Kreung Ethnicity - United Nations in Cambodia

of the Rong house, they celebrate with a village sacrificing ceremony (Sen Preh
Rong) to mark the new village inauguration. They sacrifice at least one buffalo
or cow, a pig and chickens and celebrate together followed by three days of krang.
Sacrificing for rain
When the monsoon season is supposed to arrive but there is no rain, the Krak
Shrok and other Teungkang Krak gather to find a solution for the rice plants
which are starting to die. The solution is found in a rain sacrifice requesting
the spirits to bring rain. They perform this sacrificing ceremony in accordance
with the climate approximately every six to seven years. This entails a large
ceremony where at least one buffalo is sacrificed. The celebration includes
eating, drinking, dancing and singing with gong music and continues for three
days. Krang is then observed for seven days. This sacrifice is considered more
serious than others as even the villagers themselves (with the exception of
women) are not allowed to go out of the village unless the Krak Shrok opens
the gate. In addition, the villagers are not allowed to make loud noises,
including crying, shouting or conducting loud discussions. All the village
entrance gates have signs prohibiting entrance as mentioned earlier. Once again,
if someone breaks these krang rules, s/he must be forced to pay tatch equal to
the resources spent during the sacrifice. This tatch is then used for re-sacrifice.
Funerals
When someone dies, the family will traditionally organise a funeral with
participation from other villagers who come to comfort the family by playing
music, dancing, eating and drinking 19 until the day of burial. The funeral
ceremony takes three, five or seven days depending on the resources available
to the family. The body is buried in a forest not far from the village (about 500
metres). On the day of the forest burial, there is a village prohibition on cutting
trees, picking fruits, collecting vines and vegetables and engaging in disputes
or arguments. The villagers believe that someone who breaks these rules will
get sick or have an accident. There is no tatch associated with breaking these
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Villagers explained that eating and drinking together helps console the family and alleviate some of the
collective sorrow felt.
Kreung Ethnicity: Documentation of Customary Rules
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