Kreung Ethnicity - United Nations in Cambodia

Case study 12: A historical tale
During the mid-19 th century, most of northeast Cambodia was occupied
by Siam soldiers who robbed and arrested people to use as slaves. In each
village, there existed a defense system to protect villagers against the
soldiers. At that time, the village ancestor Yak Kaol who was considered a
strong and magical man led the villagers to fight against the Siam soldiers.
Usually he won the wars. He planted three kinds of bamboo as guard
fences – wild, district and kralak – to protect the village. When the Siam
soldiers came to invade their village, they saw that the leaves of these
bamboo had many sharp thorns. After seeing this defense wall, the soldiers
turned and started to walk in the other direction. However in doing so, they
came across a big python that came after them. Even though the soldiers
shot at the snake, they could not kill it. They ran away from the village and
dared not to come back. During the night, Yak Kaol dreamed the spirits
ordered them not to eat the bamboo or the python; otherwise, they would
become deathly ill. He ordered all the villagers to follow the spirit’s orders,
and since that time no one in the village will eat or touch such objects.
Case study 13: A historical tale
One night, Yak Kaol, who was the village leader, dreamt someone cut wild
banana leaves, put them on the roof of his house and told him that he
must prohibit all villagers from eating or touching them. If they did not
heed this warning they would become sick and die, and bad luck would
come to the village. After he woke up, the village leader warned everyone
not to touch or eat the wild bananas. This has remained a village taboo since.
Kreung Ethnicity: Documentation of Customary Rules
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