Ethnic groups in Cambodia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cambodia, in contrast to its Southeast Asian neighbors, has a fairly homogeneous population. Ninety percent of its 14 million people are ethnic Khmers. The remaining population consists of more than twenty distinct ethnic groups, most of which are small indigenous people groups, known collectively as Khmer Loeu, living in isolated mountain areas. Minority groups living in the lowlands, often among or adjacent to Khmers, include Chinese, Vietnamese and Cham.
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[edit] Ethnic Khmer
The Khmers are one of the oldest ethnic groups in the area, having filtered into Southeast Asia shortly after the Mon, displacing earlier Mon-Khmer arrivals and various Austronesian groups. They were the builders of the Khmer Empire, and now form the mainstream of political, cultural, and economic Cambodia.
The Khmers see themselves as being one race , but divided into three subgroups based on national origin and language. The Khmer of Cambodia speak the Khmer language. Khmer Surin are ethnic Khmers whose lands once belonged to the Khmer Empire but have since become part of Thailand. They have their own dialect and often also speak fluent Thai. Maintaining close relations with the Khmer of Cambodia, many now reside in Cambodia as a result of marriage. Similarly, the Khmer Krom are Khmers living in the regions of the former Khmer Empire that are now part of Vietnam. Fluent in both their particular dialect of Khmer and in Vietnamese, many have fled to Cambodia as a result of persecution and forced assimilation by communist Vietnam.
[edit] Chinese
The Chinese, approximately 1% of the population, are one of the largest and most visible ethnic minorities in Cambodia. Most Chinese are descended from 18th–19th century settlers who came in search of trade and commerce opportunities. Most are urban dwellers, engaged primarily in commerce.
The Chinese in Cambodia belong to five major linguistic groups, the largest of which is the Teochiu accounting for about 60%, followed by the Cantonese (20%), the Hokkien (7%), and the Hakka and the Hainanese (4% each).
Intermarriage between the Chinese and Khmers has been common, in which case they would often assimilate into mainstream Khmer society, retaining few Chinese customs. Much of the Chinese population dwindled under Pol Pot during the Cambodian Civil War. The Chinese were not specifically targets for extermination, but suffered the same brutal treatment faced by the ethnic Khmers during the period.
[edit] Vietnamese
The Vietnamese are also one of the largest ethnic minorities in Cambodia, forming an estimated 1-5% of the population. Distantly related to the Khmers, both speak a Mon-Khmer language. However, there are very few cultural connections between the two peoples because the early Khmers were influenced by the Indian cultural sphere while the Vietnamese belong to the Chinese cultural sphere. Ethnic tensions between the two can be traced to the dark ages of Cambodia (from the 15th to 19th centuries), during which time Vietnam attempted to vassalize Cambodia. Control over Cambodia during this, its weakest point, fluctuated between Thailand and Vietnam. Vietnam unlike Thailand, wanted Cambodia to adopt Vietnamese governmental practices, dress, and language. The Khmers resented and resisted until they became a French colony.
Modern Vietnamese in Cambodia are mainly descended from settlers who immigrated in the early 20th century. Most no longer speak Vietnamese, creating a social dilemma. They have engaged primarily in aquaculture on the southern banks of the Mekong Delta. Many are assimilated into Khmer society, but there are still those who keep their separate social identity.
[edit] Cham
The Cham are descended from the Austronesian (Malay) people of Champa, a former kingdom centered on the southern coast of present-day Vietnam and former rival to the Khmer Empire. At various times between the 7th and 15th centuries, the relationship between Champa and the Khmer ranged from that of allies to enemies. During friendly periods there was close contact and trade between the two Indianized kingdoms and intermarriage between the respective royal families. During wartime, many Chams were brought into Khmer lands as captives and slaves. As Champa waned, its territory and people were absorbed by both Cambodia and Vietnam until the last vestige of the kingdom was defeated by the Vietnamese in the late 15th century. Thousands of Cham captives were taken back to Vietnam and thousands more fled to adjacent areas that were loosely ruled by a weakened Khmer empire.
The Cham in Cambodia number under a million and often maintain separate villages in the southeast of the country although in many areas they live alongside ethnic Khmers. Primarily fishermen or farmers, many Khmer believe the Cham to be especially adept at certain spiritual practices and will sometimes come to them for healing or tattooing. While the Cham in Vietnam still follow traditional Shivaite Hinduism, most (an estimated 90%) Cham in Cambodia are ostensibly followers of Islam in Cambodia. Interaction between those who are Muslim and those who are Hindu is often taboo. However, intermarriage between Khmers and Chams has taken place for hundreds of years. Many have assimilated into mainstream Khmer society and practice Buddhism.
[edit] Khmer Loeu
The indigenous ethnic groups of the mountains are known collectively as "Montagnards" or Khmer Loeu, a term meaning "Highland Khmer". They are descended from neolithic migrations of Mon-Khmer speakers via southern China and Austronesian speakers from insular Southeast Asia. Being isolated in the highlands, the various Khmer Loeu groups were not Indianized like their Khmer cousins and consequently are culturally distant from modern Khmers and often from each other, observing many pre-Indian-contact customs and beliefs. However, although diverse, they have many things in common. Most are matrileneal, tracing ancestry through maternal rather than paternal bloodlines. They grow rice and live in tribal villages.
Historically, as the Khmer Empire advanced, they were obliged to seek safety and independence in the highlands or become slaves and laborers for the empire. Zhou Daguan remarked that the Khmers had captured hilltribes and made them laborers referring to them as the Tchouang or slave caste. Tchouang, from the Pear word juang, means people. Presently, they form the majority in the sparsely populated provinces of Ratanakiri, Stung Treng, and Mondulkiri.
Their languages belong to two groups, Mon-Khmer and Austronesian. The Mon-Khmers are Samre, Phnong, Stieng, Kuy, Krung, and Tampuan. The Austronesians are Rhade and Jarai. Once thought to be a mixed group, the Austronesians have been heavily influenced by the Mon-Khmer tribes.
[edit] Recent arrivals
Due to its status as a developing nation and the relatively recent peace, many other ethnic groups can be found, particularly in Phnom Penh, in statistically insignificant numbers. These investors, opportunity seekers, and NGO employees include Europeans, Americans, Koreans, Japanese, Thai (Lao) and Russians.
[edit] List of Ethnic Groups
- Cham - Descendants of Cham refugees who fled to Cambodia after the fall of Champa.
- Chinese - Descendants of Chinese settlers in Cambodia.
- Khmer
- Khmer Kandal - "Central Khmers" Ethnic Khmers indigenous to Cambodia
- Khmer Krom - Ethnic Khmers located in Southeastern Cambodia and Southern Vietnam.
- Khmer Surin - Ethnic Khmer located in Northwestern Cambodia and Surin, Buriram and Sisaket provinces in Thailand.
- Khmer Loeu - Umbrella term use to designate all hilltribes in Cambodia. They number around 100,000 in all.
- Mon-Khmer Speakers
- Kachok
- Krung - there are three distinct dialects of Krung. All are mutually intelligible.
- Krung
- Brao
- Kavet
- Kuy - A small group of people mostly located in the highlands of Cambodia.
- Phnong
- Tampuan - ethnic group located in the Northeastern province of Ratanakiri
- Stieng - often confused with ethnic Degar (Montagnard)
- Austronesian Speakers
- Jarai - mostly located in Vietnam, the Jarai extend into Cambodia's Ratanakiri Province.
- Rhade - The majority of Rhade are located in Vietnam. They share close cultural ties with the Jarai and other tribes.
- Mon-Khmer Speakers
- Lao
- Vietnamese - Live mostly in southern Cambodia next to the Vietnamese border.
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