Showing posts with label Culture Cambodia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Culture Cambodia. Show all posts
Cambodia's Minority Languages Face Bleak Future
(Image is sample only)
21 January 2010
VOA News
Robert Carmichael | Phnom Penh
More than 20 languages are spoken in Cambodia, but most are minority languages and face extinction in the coming decades.
Jean-Michel Filippi is in a race. As the foremost scholar of S'aoch, the language of one of Cambodia's minority tribes, he has only a few years to record the language before it may be lost forever. To date he has recorded 4,000 words in S'aoch. His next step is to write a grammar book on the language.
Filippi says just 10 people are fluent in S'aoch and none uses the language in their daily life. That makes S'aoch the most endangered language in Cambodia. In a decade it will likely be extinct.
For him, recording the language is one way to preserve a cultural view of the world.
"Culturally speaking a language is a unique vision of the world," Filippi said. "You can take two languages which may appear to be - if not similar then very close to each other, like French for instance and English - in fact the vision of the world which implies in French language and English language are totally, totally different. If a language disappears, a whole vision of the world disappears as well at the same time."
Cambodia's dominant language is Khmer but small ethnic groups have other languages.
The United Nations' cultural agency UNESCO warns that 19 Cambodian languages are at risk of extinction. It is not a rare problem: half of the world's 6,700 languages will likely die out by the end of the century. Most are spoken by small ethnic communities in developing nations or by groups such as Native American tribes in North America.
Blaise Kilian is UNESCO's joint program coordinator in Phnom Penh. He says there are many reasons languages die.
"When you have only a very few people speaking a language of course it is in danger of being extinct," Kilian said. "But besides this you have the environment. You have the way people, themselves, and especially the new generation, react to the changing environment. How much they are interested themselves in preserving and transmitting their own languages. So I would say it is a number of internal and external factors which play an important role besides the number of speakers."
Filippi says the S'aoch people have rejected their own language because they are extremely poor. They have decided their best bet is to adopt the Khmer language.
"In the case of the S'aoch they apparently want to get rid of their language and their cultural institution because it is linked to their poverty, to I would say their economic situation, which compared to the Khmers is a very poor one, and so on and so on," Filippi said.
The imminent extinction of S'aoch raises the question of what can be done about Cambodia's other endangered languages. With S'aoch, the only option is to write down and record as much as possible while the speakers are alive.
The situation is less dire for some languages spoken in other parts of the country. In the northeastern provinces of Ratanakkiri, Mondolkiri and Stung Treng a number of organizations are involved with youth and adult education for minority people.
One of those is Care International, which for seven years has worked with the Ministry of Education on a program teaching schoolchildren in two languages.
Care's education adviser, Ron Watt, says almost 2,000 primary school children in the three provinces last year received instruction both in their ethnic community's language and in Khmer. The program is now in 25 schools.
"Bilingual education is really spreading - people are very enthusiastic about it," Watt said.
Watt says that before the program started, the government and aid organizations had misconceptions about education for minority people. One of those misconceptions was that minority groups did not want to send their children to school.
"What we have found that that is just not the case at all - that the moment you start providing relevant education that kids can access and that kids can learn, parents are more than enthusiastic to send their kids, and kids are enthusiastic to go," Watt said.
The positive response from minority communities toward language learning programs highlights something Jean-Michel Filippi insists is essential to keeping languages alive.
"If a community wants its language to be saved and is strong enough to express the will to have its language saved, it may very well work. But you will never save a language if the community doesn't want to," Filippi said.
Cambodia's poverty does not augur well for the language survival chances of its minority peoples, many of whom are struggling to keep hold of their community land.
Language and development experts say that unless Cambodia's economic situation improves, it seems likely that it will lose far more than the S'aoch language by the end of this century.
Jean-Michel Filippi is in a race. As the foremost scholar of S'aoch, the language of one of Cambodia's minority tribes, he has only a few years to record the language before it may be lost forever. To date he has recorded 4,000 words in S'aoch. His next step is to write a grammar book on the language.
Filippi says just 10 people are fluent in S'aoch and none uses the language in their daily life. That makes S'aoch the most endangered language in Cambodia. In a decade it will likely be extinct.
For him, recording the language is one way to preserve a cultural view of the world.
"Culturally speaking a language is a unique vision of the world," Filippi said. "You can take two languages which may appear to be - if not similar then very close to each other, like French for instance and English - in fact the vision of the world which implies in French language and English language are totally, totally different. If a language disappears, a whole vision of the world disappears as well at the same time."
Cambodia's dominant language is Khmer but small ethnic groups have other languages.
The United Nations' cultural agency UNESCO warns that 19 Cambodian languages are at risk of extinction. It is not a rare problem: half of the world's 6,700 languages will likely die out by the end of the century. Most are spoken by small ethnic communities in developing nations or by groups such as Native American tribes in North America.
Blaise Kilian is UNESCO's joint program coordinator in Phnom Penh. He says there are many reasons languages die.
"When you have only a very few people speaking a language of course it is in danger of being extinct," Kilian said. "But besides this you have the environment. You have the way people, themselves, and especially the new generation, react to the changing environment. How much they are interested themselves in preserving and transmitting their own languages. So I would say it is a number of internal and external factors which play an important role besides the number of speakers."
Filippi says the S'aoch people have rejected their own language because they are extremely poor. They have decided their best bet is to adopt the Khmer language.
"In the case of the S'aoch they apparently want to get rid of their language and their cultural institution because it is linked to their poverty, to I would say their economic situation, which compared to the Khmers is a very poor one, and so on and so on," Filippi said.
The imminent extinction of S'aoch raises the question of what can be done about Cambodia's other endangered languages. With S'aoch, the only option is to write down and record as much as possible while the speakers are alive.
The situation is less dire for some languages spoken in other parts of the country. In the northeastern provinces of Ratanakkiri, Mondolkiri and Stung Treng a number of organizations are involved with youth and adult education for minority people.
One of those is Care International, which for seven years has worked with the Ministry of Education on a program teaching schoolchildren in two languages.
Care's education adviser, Ron Watt, says almost 2,000 primary school children in the three provinces last year received instruction both in their ethnic community's language and in Khmer. The program is now in 25 schools.
"Bilingual education is really spreading - people are very enthusiastic about it," Watt said.
Watt says that before the program started, the government and aid organizations had misconceptions about education for minority people. One of those misconceptions was that minority groups did not want to send their children to school.
"What we have found that that is just not the case at all - that the moment you start providing relevant education that kids can access and that kids can learn, parents are more than enthusiastic to send their kids, and kids are enthusiastic to go," Watt said.
The positive response from minority communities toward language learning programs highlights something Jean-Michel Filippi insists is essential to keeping languages alive.
"If a community wants its language to be saved and is strong enough to express the will to have its language saved, it may very well work. But you will never save a language if the community doesn't want to," Filippi said.
Cambodia's poverty does not augur well for the language survival chances of its minority peoples, many of whom are struggling to keep hold of their community land.
Language and development experts say that unless Cambodia's economic situation improves, it seems likely that it will lose far more than the S'aoch language by the end of this century.
A glimpse of Khmer people’s pagodas in Soc Trang (Kleang)
VietNamNet Bridge – Soc Trang, the coastal province in the Mekong Delta, is not only a tourism destination, it is also a place for worshipping with many well-known pagodas such as Khleang, Doi, Dat Set and Chen Kieu. Most of them are Khmer pagodas, featuring the typical architectural styles of Khmer ethnic people.
The pagoda is essential in the spiritual life of the Khmer people, not only to celebrate religious ceremonies but also to keep Buddhist bibles, artistic and literary works as well as to celebrate cultural ethnic festivals.
Doi Pagoda
Nestled on Le Hong Phong Street, Ward 3 in Soc Trang Town Doi (Bat) Pagoda, built in the sixteenth century, is one of the oldest pagodas in the province. It presents an opportunity to contemplate Khmer arts, with skilful, symbolic decorations on its pillars and roof and splendid relieves and statues.
The pagoda is also remarkable for the large number of bats roosting in the trees behind the pagoda. Some have wingspans of more than a meter and resemble large ripe pears as they hang upside down from the upper branches. Visitors can see thousands of bats swinging in immeasurably-high branches, as if performing in a circus. The pagoda is also known as the home of some flitter-mice, or bats, and ‘five-trotter’ pigs.
Currently the pagoda is preserving a stone Buddha statue which is 1.5 meter high, as well as many bibles written on sugar palm leaves, known as “leaf-books”.
Unfortunately there was a fire at the pagoda in August , 2007 and the sanctum of the pagoda is completely destroyed. Dozens of statues, 60 big candles, curtains and the upper roof of the major temple were razed, but the flocks of bats escaped harm.
Local authorities have decided to spend VND2 billion repairing the pagoda.
Khleang Pagoda
Located at 71 Mau Than Street, Soc Trang Town, Khleang Pagoda is an ancient pagoda well-known for the legend of the province. Built in 1533, the pagoda was originally made of wood with a roof thatched with palm leaves. The pagoda was later reconstructed with brick, and the roof was covered with tiles.
Khleang pagoda has lovely patterns and architectural features that demonstrate the cultural style of the Khmer people in the South. Moreover, the in grounds around Khleang there is a spacious space in the shade of ancient green trees, creating a peaceful and poetic atmosphere for passers-by.
Set on a two-level terrace, the doors and windows are decorated with Khmer motifs in bright colors. The gate is decorated in colorful and skilful patterns with three smaller towers above. All parts of the pagoda are covered with grandiose and meticulous work, presenting talent, patience and a harmony of colors of ancient Khmer artisans, as well as goddesses and Buddhists of the Khmer people.
Dat Set Pagoda
One kilometer from downtown Soc Trang Town, Dat Set (Clay) Pagoda, also called Buu Son Tu Pagoda, is located at 163 Luong Dinh Cua Street, Soc Trang Town. The pagoda is famous for its collection of colorful clay statues, many of which are life-sized. The pagoda includes 13 floors, 208 doors, 208 statues of Buddha and 156 dragons meandering on terraces, all made of clay.
In particular there are six candles, each 200 kilograms in weight, which have burned constantly for the past 60 years.
This is a family pagoda so there is no monk living here. It is kept by members of the Ngo family who founded the pagoda over 100 years ago. At present, Ngo Kim Tong is the forth generation of the family who presides over the pagoda.
Chen Kieu Pagoda
About 10 kilometers from downtown Soc Trang Town, Chen Kieu (Bowl) Pagoda, is located on Highway 1A at Dai Tam Commune, My Xuyen District. The pagoda is skillfully decorated with a layer of stylishly designed bowls and plates of different colors by ancient artisans and was built with a spiritual significance.
The first impression is of the motley colors of the pagoda. The sanctum has 16 pillars carved with images of the legends of Khmer culture; the edges of each roof are decorated with patterns and traditional statues of Khmer culture to inspire peace of mind and salvation.
The pagoda also features a spacious precinct and a number of ancient trees contributing to its tranquility and beauty. According to the master priest, Khleang Pagoda was built in 1815 with nipa leaves but was heavily damaged in the war. In 1969 it was rebuilt and the craftsmen used the broken bowls and plates to decorate the pagoda as seen today.
History of Khmer Wedding
In Khmer wedding, it has a lot of ceremonies held in chronological orders. They show the historical roots related to the Buddha’s period which existed ages ago. According to a book “Khmer Wedding Rules” of Oknha Nov, it puts that in ancient Khmer wedding laws, people perform a song describing God Vesandor Borom Pothisat arranging the marriage between his children – Chealy and Kroesna. And some other songs are about the marriage arrangement of God Ream and Seda. Oknha Nov wrote that the current wedding preparations are arranged according to the rules drawn up by King Preah Chey Chesda Thebdey.
According to the king’s book, it puts that all ceremonies in Khmer wedding are related to mythical stories such as a story “Som Sla Kanseng”. It is told that there were two men who went to feed their buffalos in the field would like to make friends with each other and wanted to be relative by marriage with each other because one had a son and the other had a daughter. In order to prove their words, they ask for betel nuts packed in krama from each other to show their promise that their children would marry to each other. Another story is “the three betel flowers”. It describes that there were four men who had different skills – swimming, shooting, fortune telling, and magic. After completing their study, they returned home. Along the way back near a stream, the fortune teller said that day they were going to meet a girl and become their wife. Then a big bird swooped down on a girl, Khemry, who was having a bath. Right away the shooting man took his bow and shot the bird down back to the stream. The swimmer then swam to bring her to the ground but she was just dead. After that the magic man helped her be alive again. All four men felt in love with the lad, so they were judged by the Buddha that she would become a wife of someone who swam to help her because he was able to touch her body first. And the fortune teller, magic man, and shooting man would become the father, mother, and brother respectively. Since then in all weddings, the bride and the groom must have three betel flowers in order to show gratitude towards their parents and brothers/sisters.
Setting-the-date ceremony and the groom holding the scarf are told that Prince Thaong was married to Princess Tevtey, a daughter of the sea dragon king. After setting the date already, Tevtey had to bring him to her father at dragon world, so the sea dragon’s daughter asked the prince to hold her scarf in order to dive into the dragon world. In the meanwhile, the dragon king commanded his man to kill the prince at the gate in order to test the prince’s ability. But the daughter had known this; hence, she disguised herself as the prince by changing her skirt and it was put on the prince instead so that the killer was not able to kill the prince. That is why in the current Khmer wedding it was seen that there is clothes change between the groom and the bride, and the groom holding the bride’s scarf in to the room, accompanied by “Phat Cheay and Neang Neak” songs, etc.
The ceremony called “Chey Haong Sousdey Haong Men Haong” in wedding ceremony performed until now is followed by an ancient story recorded in “the rules of wedding” book. It describes that Once upon a time there were two brothers – Chey and Sousdey. At that time, there was no king to continue after the previous king had died in Cambodia, so the officials in the palace relied on the holy elephant and horse to find a man to be their king. Then the animals approached the brothers’ house. Consequently, they knew that one of the brothers was the suitable man to be crowned. Chey became the king and Sousdey became his assistant at the same time. When crowned, the people whooped to bless the king. They said “Chey Haong Sousdey Haong Men Haong” simultaneously. The blessing is adapted to use in the wedding until now.
“Bongvil Popil” ceremony in the Khmer wedding is also written in “collective Khmer legends” book, volume 9. According to the legend, it is told that once upon a time, there was a man named Chey Sorya who had completed the magic training already from Eyso God, so he asked the God for a sacred relic as a blessing tool for the weddings of human being. Then the God gave the man a replica of his penis and a replica of his wife’s vagina as the blessing tools to spread their reputation in the world. Eyso God took diamond sand from the universe to make a gold banyan leaf representing his wife’s vagina and took a diamond rock from Himalaya Mountain to make a candle representing his penis and supposed them to be “two blessings”. He then told the man to take the candle wrapped in the banyan leaf to circle three times around grooms and brides in order to inhale the smoke making them powerful. The “Popil” ceremony is believed to bring harmony and joyfulness for the new couples making them successful in all challenges. Since Khmer people firmly and sincerely believe in “Popil”, it is performed not only in wedding ceremony but also in other ceremonies such as housewarming, birthday, etc.“holding a sword” tradition in the wedding progress is also told that once upon a time there was a high ranking knight in Peareansey Palace, who fell in love with a daughter of the villager and deposit a piece of gold as a dowry and promised to marry in three months’ time. Three years had gone, so she was married to her neighbor villager but on the wedding day, the knight appeared and took out his sword and killed the man who was the groom. Then the chief clergyman had prayed to dismiss all bad things at the place. The clergyman had analyzed on the power of the sword. That is why people use a sword in the wedding when the bride and the groom are in pair for blessing.
Tradition on Khmer Wedding SeasonWedding ceremony is very meaningful for each of individual’s life who follows their tradition and the laws of the country. That is why this ceremony is carefully dealt with concerning to choosing the date which is believed to bring luck and harmony for the people’s lives and starting a new families. Some families do not allow their children to marry in the rain season and some delay it for two years after the engagement ceremony because of the fortune telling.
According to Mr. Nhean Phoeun, a researcher and publisher of Khmer tradition of national and international festival committee, he said that Khmer tradition allows people to marry only in a period of six months in a year but not the other six. Wedding can be carried out only in the 30-day months. Those six months could be in early May, July, October, January, and March. But for engagement ceremony and matching the natural chemistry between son and daughter, they could be performed in any month.
He continued that for the above months, there are only 7 days of each month that are good days. According to the Khmer tradition, they should not perform on their birthday, religious day, lunar or and solar eclipse, and during Khmer new years.
Actually, the reason people do not get married in the rain season is that there are a lot of rains that make it difficult for the wedding reception, procession, and other ceremonies. It is also difficult for the guests travelling to wedding party and it is when farmers are busy with their fields.
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