Other name: Cham, Chiem, Chiem Thanh Cham Pa, Hoi, etc
Local groups: Cham Hroi, Cham Poong, Cha Va Ku and Cham Chau Doc.
Population: 98,971 people
Language: Cham language belongs to the Malyo-Polynesian language family

History: The Cham, who have lived along the coast of central Vietnam for a long time, possess an upscale culture profoundly influenced by Indian culture. Till the seventeenth century, the Cham had successfully maintained their own nation, called Cham Pa. The native population consists of 2 groups: those living in Ninh Thuan and Binh Thuan believing in Brahmanism, with a smaller group following Bani (old Islam). Those residing in Chau Doc, Tay Ninh, Dong Nai and House Chi Minh town follow what's named as new Islam.

Production activities: The Cham have a convention of wet rice cultivation. They're experienced in intensive farming and gardening and use irrigation. Except for wet rice cultivation, the Cham conjointly cultivate an annual crop of rice on dried swidden fields located on the mountainsides. Meanwhile the economy of the Cham living within the South is characterised by fishing, agriculture, textile weaving and small-scale enterprise. Handicrafts are fairly well-developed, particularly silkworm textiles and handmade pottery wares that are baked in open kilns. The Cham engaged timely in external trade with different population, because the central coast used to be a busy hub for business transactions by famous merchant ships.

Diet: The Cham eat rice cooked in massive and little earthen pots. It's usually in the midst of fish, meat and bulb vegetables, that are obtained from looking, gathering, husbandry and agricultural production. Popular drinks are rice and may (pipe) wines. Betel chewing is incredibly necessary to people’s existence and ancient rituals.

Clothing: Each men and women wear long one-piece sarongs or cloth wrappers. Men wear shirts mounted down the middle with buttons, whereas girls wear long-sleeved pullover blouses. The most color of their daily dress is cotton white. Nowadays, the Cham dress just like the Viet in different components of central Vietnam, with long-sleeved blouses that is barely worn by women.

Lifestyle: The bulk of Cham live in Ninh Thuan and Binh Thuan. They build their homes on the bottom, with the areas being organized in keeping with a selected order: the sitting room, rooms for the oldsters, children, and married girls, the kitchen and warehouse (including the granary), and also the nuptial area of the youngest daughter.

Transportation: The chief suggests that transporting product and produces is that the back-basket. The Cham are knowledgeable boat builders, that serves river and ocean fishing. They also create heavy-weight buffalo carts for transporting massive quantities of products by land.

Social organization: The Cham family is historically matriarchal, though within the past Cham society was a feudal one. In areas where folks follow Islam, the family structure could also be somewhat patriarchal, though traces of matriarchal still exist in family relationships and ancestors worship. The native population was originally divided into 2 major family lineages, as well as Cau and Dua, like the Nie and Mlo of Ede then became a operating category, whereas the Dua was the category of aristocracy and clergymen. Underneath every lineage were the mother-governed sub-lineages, perpetually headed by an aged girl, of the youngest lineage. The lineages will have various family branches. The traditional Cham society conjointly come into being ranks for various social categories, as well as that of the traditional Indian society. The social categories lived in several areas, and there have been bound barriers between them that prevented cross-marriage, co-existence within the same village, eating from a shared tray of food.

Marriage: Cham girls take the initiative in marriages. The couple lives with the wife’s family, and youngsters are named when the family name of the mother. Wedding gifts are given by the bride’s family. Monogamy could be a principle of all marriages.

Funerals: Cham traditions have 2 sorts of sending the deceased to the planet beyond: burial and cremation. Brahmanists usually cremate the deceased in keeping with their spiritual principles, whereas different Cham bury their loves ones. Members of a similar family lineage are buried within the same place as their mother.

Building a new house: The Cham living in Ninh Thuan and Binh Thuan believe that they need to perform bound spiritual rituals before the building of a new house, notably praying for the land’s god and requesting his permission to chop down trees within the forest. A ritual is additionally held to receive the trees after they are transported to the village. A ground-breaking ceremony known as phat moc is also held.

Festivals: Varied agricultural rites are performed every year. These embody ceremonies for the gap of a canal and embankment, for young rice, for the looks of paddy ears. The most necessary event, known as Bon Kate, is held by the Cham towers in the tenth moth of the lunar year.

Calendar: The Cham create their agricultural schedule primarily based on the lunar calendar.

Education: The Cham developed their own writing system early. Several literary works written on stelae and ancient manuscripts are still preserved these days. The Cham script is predicated upon Sanskrit, however its use is proscribed to the higher categories of the aristocracy and clergymen. Instruction and skilled coaching is basically transmitted orally and by memorization

Artistic activities: Among the a lot of putting Cham musical instruments are their drums with leather drum heads, known as Paranung, cylindrical drums, and also the xaranai clarinet. Cham people songs and ancient Cham music have influenced significantly the music and people songs of the Viet folks within the central components of Vietnam, notably cylindrical drum music, songs relating unhappy or tragic stories, and ancient songs of Hue. ancient Cham dances are found within the necessary annual event of Ban Kate held by the Cham towers

Games: Kids are font of games like kite flying, mock combats, flag seizing, hide and request, etc

Source: wil-travel

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