Kreung Ethnicity - United Nations in Cambodia

ules because accidents and illness will only befall someone who has broken
the rules. Relatives and friends are able to visit the grave and/or sacrifice food
in the cemetery at any time, except on the burial day.
Accidental death (get brieng)
The villagers call accidental death, such as falling from a tree, suicide, or death
during the childbirth, get brieng.
If a villager is killed or dies due to an accident, the body is not allowed to be
brought into the village for a funeral ceremony. This is due to a strong belief
that bad fortune will come with the body and befall the villagers. The funeral
will take place outside the village or at the place where the dead body was
found. The family cannot hold a ceremony longer than three days as the body
must be carried out into the forest to be buried. Furthermore, the body cannot
be buried close to the other graves in the cemetery, so it must be placed at
the edge of the cemetery. This tradition has been followed for many generations
without exception.
In addition, the family must conduct another ceremony, Char Brieng, in order
to dispel bad fortunes for the other villagers. The victim’s family traditionally
takes pig’s blood and uses it to paint the toes of all participants of the ceremony.
It is believed that the pig’s blood will stop any future misfortune occurring
in the village. The villagers said that for many generations when an accidental
death occurred in the village, they would move their village to another location.
They believe that an accident could befall any one of them, and the soul of the
dead person would become an evil ghost. The villagers in general no longer
move their village based on this rationale.
Ceremonies related to farming systems
Sorsouy
This is a ceremony performed to aid in the search for farm land. It is the first
step in the traditional farming system. The villager finds any forests that
represents good land, then cuts trees or some bark from the area. This is a sign
to others that she is going to clear this section of forest for farming. The villager
46 Kameng village, Rattanakiri province