#XơđăngLanguage

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Culture and Customs of the Xơ-đăng Ethnic Group

Ethnic minorities often reside in remote areas or high mountains, sustaining themselves through hunting or slash-and-burn agriculture. Introducing tourism to these communities can boost their income, mitigate environmental damage, and provide a refreshing climate for visitors. Let's join hands to protect our environment and make our Earth greener, cleaner, and more beautiful.

Traditional Social Structure: The Xơ-đăng live in communal villages (plơi), each consisting of several longhouses where multiple generations of Xơ-đăng families reside. The village is led by a village elder, who oversees communal activities and represents the villagers. Villagers support each other, ensuring no one goes hungry while others have food reserves. Families are divided into extended families (On vêă), including multiple couples and their descendants, and nuclear families (Kla on vêă), consisting of 2-3 generations.

Religion and Beliefs: The Xơ-đăng practice animism, believing that all things have spirits. They recognize three types of spirits: Mhoa con xoang or con lung, which stays with the body in life and death; Mhoa plo, which roams and is susceptible to spirits causing illness; and Mhoa mngô mnghiêng, residing in termite mounds, leading to various related rituals.

Traditional Clothing: Xơ-đăng women wear a blouse (ao goh), skirt (ktắc), and shawl (khăn vai). Men wear a headscarf (trăng) or loincloth (kpen tích).

Cuisine: The Xơ-đăng primarily consume rice, including regular, glutinous, and sticky rice. During early-year festivals, water trough rituals, communal house ceremonies, or when a large animal is hunted, they gather at the communal house for a shared meal, mainly comprising rice and meat.

Education: According to the April 1, 2019 survey, 76.9% of people aged 15 and older are literate, with a 100.7% primary school attendance rate, 85.1% middle school attendance rate, 35.7% high school attendance rate, and 19.1% out-of-school children rate.

Musical Instruments: The Xơ-đăng have a rich variety of musical instruments, including the t’rưng, lô lé flute, ga vố, tube zither, monochord (brung), and brooc tru.

Festivals: The Xơ-đăng celebrate numerous festivals throughout the year, such as the Buffalo Stabbing Festival (Ka Pô), New Rice Festival, Water Trough Ritual, and others. The New Year Festival is the largest, marking the harvest's end and giving thanks to the deities for a bountiful crop.

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History and Geography of the Xơ-đăng Ethnic Group

Ethnic minorities often reside in remote areas or high mountains, sustaining themselves through hunting or slash-and-burn agriculture. Introducing tourism to these communities can boost their income, mitigate environmental damage, and provide a refreshing climate for visitors. Let's join hands to protect our environment and make our Earth greener, cleaner, and more beautiful.

The Xơ-đăng people have long resided in the Central Highlands. Throughout their formation and development, the Xơ-đăng have preserved many distinctive traditional cultural values.

Historical Origins: The Xơ-đăng people have a long-standing history of living in the Northern Central Highlands. Between 1855-1885, when the French were consolidating their rule in Indochina and there was chaos among the mountain tribes, the Xơ-đăng expanded their territory into neighboring tribes. The Xơ-đăng are also known by other names such as Xơ Đeng, Ca Dong, Cà Dong, Tơ-dra, Hđang, Mơ-nâm, Ha Lăng, Ka Râng, Bri La Teng, and Con Lan.

Geographic Distribution: The Xơ-đăng are one of the 12 indigenous ethnic groups in the Central Highlands, primarily residing in Kon Tum province and parts of Quảng Nam, Quảng Ngãi, Đắk Lắk, and Gia Lai provinces.

Population and Language:

Population: According to the April 1, 2019 survey of 53 ethnic minorities, the total Xơ-đăng population is 212,277, with 104,513 males and 107,764 females, an average household size of 4.3 people, and 93.7% living in rural areas.

Language: The Xơ-đăng speak the Xơ-đăng language, a Mon-Khmer language (Austroasiatic language family), closely related to Hrê, Ba Na, and Gié Triêng. They also have a written script based on the Latin alphabet, developed a few decades ago.