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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.
