Voices of the Forest and River: An Encyclopedia of Cambodia's Minority Cultures

Voices of the Forest and River: An Encyclopedia of Cambodia's Minority Cultures

Chapter 1: The People of the Highlands: An Introduction to the Khmer Loeu While the story of Cambodia is often told through the lens of the great Khmer civilization of the lowland plains, the nation's cultural landscape is far richer and more ancient than that single narrative. The highlands of the northeast, in the rolling, forested provinces of Ratanakiri and Mondulkiri, are home to a diverse array of indigenous peoples who have inhabited these lands for millennia. Known collectively in Khmer as the Khmer Loeu, or "Upland Khmer," these communities represent the deep, pre-Angkorian soul of the land. Their cultures, languages, and spiritual beliefs are distinct from those of the lowland majority, and their way of life is defined by an profound, intricate, and ancient relationship with the forest. Who are the Khmer Loeu? The term Khmer Loeu is not a single ethnic identity, but a broad cultural and linguistic grouping that encompasses more than twenty distinct peoples. They a…