Kreung Ethnicity - United Nations in Cambodia
Kreung Ethnicity - United Nations in Cambodia
Kreung Ethnicity - United Nations in Cambodia
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4.4 Relationships <strong>in</strong> the community<br />
4.4.1 Borrow<strong>in</strong>g and rent<strong>in</strong>g<br />
The villagers said ‘when borrow<strong>in</strong>g somebody’s object we must return, it is our<br />
culture’. If a person borrows someth<strong>in</strong>g from someone, s/he must return it to its<br />
owner by the due date as promised. The borrower can prolong the due date a<br />
maximum of two times, otherwise the owner will ask the Kanong or Krak Shrok<br />
to <strong>in</strong>tervene. If the borrower still refuses to return the object to the owner on<br />
account of a specific reason, the Krak Shrok will engage <strong>in</strong> discussions with the<br />
borrower until s/he is will<strong>in</strong>g to return the object to the owner.<br />
In cases where the borrower has damaged or lost the object, s/he can<br />
compensate with cash or other wealth such as pigs, chickens and w<strong>in</strong>e, equal<br />
to the object price, and there is no need for tatch. In cases of dispute solved by<br />
Kanong or Krak Shrok, the party found guilty will be required to pay tatch. One<br />
chicken and a jar of w<strong>in</strong>e will also be paid to celebrate heal<strong>in</strong>g of the friendship.<br />
Cases of rent<strong>in</strong>g are no different from cases of borrow<strong>in</strong>g. The villagers<br />
expla<strong>in</strong>ed that rent<strong>in</strong>g is a k<strong>in</strong>d of borrow<strong>in</strong>g, but the borrower pays for the<br />
price of the item that is borrowed. In the case where a person borrows or<br />
rents a motorbike and loses it, s/he must compensate the owner for the price<br />
of the motorbike. If the motorbike is <strong>in</strong> an accident and is damaged, the<br />
borrower must repair it and then conduct a sacrifice called Chrolab Chreh. When<br />
borrow<strong>in</strong>g a gong, the borrower may pay the owner some rent, but this is not<br />
technically seen as rent as the meat is not equal to the price of the gong, rather<br />
it is a symbol of thanks for borrow<strong>in</strong>g the gong. Many people like to borrow<br />
gongs for use <strong>in</strong> ceremonies. If the borrowers do not give anyth<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> return,<br />
it is not considered a cause for a dispute; it is simply construed as impolite.<br />
There were no reported cases where the borrower has never returned an<br />
object to the owner and there are no issues <strong>in</strong>volv<strong>in</strong>g objects of high value<br />
because <strong>in</strong> general all the villagers ma<strong>in</strong>ta<strong>in</strong> the same liv<strong>in</strong>g standard. Villagers<br />
recall that traditionally, if the borrower does not have anyth<strong>in</strong>g with which<br />
to compensate the damage of the object s/he borrowed, they would be<br />
required to work for the owner until the debt has been paid off. Today this<br />
<strong>Kreung</strong> <strong>Ethnicity</strong>: Documentation of Customary Rules<br />
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