Mythologies of the Kreung Tribe
There are around 25,000 indigenous Kreung people in Cambodia and perhaps a few hundred in Laos. In Cambodia they live mainly in the northeastern part bordering Laos and Vietnam. Until recently it was not easy to reach this area. When I first visited twenty years ago, all the roads in the region were dirt roads. Public transport did not exist. Unless you flew in on a small plane, reaching the provincial capital, Ban Lung, could take days. That's all changed in the last few years. The airport has been abandoned and the roads are all paved. Once a predominantly indigenous region, Khmer people have recently begun moving into the area. That has also meant that indigenous groups like the Kreung have had more exposure to outside and mainstream influences. The net effect has been a dramatic loss of many aspects of indigenous Kreung knowledge and culture. The elderly Kreung lady pictured above was likely one of the last to weave her own yarn. And the young girl pictured below is unlikely...
