Lables:
Ethnic Groups, Gie Trieng ethnic group, Mon-Khmer Group
Proper name:
Each group has its own name, such as: Gie, Trieng, Ve, Bnoong
Other names:
Ca Tang, Giang Ray.
Local groups:
Gie (Gie), Trieng (T'rieng), Ve, Bnoong (Mnoong). The Gie are the most populous
group.
Population:
26,924 people (1999 census).
Language:
The Gie-Trieng speak a language belonging to the Mon-Khmer group of languages
(Austroasiatic language family), and their language is relatively close to the
Sedang and Bana language. There are certain differences between the dialects of
each group. Writing system was formed sometime before 1975, using the Latin
alphabet.
History:
The Gie-Trieng has long been inhabitants of the mountains called Ngoc Ling.
Production activities:
The Gie-Trieng cultivates rice on terraced fields, sin the past, sticky rice
was the popular agricultural crop. Today, other varieties of rice are more
popular. The Gie-Trieng's cultivation practices are like those of other ethnic
groups in the mountainous areas. The main tools are the axe, machete, a pointed
digging stick to make holes in the ground for planting seeds, and a
short-handled weeding hoe. All of the agricultural crops are grown on terraced
fields. In addition to rice, the Gie-Trieng also cultivate corn, cassava,
sorghum, Italian millet, sweet potato, red colossi, pumpkin, melons, tobacco,
cotton, sugar corn, banana, etc. They also raise cattle and other animals,
including chickens, pigs, dogs, and water buffaloes.
Buffaloes
are only killed as sacrificial offerings in religious rituals. Hunting,
gathering and fashion provide foods that supplement the diet. The Gie-Trieng
are very good at needle-work and embroidery. Weaving is also developed in many
places. The Dac Pet area has a tradition of gold mining and pottery that is
made by hand without using the wheel. In the past, bartering of goods was the
basic form of trade. Nowadays, however, money is used.
Diet:
The Gie-Trieng gene¬rally eat three meals per day (breakfast, lunch, and
dinner).
They
enjoy grilled fish and meat. Soup is also a popular dish at meals. Bowls and
chopsticks are commonly used now, although in the past the Gie-Trieng simply
used their hands. The traditional drinks are fresh water, wine (consumed by
using straws or pipes) made from rice, corn, cassava, Italian millet, and wine
made from a tree, which belongs to the coconut family. Both male and female use
pipes to smoke tobacco.
Housing:
There are groups of Gie and Trieng living in Dac Giay district of Kon Turn
province, in Phuoc Son and Tra Mi districts of Quang Nam province, and,
especially for the Trieng and the Ve in Giang district. They generally live in
large long-houses built on I stilts. These long-houses have I many
"kitchens" and is a type of house that is both traditional and
popular. Especially in the areas where the Gie and Bnoong live, it is typical
that the whole village stays in only a couple of long-houses. Nowadays in some
areas, single-story houses are built on the ground, not on stilts. In many
places, with the exception of the Bnoong group, there is usually a big and
beautiful community house in each village. In Giang and Dac Giay, the custom of
building houses in a circular formation, leaving a big open space in the
centre, is a long-held traditional practice.
Clothing:
Traditionally, men wore only loin cloth, wrapping themselves in a blanket
during cold weather. Women wear shirts, and wrapped skirts; some of them wear a
long one-piece skirt that covers from chest down to feet. The women like to
wear lots of jewelry: silver, brass, and beat necklaces, bracelets, and
earrings. Women of wealthy families have earrings made of elephant ivory.
However, choosing more modern Vietnamese style clothing is becoming more common
nowadays, even in the remote villages.
Transportation:
The Gie- Trieng uses baskets, of many kinds and sizes, including thick and thin
ones, those that are blackened and with decorations. Some baskets are for daily
use, to store things at home, and some are used only by men, etc.
Social organization:
The villagers belong to different kinship lines, and each one has its own
legend about its origin, name, and taboos. In the past, there were different
family names for men and women. The social structures in Gie- Trieng villages
are close and important. The village elder is highly respected, due largely to
his knowledge and experience, and also because he is often regarded as the
founder of the village. The society has remnants of a matriarchal system, but
is transforming into a patriarchal society.
Marriage:
Young people find their own partners and parents usually accept the selection
if there is no violation to their ' customs or taboos. A marriage has to go
through many steps. There is always a bonding ceremony for the groom and bride.
In some places, they sit together and eat rice and. chicken liver and share one
bowl of wine; in some other places, the young couple shares food while wrapped
in a blanket. The bride has to prepare a hundred bundles of good firewood to
bring to the groom's family. The groom's family bestows to the girl's knitting
and embroidery tools and receives textiles in return. In the past, the couple
took turns staying at each of their family's homes during the first year of
marriage.
Birth:
The husband has to build a hut in the forest for the wife to give birth. The
woman has to care for herself when giving birth, and can only bring the infant
home after ten days. The infant will be considered as a member of the family only
after there is a ritual which invites the infant to join the family circle.
Funerals:
Funeral customs are not alike among all of the Gie-Trieng groups. However, one
common trait is that the coffins are simply made; sometimes there is caved
water buffalo head in the place where the dead person's head would be placed.
The dead is buried (some documents say they used to be cremated). The grave is
very simple as well, with a fence constructed around it. Broken jars are to be
buried together with the dead. In the past, there was a custom to bury all
those who belonged to one family and who died close to each other in the same
tomb. During the first ten days when a villager dies, before his/her family
holds a religious ceremony to "remind" the dead spirit to stay in the
cemetery, villagers are generally reluctant to go anywhere far from their
village. A farewell ceremony to the dead is organized at the beginning of the
year, next to the grave.
Beliefs:
The Gie-Trieng practice animism: believing that there are many deities and
there is a spirit in every single object, as well as in each human being. The
Gie-Trieng worship a variety of deities - of water, forest, fire, sky, sun,
earth, village, rice, stone, banyan tree, etc. Each village has a sacred object
that is considered as a guardian, and is hidden at the edge of a forest, in a
place unknown to outsiders. Each family also has its own sacred object which is
used to pray for successful crops. Spirits of the dead are also a strong
influence in their life. There are many customs and beliefs related to the
supernatural world.
Festivals:
Sacrifices are offered for each ritual, and the blood of the animal is most
important offering. Large ceremonies usually call for the offering of water
buffaloes for big ceremony; some say that in the past, the blood of human
beings was used to worship the God of rice. In the yearly production cycle,
there are ceremonies when choosing the site for a field, when cultivating it,
when planting seeds, when there is flood or drought, when harvesting, when
storing the rice, when there are more than 100 baskets of rice, and finally at
the 1st time eating the rice. During the cycle of life, there are also
ceremonies held when a woman is pregnant, during and after giving birth, when the
child is named, when one is ill, when pulling a tooth, when there is a wedding,
and when one dies. The Gie-Trieng New Year is earlier than Vietnamese Lunar New
Year; festivals for it are organized separately in each village.
Calendar:
The Gie-Trieng follows the lunar calendar. Therefore, the name of each day is
repeated twice, one on the 1st half of the month, and the other one on the 2nd
half. There are 30 days in a month. A focused activity is marked for each
month.
Artistic
activities: The most varied, precious, and important instrument is the gong
set. There are two kinds of gongs, called cong and chieng. Depending on
different places, the Gie-Trieng use 3 cong, with 7, 9, 6, or 4 chieng, etc.
Sometimes, the gongs are played together with flute and bamboo pipes, because
bamboo pipe is also a kind of instrument that could be blown or tapped. All of
their flutes and pan-flutes are very simple, and popular in their musical life.
Just like other ethnic groups, the Gie-Trieng has traditional folksongs and fairy
tales.
This
article written by Lanh Nguyen from Travel Agency in Vietnam
For
original article, please visit:
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