Who Are the Cham?
The Cham are an Austronesian people who once ruled the powerful Hindu-Buddhist kingdom of Champa along the central coast of present-day Vietnam. For over a thousand years (2nd-17th centuries), Champa was a major maritime civilization, trading with India, China, and Indonesia while building magnificent temples rivaling Angkor. Following centuries of conflict with the Vietnamese, Champa fell in 1832, and the Cham became a minority divided between Vietnam (about 160,000) and Cambodia (about 500,000), preserving fragments of their glorious past.
The Kingdom of Champa
Champa emerged in the 2nd century CE as one of Southeast Asia's earliest Indianized kingdoms. From their coastal capitals, Cham kings controlled fertile rice lands, profitable ports, and maritime trade routes connecting China to India. They built spectacular temple complexes in distinctive Cham architectural style, with brick towers (kalan) decorated with intricate carvings. The ruins of My Son, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, testify to their artistic achievement.
Champa's history was one of constant warfare—with Khmer Cambodia, with Chinese dynasties, and most consequentially with the Vietnamese, who expanded southward from the Red River delta. The Cham won many battles (famously sacking Angkor in 1177) but gradually lost territory over centuries. By 1471, their capital Vijaya had fallen, and surviving Cham became subjects of Vietnamese emperors. The last independent Cham principality fell in 1832.
Religious Diversity
Today's Cham are religiously divided, reflecting their complex history. Vietnamese Cham largely follow Bani (a syncretic Cham Islam influenced by Hinduism), while Cambodian Cham are predominantly Sunni Muslim. A minority of Vietnamese Cham maintain Hinduism (Balamon Cham), preserving ancient practices centered on Shiva worship. This religious diversity creates distinct subgroups with different practices, calendars, and identities.
The Bani Cham practice is unique—they pray facing Mecca, follow a version of Sharia, but also maintain Hindu festivals, consult priests who trace descent from Brahmin families, and observe a lunar calendar distinct from both Islamic and Hindu norms. This synthesis of Islam and earlier traditions developed over centuries of isolation and represents a distinctive Cham religious contribution.
Matrilineal Society
The Cham maintain matrilineal traditions rare in Southeast Asia. Property passes through the female line, and after marriage, husbands move to their wives' households. Clan identity (derived from mothers) determines ritual obligations and marriage rules. Cham women historically held significant economic and social power, reflected in traditions, property law, and family structure.
While modernization and influence from surrounding patrilineal societies have modified these patterns, matrilineality remains important to Cham identity. Women preside over household rituals, control family finances, and maintain clan genealogies. This social organization distinguishes the Cham from both Vietnamese and Khmer neighbors and connects them to Austronesian societies of Indonesia and the Pacific.
Cultural Preservation
Cham culture survives through textiles, music, dance, and religious practice. Cham weavers produce distinctive fabrics using traditional backstrap looms, with patterns encoding cultural meanings. Cham music features drums, oboes, and unique melodic modes used in both religious and secular contexts. The Kate Festival (for Balamon Cham) and Ramadan observances (for Muslim Cham) bring communities together for celebrations that blend religious devotion with cultural expression.
The Cham language, an Austronesian tongue related to Malay and Javanese, uses multiple scripts including an ancient Indic-derived script (Akhar Thrah) for religious texts and modified Arabic script for Muslim communities. Literacy in Cham scripts has declined, but revitalization efforts include school programs and digital resources. Museums in Vietnam display Cham sculpture and artifacts, and the temple ruins draw tourists who bring economic benefits and international awareness.
Minority Challenges
As minorities in both Vietnam and Cambodia, the Cham face challenges of cultural preservation, economic marginalization, and political vulnerability. In Cambodia, Cham were among the groups targeted during the Khmer Rouge genocide (1975-79), with devastating losses. In Vietnam, Cham communities struggle with land pressures as tourism development and agriculture expand into traditional territories.
Yet the Cham persist, maintaining identity through religion, language, and cultural practice. Diaspora communities in France, the United States, and elsewhere connect with homeland populations. Scholars document Cham heritage, and young Cham increasingly explore their history with pride. The ancient temples of Champa, standing as ruins along the Vietnamese coast, remind the world that the Cham once built a civilization to rival any in Southeast Asia.
References
- Mabbett, I. & Chandler, D. (1995). The Khmers and the Cham. In Cambridge History of Southeast Asia.
- Hardy, A. et al. (2009). Champa and the Archaeology of My Son. NUS Press.
- Nakamura, R. (1999). Cham in Vietnam: Dynamics of Ethnicity. University of Washington.