54 GROUPS: MA PEOPLE OF VIETNAM

This page provides some details about Ma people. They are one of the 54 groups of people in Vietnam.

Name Of Ethnic Group

Ma (also known as Chau Ma, Ma Xop, Ma To, Ma Krung, and Ma Ngan)

Ma People Population

50,322 people (2019 Census)

Locality

Lam Dong Province.

Offroad Vietnam Motorbike Tours - 54 Groups: Ma People Of Vietnam. Ma people, Chau Ma, Ma Xop, Ma To, Ma Krung, and Ma Ngan minority, Ma ethnie, montagnard

Customs & Habits

The Ma live in bons (villages). Each bon is comprised of five to ten elongated houses. The chief of a bon is called the quang bon. The family of a young man proposes marriage, but after the wedding, the groom comes to live in his wife’s house. Only when he has enough wedding presents to hand over to the bride’s family can he take his wife to his house. The Ma believes in the existence of spirits in the river, the mountains, and the rice field.

Culture

The Ma language belongs to the Mon-Khmer Group. They possess rich folklore including many ancient tales, myths, and legends. Their musical instruments consist of gongs, drums, pan-pipes with bamboo-boxes, horns, bamboo string zithers, and three-holed bamboo flutes.

Costumes

The women wear skirts that fall below their knees and the men wear loincloths. They also file their teeth, stretch their earlobes, and wear a lot of ornaments.

Economy

The Ma cultivate rice, corn, and cotton. Ma women are very skilled at cloth making. They are also very skillful at forging.

For more information about 53 more ethnic groups of people in Vietnam, please follow this link

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