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: The (Director of Non-Formal Education Department), Picture
by : Toan Sophie. |
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The Pnorngs
are one of the mountain tribes of Cambodia who live
in the northeast of the country, especially in the
province of Mondulkiri and Ratanakiri. They live
in groups of about 2 to 5 families each comprising
some 10 to 20 members who are all relatives, within
one village. They often change their shelter, so
in reality the tribes have no real fixed village.
According to the Department of Non-Formal Education,
the Pnorngs had no written language before and were
simply reliant on their age-old oral tradition but
now they have adopted the Khmer language adding
a typical Pnorng sound that give the tribe its name.
However, as with most other tribes and mountain
people, the Pnorngs do have their own customs and
traditions that are different from the other tribes
around the country. Here are some of the customs
observed by them that make them stand out rather
uniquely amongst the other tribe people.
Dressing
Men wear only Peung_a piece of cloth used to cover
the genitalia. The woman folks use Hoeurtrang (thick
cloth) to cover their tops (without underwear) and
what looks like a miniskirt for the bottom. However,
most of them are more comfortable being topless,
especially married women.
They weave cloth by themselves with cotton and dye
their cloth using whatever material found |
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naturally from
around such as leaves from the trees, etc.
Housing
Usually, they will look for a place near a waterfall or
waterway, but before they actually settle down, they would
place a candle made of beeswax together with a sack of
rice in that place and will sleep there for two or three
nights to wait for a dream. If they have a good dream
they start building and if they do not have a good dream
they look |
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for a new
place again. Pillars are made of small tree trunks
or bamboo and the roof is usually made from the
leaves of trees or thatches. They weave thin pieces
of bamboo strips to form the house wall. They always
build on the ground and in the shape of a turtle.
This shape keeps warmth in and can keep the wind
out. Inside the house, there are not any rooms but
there will always be a fireplace in the middle to
provide protection from insects.
Food
They have three mealtimes like most people do. They
take rice, soup, meat, fruit, and sugar cane. The
most popular dishes for them are the Samlor Bok
(a soup cooked with a mixture of banana, papaya,
chili and meat), Samlor Brong similar to Samlor
Bok but they add more vegetables and Samlor Lvai
similar to the Samlor Brohoeu, a Khmer favourite
served in the city. |
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Farming
They work on the same piece of land for about 2 to 3 years
and then they would change to another location, employing
the rudimentary slash and burn process. First they find
a place close to the waterway and then they would put
up a sign called a Pass (bamboo divided into four parts
and put into the ground to the four directions) to show
that this place is occupied. The harvest always falls
on October or November. Pnorngs call this period Ker Bot
Srov (the month of striping rice). They do not cut the
rice but they take only the rice seed. The farm owner
does more than half of this work and then its usual to
summon their relatives to help with the rest of the harvest
to finish in a day. This last day they call Ranglochpa.
Wedding
First the parents of both sides will have a discussion
and develop a relationship between the two families for
about two or three months. When the parents understand
each other better, then a matchmaker is allowed to propose
the wedding. The matchmaker gets only one liter of wine
for the trouble. There are two kinds of matrimonial gifts;
the first set of gifts is usually a package consisting
of one pearl-necklace, a bracelet, ear-rings, one set
of clothes, a comb and a piece of cloth for the bride.
The second set is one huge pig, a pot, one javelin, one
small knife, one big knife and three big jars of wine
for the group leaders of both sides.
Rules Of Survival
There are many rules and customs affecting the Pnorng
tribe people but the most important ones observed till
this day, are:
1-If one or two persons die by any reasons in their village,
they will move their
houses.
2-When they are cutting down the trees for farming and
if any people die by
accident, they will leave this farm and find a new location.
3-If any woman become a mother in their village they will
not go to work for
the day.
4-If any animal gives birth to exactly three little ones
or a hen chuckles at
night or a chicken scratches on the roof, they would kill
all those animals as
they believe that this is bad luck for them.
5-Do not allow any person who has had anyone in their
family die, to live with
their family.
Over the years, some of their traditions have changed.
Now some of them are wearing the same as townies, especially
those Pnorngs who come into town often. To some, it is
so sad to see that their traditions are giving way to
the modernization of their homelands. Yet to others, evolving
with modernization is seen as a form of progress. We can
only hope that the Pnorngs will always remain a happy
people that they now are. |
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B8, Regency Square, InterContinental Hotel, 294 Mao Tse Toung
Boulevard,
Phnom Penh, Kingdom of Cambodia.
Tel: (855) 23 213 133 Fax: (855) 23 213 033
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