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The Cham People
The Cham People
Matthew Schroeder
The Champa Kingdom
The Champa kingdom controlled much of Southeast Asia during their peak and golden years. They were known as sea traders who controlled one of the biggest trading hubs for Southeast Asia. As the years past, the kingdom started to diminish and decrease in size. As a result, the kingdom of Champa became what is known as southern Vietnam.
History and Background
Two People Groups
Vietnamese Cham
Cambodian Cham
The Cambodian Cham people were Cham people who fled from the Champa kingdom onto the neighboring kingdom of the Khmer Empire. They are distinctly different from their Vietnamese counterparts because of their Muslim faith.
The Vietnamese Cham people are the direct descendants of the Champa kingdom as their forefathers chose to stay even during war and issues within the kingdom. Due to Champa being a strong trading kingdom, many different cultures and religious beliefs influenced the nation's core ideologies; thus, making them of Hindu faith.
Emerging People Groups
Current Issues with the Cham
The Cambodian Cham are currently having problems remembering their language and culture. The rich culture that they once had is facing a complete wipe-out as not many of the scripts and ancient texts/documents were saved due to the Communist regime in Cambodia. The regime wiped out most of their intellectuals as well as their prized historical memorabilia.
In light of this, the Cambodian government has been nothing but understanding and serving to the people. The Cham were welcomed into the Khmer empire centuries ago and are still welcomed now.
Current Issues
The Vietnamese Cham are facing a political problem that could strip off their once great kingdom. As China and Vietnam, as well as the Philippines, dispute over the ownership of the area of concern, the Cham are faced with a possible threat to their homage to the kingdom of Champa.
This is not the first time that the Cham were faced with problems as they were at odds with the Vietnamese government during 2001-2004 in which many minorities were killed or imprisoned.
Hope and Promises
Amidst of everything that the Cham have gone through, they have shown that they are a strong people. They are highly respected by the Southeastern Asian countries as they are people who have faced many atrocities and have worked with what they were dealt. Overall, they need to come together as one, either it be Cambodian or Vietnamese or so on. Many have gone out to get jobs in the modern world as they are regarded as great communicators and negotiators.
Thoughts
There are still traditional aspects that are still practiced today by the Cham people throughout the world in attempts to revive a once dying flame.