Cultural Space of Khmer People in the South

That change is a complement to the shortcomings of traditional research methods.

3. The change in approach has led to a change in the way of recording and interpreting documents. With theoretical characteristics originating from adjacent sciences, the research direction of folklore in context leads to recording and interpreting the content of the work in ways different from the traditional one, giving readers new perspectives on the work. Researching folklore from a contextual perspective does not reject the textual approach and linguistic methods, but combines them with those methods to return the folklore work to its real life. By applying many adjacent sciences in explaining narrative discourse, researchers following the contextual approach believe that: in the results obtained, the problems that folklore documents encounter and have not been solved will be clearly and convincingly resolved by the "context".

Chapter 2

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ETHNIC CULTURAL SPACE AND ISSUES OF SOUTHERN KHMER FOLKTALES

2.1. Cultural space of the Khmer ethnic group in the South

The Khmer people have a unique and outstanding feature when placed in the cultural space of the South. That unique feature is not only shown in daily life but also in cultural activities, including artistic creation. Research and study of the cultural values and folklore of this ethnic group have been carried out vigorously since 1975. Looking back now, people can see that it is this unique feature that has provided a favorable environment for performing folk culture. Writing about ethnic culture has always been an attractive topic for many researchers because the elements of "strangeness", "newness" and "uniqueness" are almost present in the subject. However, ethnology is also not a simple field because people can easily fall into the situation of stepping on the footsteps of their predecessors, repeating what others have said. Therefore, to see the unique features in the cultural characteristics of the Khmer people in the South, people often use the method of comparison with the Vietnamese people in the same area and the Khmer people in other areas (Cambodia). In the scope of this thesis, we only summarize some valuable cultural features that affect folk tales in general and suggest contexts that can perform genres. Those factors can be mentioned as ethnic characteristics - living conditions and unique features in beliefs and customs. The above mentioned characteristics help us understand more clearly the concept of specific context and thus, require more effective approaches.

2.1.1. Ethnic characteristics and residential characteristics.

Compared to the Vietnamese in the South, the Khmer (formerly known as the Mien) are one of the sincere, hard-working, "playful" and individualistic ethnic groups. According to many ethnographic and archaeological documents, the Khmer in the South are an ethnic group belonging to the South Asian language family, the Mon-Khmer language group, the same language group as 24 other ethnic groups living in our country, distributed in the mountainous areas of Son La and Lai Chau provinces, stretching to the Truong Son range and into the Southeast. According to the 2009 population census, "the total Khmer population in the Mekong Delta is 1,381,986 people, accounting for 8% of the population in the region" [40, p.8], ranking 5th out of 54 ethnic groups living in our country. The Southern Khmer mostly live in the Mekong Delta, mixed with Vietnamese, Chinese, Cham people... in which the highest population distribution is in 4 provinces (Soc Trang, Tra Vinh, Kien Giang, An Giang). When calling themselves, the Khmer call themselves Khmer Krom (low), to distinguish them from the Khmer on the other side of the Vietnam-Cambodia border, Khmer Lo (high) and Khmer Kandal (middle). When called, the Khmer are called by many other names by other ethnic groups such as Mien, Vietnamese of Mien origin, Cur, Cul, ...

The Khmer people in the Mekong Delta reside scattered in many provinces and cities and are concentrated in three main clusters, each with its own characteristics. According to Dinh Van Lien, these three regions include: (1) Tra Vinh-Tra Cu hilly land - one of the most ancient residential areas of the Khmer people in the Mekong Delta (…). (2) Soc Trang - Bac Lieu coastal area - the coastal area of the Khmer people, highlighting the cultural - anthropological harmony between the three ethnic groups of Vietnam - China - Khmer. (3) Chau Doc, Tri Ton, Ha Tien, Rach Gia border - an intermediate area between the Khmer people of the Mekong Delta and the Khmer people of Cambodia [76, pp.58-59]. Many documents also acknowledge that, on the basis of unity in cultural characteristics, the Khmer people in the Chau Doc - Rach Gia area have direct exchanges

contact with the Khmer people in Cambodia, plus the residential conditions located between the That Son range and the Long Xuyen Quadrangle, so the behaviors have relatively different nuances compared to the Khmer people in the Tra Vinh-Cuu Long plain and the Soc Trang-Bac Lieu coastal area. The Khmer people in the South, especially in the Mekong Delta, have the characteristics of residing in 4 forms: on mounds; on rice fields; along canals or small streams; and along traffic routes. Each form of residence has more or less impact on economic and cultural factors, making the lifestyle and customs also slightly different in those residences. However, in general, most Khmer people have major similarities among all regions in the South. If looking for differences, perhaps we should think of the Khmer people in Cambodia.

Ngo Duc Thinh once noted that before many cultural phenomena in a whole, researchers need to discover the factors that play a systemic role, study the relationship between the system and the external environment; that is, emphasize which factors create the unique features of a system. On that basis, Thach Voi pointed out:

Although living intermingled with other ethnic groups, although having had relations with the Vietnamese and Chinese for many centuries, thanks to the framework of phum srok, each Khmer person was born, grew up, and still worked and operated within the cultural framework of his or her own ethnic group. This is to show that, if one wants to understand the culture of the Khmer people here, one cannot help but consider it within its social framework, that is, phum srok [135, p.15].

Compared to the Khmer in Cambodia, the living conditions of the Khmer in the South have some unique features. Also a wet rice agricultural society, the Khmer in the South often gather together into neighboring collectives.

Small hamlets, close to the cultivated land and called "phum" and higher than phum are "srok" (also called "soc " ). Phum srok is not completely equivalent to an administrative unit, so despite the change in political regime, the Khmer people still maintain their own social organization. This is not found in Cambodia. For example, Thach Voi quotes a Cambodian professor named Som Som Un in the History of Kampuchea as saying:

…In Cambodia, there is no such form of phum, people build houses scattered everywhere. If there is a place with a phum like the above, it is because the Khmer people from the Mekong Delta came to live and work and established it, and no matter how many generations they have lived there, they still maintain the phum organization like that [129, p.22].

Therefore, the culture of the Khmer people living in two different countries has developed differently and from there created its own nuances for the Khmer people living in the southern region of our country. In terms of cultural characteristics, when comparing the Southern Khmer with the Khmer people in Cambodia, it is said that the Southern Khmer people have "a less conservative culture, with more advanced levels of intelligence, society, and humanity" [129, p.55]. They have a sociable, rustic, flexible, and close mentality and personality due to the influence of many natural and social factors. "This is different from the upward orientation, strictness, and class nature of traditional Khmer society in Cambodia" [87, p.717]. Choi Byung Wook [139], in his book about the policy of transforming and assimilating ethnic minorities of the Minh Mang Dynasty in the 1930s, proved that: in many different ways through his ethnic policy system (land, cultivation, worship, population planning, education, ...), King Minh Mang created changes in the lifestyle, beliefs and customs of the Khmer people in the South. Cultural nuances

Their culture has been increasingly influenced by the Vietnamese and Chinese peoples and has many differences from the Khmer people of Cambodia.

The Phum and Soc of the Khmer people in the South are not only the residential area but also related to the differences in cultural nuances of each region. A phum or several phums are often named after the nearest pagoda, where all people can go to worship Buddha on important occasions. In life, when Khmer people go to another locality, people still ask each other: "boong nao phum na?" (Which phum do you live in?), and the answer is usually the name of the phum associated with the pagoda or the name of the land where the pagoda is located. When the questioner hears the answer, they will also recognize the differences in the lifestyle of the Khmer people in that region to respond. Therefore, in some issues related to Khmer culture, to this day, the administrative unit of the state sometimes has to give way to phum soc. Phum soc is not only a geographical boundary but also a boundary of the homeland consciousness in the hearts of every Khmer person in the South.

Thus, with the above two-way comparison, the Southern Khmer people stand out from the Vietnamese and Chinese, as well as from the Khmer in Cambodia, who live in phum soc on high, dry land. Due to this factor, many Khmer communities do not live continuously with each other. The Vietnamese and other ethnic groups have lived interwoven between these phum and soc, creating an exchange and acculturation of lifestyle and customs. However, it is also thanks to the phum soc and the pagoda as the center of convergence that the Southern Khmer people have preserved many unique and distinctive cultural features.

2.1.2. Unique features in beliefs and customs

Many people believe that when talking about Khmer culture, we are talking about a culture deeply influenced by Southern Buddhist philosophy, even

Several studies have confirmed that: The popularity of Buddhism in the spiritual life of the Khmer people is the victory of Buddhism over Brahmanism. To say victory does not mean replacement, because in the consciousness of the Khmer people there are still some traces of Brahmanism, especially in some festivals and customs. As mentioned above, Indian culture has provided a source of themes for Khmer art and culture, and some elements are even particularly important in art forms such as: "Siva worship" is the religious basis for many themes and subjects expressed in the decoration and sculpture of Khmer artisans; "the epics Ramayana and Mahabharata provide themes, ... and dance forms" [129, p.73] for Khmer ritual dances. Or, although Buddhism has become a “living environment” for any Khmer, many folk beliefs are still deeply imbued with Hinduism, such as the concepts of “Neak-ta”, “Maha-prum”, “Rea-hu”, the bird “Krut”, the fairy “Kray-no” all have their origins in Brahmanism. Therefore, when studying issues related to Khmer culture, it must be acknowledged that Buddhism has a profound impact on all the rituals in the life of every Khmer person, but one should not forget the deep roots of Brahmanical religious beliefs in their consciousness and conception of life.

In addition to comparing to find unique features, people also use social psychology methods to study the Khmer people's perception of their own ethnic group. Therefore, when faced with the question: "Are Buddhist beliefs and the pagoda system the factors that play a role in creating the Khmer system?", many researchers have used psychological methods to find the answer, typically a doctoral thesis specializing in psychology on the personality of the Khmer people in the Mekong Delta [13]. According to the author, among many similar characteristics with many other ethnic groups, the "positive" characteristics of the Khmer people

The Khmer in the Mekong Delta are: Filial piety, respect for Buddhism , and community spirit. These characteristics are not only dominant but also important criteria to distinguish the Khmer from other ethnic groups in a residential space. From the psychological approach in the aspects: perception, emotion and behavior of the Khmer, the above thesis has data and convincing evidence about the personality characteristics of the fifth most populous ethnic group in the great family of Vietnamese ethnic groups.

The Khmer are a people who live in religion, by religion and for religion. Theravada Buddhism supports each individual Khmer from birth to death. Each Khmer family has its own house, but their consciousness is directed towards the pagoda - the common house of the community. The structure of families gathered around a pagoda has created a very unique biosphere of residence compared to the Vietnamese. In the soul and thoughts of each Khmer individual, there is a part of the spirit reserved for the common spiritual horn of the community. That sacred horn always points towards their pagoda. Therefore, many Khmer people, even though their house is just a simple thatched roof, are very willing to make offerings to build the pagoda of the village. The fact that Khmer pagodas are located in the middle of silent forests also has a profound influence on the Khmer people's awareness of choosing a location to build a house. Respecting, admiring and worshipping the power of nature, many Khmer villages are always conscious of being located behind rows of trees, adjacent to fields. Around Khmer houses are always shaded by green trees (except for a few living in urban areas). In areas with a large Khmer population such as Soc Trang, Tra Vinh, An Giang, trees are always lush and green. In urban or suburban areas, Khmer people also occasionally build houses next to main roads, but that number is not many. Most Khmer people when living with Vietnamese and Chinese people still prefer to retreat to the

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