Ma ethnic group

Proper name: Ma.

Other names: Chau Ma, Cho Ma, Che Ma.

Local Groups: Ma Ngan, Ma Xop, Ma To, Ma Krung.

Population: 25,436 people.

History: The Ma are long time inhabitants of the western highlands.

Language: The Ma language belongs to the Monkhmer language group (Austroasiatic language family).

Production activities: Terrace farming occupies the most important role in the Ma economy. These are multiple cropping terraces. In addition to rice, the Ma grow other crops such as corn, pumpkins, calabashes, tobacco, and cotton. In the Dong Nai delta, the Ma cultivate their fields by leading a herd of water buffaloes into the field to pound on the soil till it becomes mud. Then the field is ready for planting. The Ma count the productivity rate according to the number of rice baskets they harvest from one basket of seeds that they planted. Working tools include the axe, knife, xa gac, sickle, pointed digging stick, and carrying basket. Fishing is fairly popular. In the past, they put poison leaves into the water to catch fish. The Ma are best known for their cotton growing and textile weaving.

Diet: The Ma eat rice mixed with chili, vervain, bamboo, and some vegetables picked from the forest. Some main Ways to cook food are to grill, boil, and to make soup. The Ma like to drink rice wine by using bamboo straws, and to smoke tobacco using pipes.

Clothing: Women wear long wrapped skirts and waist- length pullover shirts. In the winter, older people wear blankets over their shoulders. Ma women like to wear colorful necklace. Young people wear many "copper bracelets with carved signs of different sacrificial rituals to bring good luck.

Housing: The Ma live in their own villages called bon in Bao Loc, Di Linh, Da Te plateau, and in Dong Nai delta (Lam Dong province). There are about 5 to 10 house on stilts in each bon. Houses are made from different kinds of bamboo, the two roofs by rattan. The roof of the main door is curved into an arch, and made by reed and grass. Around their houses are many storage rooms for rice, and these are also built on stilts. The columns of this warehouse look like pestles.

Transportation: The Ma use mainly carrying baskets of many different sizes. Baskets for use on trips are decorated with flower -patterns. Along Dong Nai River, the Ma use wooden boats to commute, to transport, and to fish.

Social organization: The village is the highest social structure of the Ma; the head of a village is called quang ton. He practices all the community rituals. The Ma have two kinds of family relations: a big patriarchal family and small patriarchal family. The head of the big family is the oldest person of- the highest generation in a family tree. He runs all family business, and takes care of valuable possession such as gongs and jars. Within the big patriarchal family, couples with their children live together, but are economically independent. Remnants of big patriarchal families are still in evidence.