking and gathering, fishing, basketry, weaving, and blacksmithing are other ways the Xo Dang survive.
54. XTIENG - 66,788 people; Location: The Xtieng live in four northern districts of Binh Phuoc Province and in Dong Nai and Tay Ninh provinces. Customs and habits: The Xtieng live a sedentary lifestyle. Each family builds its own house. Each village is led by an elderly man who must be experienced in the affairs of the community, dynamic, and trusted by the villagers. The Xtieng can marry outside their lineage. After the wedding, the bride comes to live in her husband's house. The Xtieng believe in animism and the mystical powers of thunder, lightning bolts, the heavens, and the earth. The Xtieng calculate their age according to the number of harvests that they have gathered. Culture: The Xtieng language belongs to the Mon-Khmer Group. The Xtieng enjoy music and popular musical instruments, such as the six-patterned gong set. These gongs are made of bamboo panpipes. Costumes: Xtieng women wear skirts and the men wear loincloths. In winter, they cover themselves in blankets. The women wear their hair long and tie it in a bun at the back of their heads. They usually wear ivory earrings pierced into their earlobes, or tattoo their faces and body with simple motifs. Economy: The Xtieng cultivate rice in submerged fields and have used oxen and buffaloes as draught animals for a long time.
No comments:
Post a Comment