Presentation of Khmer Ethnic Culture

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The Khmer ethnic group in An Giang lives mainly in the mountainous districts of Tri Ton, Tinh Bien, and Thoai Son. The population is 75.878 people, accounting for 3.98% of the province's population (2019), second in population after the Kinh ethnic group in An Giang. The ethnic group's houses are built along the mountain slopes, on high mounds of land, and are earthen houses with thatched walls or more spacious houses such as wooden houses with corrugated iron roofs, tiles, cast walls, etc.

For the Khmer people, community culture is always promoted, a typical example of this type is the resort house model, also known as Schla (also known as Tha La). For the Khmer people, Schla is a communal house after tiring working hours or a place to share joys and sorrows in life. Depending on the conditions of each village, the architecture of each Schla will be different, but in general, they choose an airy construction style, a space suitable for all living and resting conditions. The name of each Thala is also based on the construction materials or surrounding terrain to make it easy to call and distinguish. In the space of this resort house, we have arranged to display related artifacts necessary for daily life such as: copper pots used to cook rice; small ceramic jars used to hold salt, fish sauce; or a collection of small umbrellas for drinking water;... Or on the opposite side is a collection of traditional musical instruments to help people entertain after tiring working hours. Typically, we can see the unique features of the Sa-Yăm drum set, with a cylindrical shape, one end bulging and covered with buffalo skin, used in combination during performances; or the Ch'pay instrument with a rather long handle, which is combined with the Cham singing style - one of the intangible heritages that need to be preserved and developed among ethnic minorities.

The Khmer people live mainly on agriculture with rice cultivation as the main occupation. The farming tools of the ethnic people are decorated quite beautifully and diverse in style to ensure fashion but are very useful in use: such as harvesting rings used to cut rice; or rice clamps, knives, etc. Nowadays, due to the need for industrialization and modernization, most of these agricultural tools are no longer widely used, instead, industrial machines help to free up human and animal strength; fishing tools are also diverse in size and type such as: fish and shrimp scooping beams, fish baskets, etc.; below is a plow used to till the soil to prepare for each crop, this type of plow is used by the pulling power of buffaloes and cows. A mortar and pestle set used to make flat rice is made of wood, carved in one piece.

Besides farming, the Khmer people also have other traditional occupations, such as making palm sugar. The typical image of the Khmer people in An Giang is associated with palm trees planted in the fields, on the mountain slopes, or right next to the house. Palm trees take a long time to be harvested, and when harvested, all are used: the flowers give water to make sugar or use as soft drinks, etc.; the fruit is eaten or made into candy; the leaves are used to wrap sugar, cook, or roof houses. Although making sugar is quite simple, it has to go through many stages and clearly shows the division of labor among family members: men do the heavy and dangerous work such as climbing trees to get water, while women are responsible for making sugar. Here are some artifacts related to the sugar making profession of the Khmer people such as: bamboo tubes for water, sen tree bark, or sugar molds, etc. In addition, there are other traditional professions such as: pottery making, making bamboo baskets, brocade weaving, etc. with tools used for the profession such as: stamping sticks, claws, shuttles, acs, etc.; the weaving products of the Khmer people are very beautiful and also create a very unique feature (most Khmer people weave their own fabric to make their own clothes).

The Khmer people in the Bay Nui An Giang region follow the Southern Buddhism, which means "Death is to return to another world, where the soul will be immortal", so the funeral issue is very important. The dead are cremated and buried right on the family's land or placed in the temple grounds. After being embalmed, the corpse will be carried three times around the place where it is being cremated in a counter-clockwise direction, meaning: the dead person has been transferred to the underworld. Only the photo; The newly buried grave will have a hut built with leaves covering it above. Every year on the death anniversary or the occasion of Sen Dolta, the family will invite a monk to perform a chanting and worship ceremony.

The wedding customs also have their own characteristics and preserve the cultural features of the nation. The Khmer wedding ceremony also goes through the following steps: matchmaking, engagement and wedding ceremony; the people still maintain the custom of bringing the groom to the bride's house, after the wedding the groom will live with the wife's family, and depending on the conditions, the young couple can live separately nearby or choose another place. Introducing images; Wedding costumes and jewelry are diverse with many colors. The groom wears a sarong, a red or blue shirt, standing collar with a row of buttons on the chest, long sleeves, the groom also wears a wedding knife on his side with the meaning of protecting the bride. On the wedding day, the bride will wear a dark purple or pink Sampol with a tight short shirt or a red Tam Pong long dress, a Kpaal Plop hat in the shape of a multi-layered pointed tower decorated with many colors, decorated with sparkling beads embroidered with flowers like a small, pretty crown. In addition, to enhance the gentle feminine beauty of the bride on the wedding day, a Sbay scarf is indispensable, wrapped diagonally from the shoulder down to the right side. The Sbay scarf is sewn from yellow knitted fabric and is decorated with thousands of sparkling sequins, creating diverse patterns typical of the Khmer people. (Only mannequins wearing costumes).

Besides wedding costumes, ethnic people today still maintain their traditional features expressed through everyday costumes and lifestyle. Traditional costumes are ao tam vong, sarong for old men and women, and a checkered scarf; for women and young people, more fashionable costumes are xampot (skirt) for women and trousers for men, and regular clothes are shirts, pullovers or T-shirts; nowadays, due to living together with the Kinh people, the costumes of ethnic people have changed somewhat to make their daily life more convenient, while traditional costumes mostly appear on traditional holidays and New Year's.

Regarding beliefs and religions: Khmer people also worship folk beliefs such as worshiping Neak Ta (also known as Ong Ta); with the meaning of praying for peace for the village, for a good harvest, for all things to be in harmony. Besides folk beliefs, Khmer people also follow Theravada Buddhism, the Southern sect. Buddhists revere Buddhism, respect monks, and all activities in social life are associated with the pagoda. Their doctrine is not to believe in reincarnation; therefore, they only worship the image of Buddha Shakyamuni and the deceased abbot at the pagoda in the village. Each family member is born as a Theravada Buddhist, and young men all study at the pagoda when they reach adulthood to show filial piety to their parents according to customary law (photo only). Khmer monks will always go on alms rounds, they believe that this is both a way to practice asceticism and to share good things with followers, followers offering things to monks also has the same meaning (only in the photo content and explanation of the displayed objects).

According to researchers, more than a century ago, when printing conditions were still difficult, the monks of the pagoda initiated the copying of Buddhist scriptures on palm leaves. Currently, Khmer pagodas in An Giang still preserve nearly 1,000 palm leaf scriptures (palm leaf scriptures), which are of great spiritual value and are especially rare. In 2017, the knowledge and techniques of writing on palm leaves of the Khmer people in Tri Ton and Tinh Bien districts, An Giang province were recognized as a national intangible cultural heritage.

For the Khmer people, the pagoda is a sacred place, both a place for religious activities and a place for community education. Everything in life from studying, self-cultivation, entertainment, etc. is associated with the pagoda; festival and cultural activities all take place at the pagoda, both entertaining and highlighting the mysterious religious color.

With cultural activities and festivals: Traditional dances and traditional rituals contribute to diversifying the regional cultural colors of the nation. For the Khmer people in An Giang, many types of cultural activities are being focused on to preserve and widely introduce such as: performing Cham Rieng Ch'pay, Di Ke dance in O Lam commune, Tri Ton district (In Di Ke art, the dance is the important factor while the lyrics play a secondary role. Therefore, it is closer to the art of singing of the Vietnamese or Ho Quang of the Chinese. The plays of the Di Ke stage are often taken from Khmer folk tales such as the story of Seda, Thach Sanh chops the ogre, the story of Tum and Tieu... Serving the play, in addition to traditional musical instruments such as Tro-so, Tra Khe, Khum, Pun-pet, Srolai Robam trumpet..., there are also other electronic musical instruments that have been adapted to suit the play. When these instruments are played, they will have a melody that is sometimes cheerful, bustling, sometimes deep and sad, so they have a special attraction for the audience. At the end of the show, they return with regret and make an appointment to meet again the next night to continue the unfinished story. There are many plays that have to be performed for several nights but the audience still does not give up.

Besides the Lunar New Year of the whole country, they also have their own festivals such as: the traditional New Year of the nation, the ancestor worship ceremony, the moon worship ceremony, or the new robe changing ceremony for monks, etc (giới thiệu hiện vật trưng bày). In addition, the Khmer festival activities are also highlighted by the traditional bull racing festival. This festival takes place after the Dolta ceremony (ancestor worship ceremony), which has now been recognized as a national festival. The racing field is often chosen as the field right behind the pagoda, each pair of racing bulls is carefully cared for and regularly trained by the old farmers; this is a fun and entertaining activity after a hard-working harvest season and to encourage the next harvest to be favorable and successful. Regarding musical instruments, besides the instruments displayed at Schla, the instruments of the Five-tone orchestra have also become a unique feature, every festival cannot lack the melodious tones of the Five-tone orchestra.

The word "Pentatonic" mentioned here refers to five different materials that create a synthetic sound for the orchestra, including: bronze, iron, wood, leather and air. The instrument set of the pentatonic orchestra includes: Rôneat Ek (Boat Instrument), Rôneat Thung, Rôek Đek, Kôông Vông Tốch (Big Gong), Kôông Vông Thum, Skô Sam Phố (Small Drum), Skô Thum (Big Drum), Salai Trumpet...

Rôneat Ek is a musical instrument made of wood (bamboo, ben, rosewood, etc.) with the highest pitch and cannot be absent in the pentatonic orchestra, because it plays a key role in the melody performed in the orchestra.

Rôneat Thung is a musical instrument made from wood like Rôneat Ek but with a lower pitch. In an orchestra, Rôneat Thung is used to play melodies and to provide bass support for Rôneat Ek and the entire orchestra.

Rônek Đek is a musical instrument made of iron mixed with copper. The sound of the instrument is clear and bright like the ringing of a bell, and is used to play melodies with other instruments in the orchestra.

Kôông Vông Tôch consists of 16 gongs with knobs placed in a semicircle, made from brass or bronze mixed with cast iron, each gong has a knob of different thickness. If in some objective circumstances the pentatonic orchestra may lack some musical instruments, but the Kongong Vong Toch must be present for the orchestra to meet all the conditions to be able to perform according to the regulations.

Skô Sam phở is a tubular drum, both ends are covered with cowhide or horsehide. The main function of Skô Sam phở is usually to start the rhythm and tempo for the whole orchestra, in addition, it also plays the role of leading the rhythm throughout the performance of the orchestra.

Skô Thum is a large drum, usually used in pairs, one bass, one treble. The drum body is made of jackfruit or palm wood, the drum head is covered with buffalo or cowhide. Skô Thum opens the orchestra with a long drum beat and then plays the role of accompanying the rhythm of the orchestra.

Salai is a rare air instrument because of its complex and sophisticated playing technique. The instrument is made from precious woods (usually ebony core). In the Srolai Pin Peat orchestra, its task is to harmonize and make the color of the entire orchestra more harmonious and gentle.

The Khmer pentatonic orchestra has existed for a long time. According to traditional regulations, the orchestra is only used during major festivals at the pagoda such as: Blessing Ceremony, Flower Offering Ceremony, etc. On festival days, people stay up all night to enjoy the Ram vong and A day melodies, joyfully and bustlingly in the deep, resonant music that makes the dances even more exciting. Originating from the needs of social life, today the pentatonic music has expanded its scope of activities in festivals to celebrate achievements and performed in Cultural, Sports and Tourism Festivals in the Khmer region. Together with the Kinh, Hoa and Cham ethnic groups living together in the Southern Delta, the Khmer people have stood shoulder to shoulder throughout the process of preserving and building the country. The culture of the Khmer people has contributed to enriching the common culture of the ethnic groups in Vietnam.