In Southeast Asia there is a people who at one time founded a developed civilization, fought a lot and built sacred temples. Once these people came to conquer Angkor, but today there is neither their state nor their civilization. Only their descendants remained - tyamas, tyamas or chamas, who continue to live their own separate lives, managing to preserve all their characteristics among the main population.
Ancient Chinese chronicles describe the Cham as a warlike and musical people who created a large and powerful state called Champa, or Champa. This once famous power has existed for many centuries. It is believed that the Arab scientist and traveler Ibn Battuta described it under the name of the mysterious country of Tawalisi, which had its own script.
Through the pages of history
Indeed, about 200 manuscripts of a historical, mythological and astrological nature in the Cham language have survived to our time. The traditional Cham script is of South Indian origin and is one of the oldest in Southeast Asia. Thus, a stone stele of the late 2nd century, standing near the city of Nha Trang in Vietnam, is considered the earliest epigraphic monument in the region.
Where the chams came from - there are different versions.
The first information about the Cham culture dates back to the 1st century. At this time, they were already an independent people with an original culture and distinctive traditions. In the early stages of their history, they were strongly influenced by Indian culture and practiced Hinduism for many centuries. In particular, in the 7th century in the south of Vietnam in the Han Pa region, they built a temple dedicated to the Indian sage Valmiki and the ancient Indian epic Ramayana. Today, a significant part of the Cham are Muslims. But there were also those who still follow ancient traditions and profess Hinduism. They live mainly in the south of Vietnam and even got a new name - "baths".
The Chams waged wars with the kindred peoples of the mountain Chams, who in the subsequent period, on the contrary, became their support. Later they fought with neighboring Viets and Khmers, and then with the Mongols. In this case, not only raided, but themselves were subjected to invasions. In the 15th century, most of their state was captured by the Vietnamese, but the Cham principality of Paduranga existed until the beginning of the 19th century.
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In the past, excellent sailors, the Chams controlled the entire sea trade and did not disdain piracy. Once they even had their own fleet of combat junks and canoes. But the Cham - one of 53 ethnic groups in Vietnam - are known not only as fearless warriors and sailors, but also as skilled builders. They have made tremendous contributions to traditional Vietnamese architecture. Their monuments are well known, some of which are included in the UNESCO list. For example, temples and free-standing Cham towers have survived to this day. The operating temple complex in the city of Nha Trang is especially beautiful. One of its towers was erected in honor of the mother goddess Ponagar, who is sometimes associated with the wife of the Hindu god Shiva - Parvati. And not far from Da Nang is the Hindu sanctuary of Mi-Son - a masterpiece of Cham architecture. In Da Nang itself, in Central Vietnam,there is a Cham museum, which contains the largest collection of Cham material culture. But how do representatives of this people live today?
Fishing … on basins
Nowadays, most Cham live in the south of Vietnam and Cambodia (100 thousand people each). In Cambodia, there were much more of them, but during the reign of the Khmer Rouge they were partially destroyed for a “state crime” - ignorance of the Khmer language and for being Muslims. Another 10,000 Cham live in Malaysia and 4,000 in Thailand. But Chams are known not only in Asia: according to statistics, they live in the USA and France, and a certain number in Canada and Australia. In 2007, there were about 500 thousand of them in the world.
Those who have moved to large cities are urban lifestyles and work in various industries. But most Cham continue to live in the countryside. They prefer to build their villages along the rivers, using a linear layout. Typically, villages have up to 300 houses, which are erected on stilts and covered with a hipped roof covered with thatch or tiles. The walls are sheathed with planks, and the windows are round and resemble portholes on a ship. Inside, the dwelling consists of 4-5 rooms, separated by partitions. Of these, 2-3 rooms are for women only. Almost always, the furniture includes a table, a trestle bed and a loom. But well-to-do families already use European furniture. There is usually only one entrance - from the facade. The kitchen and other outbuildings are built separately.
Chams are traditionally engaged in agriculture, mainly irrigated rice cultivation. At the same time, buffaloes are actively used, the meat of which is not eaten. Goats, ducks and chickens are also bred. In addition, they actively trade and manufacture cotton and silk fabrics, as well as excellent ceramics, which are highly valued abroad for their unique style and high quality. In turn, the mountain chams continue to engage in slash-and-burn agriculture, hunting, trapping and domestication of elephants, as well as river fishing and gathering.
The Chams became famous as experienced sailors and fishermen. Therefore, even today fishing occupies a large place in their lives. But nowadays it is limited to river and coastal fishing for small fish, which locals smoke directly in the sun, and then sell them to neighbors or tourists. Despite the fact that they have ordinary boats, they prefer to fish on … basins, dexterously casting nets. They probably think they are more comfortable in them.
In places of compact residence, schools teach the basics of the Cham language. Thus, it is possible to preserve not only education, but also the ancient linguistic tradition of this people, which includes hundreds of stories, riddles, fairy tales and songs. And this spiritual heritage gives a clear historical picture of his life.
When differences unite
Despite the fact that the Chams are distinguished by a sense of national unity, in any situation they support each other and never refuse mutual assistance to fellow tribesmen, there are fundamental differences between them. Thus, the Eastern Chams live in patriarchy, while the Western ones retain matriarchy. Both those and others speak different dialects of the Cham language. This is probably no coincidence.
In the west, kinship is considered by the mother, and the inheritance is passed on to the woman. Here the girl herself chooses the groom. Usually she comes to the house of her chosen one and announces her choice. At the same time, the groom cannot refuse her and resignedly goes down the aisle. Subsequently, he takes the name of his wife. Here, in the large Cham family, the grandmother is the main figure. As a rule, she makes all the major decisions in the family, in which she is the most respected member. But despite the domination of matriarchy, a woman traditionally takes care of the house and children, and the husband earns money to support numerous relatives. It turns out that in any case, the main earner is the man, and the woman remains a housewife.
For Eastern Cham, the opposite is true. Here patriarchy dominates, kinship is considered by the father, inheritance is passed on through the male line, and cases of polygamy are not uncommon.
Cham women wear glass jewelry, do not do their hair, preferring to loose their hair freely. Men, on the other hand, collect their hair in a bun, often letting go of their mustaches and beards. They usually wear sarongs, over which they wear a narrow robe with sleeves. Although they adopt Vietnamese cuts, Cham sarongs are popular with Vieta and Khmer people. Cham food does not differ from Vietnamese. These are, first of all, rice, vegetables, fish and meat with spices. In Vietnam, their ritual dances are especially popular, in particular the female fan dance and the male fire dance. In this country, no one denies the significant influence of the Cham on the culture of the Vieta. And this indicates that in modern Vietnam there is no foundation for ethnic conflict.
Evgeny YAROVOY