THE MAJOR ETHNIC GROUPS OF THE SOUTH VIETNAMESE HIGHLANDS
Abstract
The society of the Indochinese peninsula may be divided roughly into two major segments: the people of the plains, valleys, and deltas, who have been strongly influenced by the civilizations of India and China, and the inhabitants of the highlands who have remained far more aloof, and about whom even today relatively little is known. To be sure, the highlanders have not been completely isolated. Many groups have long had contact with their lowland neighbors, who in many instances are related linguistically, and, since the mid-nineteenth century, they have had to deal with the French colonial administrators. Essentially, however, the highland people have not become part of the great traditions that have touched them; they have not been civilized. The largest and most important of the southern Vietnamese highland groups are the Rhade, Jarai, Mnong, Stieng, Bahnar, and Sedang. The settlement pattern, social organization, and religious beliefs and practices of each are described in some detail in the second section of this Memorandum.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 01, 1964
- Accession Number
- AD0441230
Entities
People
- Gerald C. Hickey
Organizations
- RAND Corporation