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Proper name: San Chay.
Other names: Hon Ban,
Chung, Trai.
Local groups: Cao Lan
and San Chi.
Population: 114,012
people.
Language: The
language of the Cao Lan belongs to the Tay-Nung group (of
the Tai- Kadai language family) and the language of the
San Chi belongs to the Han group (of the Sino-Tibetan
language family).
History: The Sanchay
migrated from China to Vietnam about 400 years ago.
Production activities:
The Sanchay are an agricultural people who farm mainly wet
rice paddies, but they also cultivate swidden fields which
they prepare by the slash-and-burn method. They use the
digging stick to make holes for seedlings. Fish catching
plays an important role in their economic life as well.
With their unique fishing tools, such as hand nets and
woven baskets, fish catching supplies the Sanchay with
rich nutritious food and improves their daily meals.
Diet: The Sanchay eat
mainly ordinary rice. They also drink a lot of wine
especially during the Tet holidays or festivals. Men smoke
tobacco in a water pipe. Women chew betel.
Clothing: Sanchay
women wear the Cham-style skirt and long shirt or tunic
which is decorated around the bottom hem and on the back.
For daily wear, Sanchay women wear one Cham-style cloth
belt, but on special occasions, like the Tet new year
festival, they wear two or three silk belts of different
colors.
Housing: The Sanchay
live in the provinces of the northeast. They live in stilt
houses of a style similar to those of the Tay, who live in
the same area.
Transportation: The
Sanchay usually carry goods in a bag on their back like a
back pack.
Social organization:
Before the August Revolution, lands and fields were
private property and social classes were more distinct
Landowners and rich peasants were part of Sanchay society.
Depending on the area, the colonial government had some
positions such as quart man, tai cha, quan lanh... In
addition, there was an autonomous system of governance in
the village, one that was voted by villagers and called
khan thu. There are a variety of Sanchay lineages, with
some of the largest family lineages being the Hoang, Tran,
La, Ninh. Both the branches of the family lineages and
worshipping cults play important roles in Sanchay
community life.
