Bunong are an indigenous group who live in Cambodia’s highlands, primarily in Mondulkiri Province. They are culturally distinct from the Khmer (the majority population in Cambodia) of their belief in spirits, their connection to elephants, their weaving practices, and their livelihoods. Bunong’s religious beliefs are animistic, which means they think that everything has a spirit, including animals, plants, hills, stones, jars, and buildings. Spirits also symbolize their forefathers. If these spirits are displeased as a result of human behavior, they can intervene in the Bunong’s existence, either to harm or defend them. Ceremonies and rituals, such as animal sacrifice, are often required to satisfy the spirits. However, this distinction is fading over time due to a variety of circumstances. These influences include the “Khmerization” of the Bunong under King Sihanouk’s political period (especially from 1954 to 1970). 
Mondulkiri is well known for its indigenous groups that account for around 80 percent of the population, most of which are ethnic Bunong, and food culture is a fascinating way to explore this indigenous group who attach themselves to nature and forests. This connection can be seen in a dish called “Samlor Prong” that gets its name from the Bunong word for bamboo and indicates the utensil that is used to make this traditional soup. This traditional soup uses signature ingredients such as fish or other meat or prahok, Thai eggplant, dry or fresh chilies, and a type of garlic-like herb. I expected the dish to look like other soup dishes, but Samlor Prong turned out to have a unique preparation, texture, and taste. Today, the Bunong no longer go to the forest to get fresh and natural ingredients and instead go to local markets. This change affected the latest generation and many young people do not know the very old traditions of their food culture. Spending a night in Dak Dam at a Bunong village brought me one step closer to the group and I spent my time observing changes in the Bunong community that has made them look almost like the Khmer except for some traditions that are still kept. The northeast people’s traditional houses that look rather like a turtle’s carapace, covered by leaves or straw roofs and built on the ground, are being replaced by two-story wooden houses and modern clothing is becoming more common among the Bunong. 
Approximately 60% of people in Mondulkiri province belong to an indigenous group. Most of them are Bunong (54%). Ethnic Khmers make up 35%, Vietnamese 2% and Cham 3% of the population in Mondulkiri. All the jungle guides and all of the mahouts at the Mondulkiri Project are Bunong. When any works needs to be done at our sanctuary we employ Bunong from the villages closest to the sanctuary. The Bunong are subsistence farmers living in small village communities in the forests of Mondulkiri. Traditionally, everything the Bunong need to survive comes from the forest and their modest farms located in small areas within the forest. Most Bunong families practice swidden or shifting cultivation as their main form of agriculture.
Forest is cleared and burned to establish agricultural land which is cultivated with hill rice, intercropped with a wide variety of vegetables. In the past, new forest was cleared and previously farmed fields were left fallow until the forest cover regrew, the soil regained its fertility and the plots could be used again. Today, Bunong people no longer clear new forest to make small farms. Almost every household is aware that it is forbidden by Cambodian law to cut new forest. Normally, the Bunong return to their old fields, which they left fallow for five to nine years and use the same fields for three to five years, depending on the soil quality. According to Bunong belief, some actions in the forest are governed by religious rules that keep man and nature in balance, avoiding widespread habitat destruction. The Bunong believe that nature is populated by spirits, both good and bad, and that these must be obeyed and appeased. No spirits are more powerful than those of the Spirit Forests. Spirit Forests are usually stretches of very dense ever- green forest. A waterfall, a small hillock or a giant tree often signifies the location of such an area.
The Phnong (or ‘Bunong’) tribe is one of the Indigenous ethnic minority groups living in Mondulkiri province, Cambodia. The Bunong are known for their intimate connection to nature and their beliefs in forest spirits that inhabite wild places and should not be disturbed. The name of their homeland – Mondulkiri – literally means 'meeting of the hills' and this is an apt description of the local topography, which is characterised by rolling hills, lush rainforests and powerful waterfalls. Mondulkiri is home to a number of protected areas, including the Phnom Prich Wildlife Sanctuary, which was established in 1993; and the Srepok Wildlife Sanctuary, established in 2016. Together, they form two of the largest protected areas in all of Cambodia. Phyrom is a proud Bunong woman leader who was able to join the Women Environmental and Human Rights Defenders (WEHRD) conference held in Adonara, Indonesia, in May 2023. At the conference, she shared information about her tribe's belief in dreams and their significance in farming; when the community want to begin farming a new area, they first clear a small pocket of the forest, about 4-5 metres in size. After that, they go to sleep and wait for a sign to come to them in a dream. If their dreams are positive, they will continue to clear the area for planting; if, however, they have a bad dream, it is considered an inauspicious omen, suggesting the spirits do not advise clearing the area. The Bunong also pay close attention to signs from the natural world around them, particularly insects; when insects sing in the forest trees, the people begin clearing, mostly in the months of March to May or before the rainy season starts. They then start to plant traditional trees, fruits and vegetables such as pumpkins, chili, aubergines and ginger, etc. The tribe have their own view of when is the most favorable time to begin their planting season. Around April-May they plant on a small patch of land, then move to another, then another; this gives the soil a chance to recover. They return to each plot only after a designated fallow period, when the soil has had time to replenish its nutrients naturally. During her childhood, Phyrom saw her area as being especially biodiverse; rich in wildlife and natural resources. Going to the forest gave her and her friends a sense of fulfilment – it was their school, their pharmacy and the centre of their spiritual life. She remembers her elders discussing traditional culture, natural resources and other issues related to the environment. She believes the tribe need to reconnect with this wisdom and consider their future, so they are prepared for whatever tomorrow may bring. Especially for young members of the community and their families, Phyrom worries about a lack of education; the nearest school is 25 kilometres away and the road is in a poor condition. She is concerned that people in her community do not value their collective rights, and are not planning properly for the future. She has already seen big changes in recent years. Around 2000, she began to see big signs printed with ‘Land for Sale’, appearing one after the other, from village to village. Phyrom soon realised that the sale of land in their area was becoming rampant. Fast forward to today and there are communities growing pine trees on plantations financed by Chinese investors, rubber plantations run by Vietnamese investors and gold mining operations headed by Australian investors.
Comments
Post a Comment