Who Are the Jarai?
The Jarai (Gia Rai) are an Austronesian ethnic group of Vietnam's Central Highlands, numbering approximately 450,000-500,000. They speak Jarai, an Austronesian language related to Cham and other Malayo-Polynesian languagesāmaking them linguistically distinct from most Southeast Asian mainlanders. The Jarai inhabit Gia Lai and Kon Tum provinces, practicing swidden agriculture in the highland forests. They are the largest of Vietnam's highland minorities collectively called "Montagnards" (mountain people) by the French. Jarai society is matrilineal, with inheritance and residence following the mother's line. Their traditional religion features powerful beliefs in spirits (yang) of nature and ancestors.
Vietnam War Era
The Vietnam War profoundly affected the Jarai and other Montagnards. The U.S. military recruited highland minorities as Special Forces allies, with many Jarai serving alongside American troops. The strategic importance of the Central Highlands made it a major combat zone. Highland communities were displaced, exposed to violence, and caught between warring parties. After 1975, the victorious Vietnamese government viewed Montagnard military cooperation with suspicion. Many faced persecution, and some fled to Cambodia or Thailand. FULRO (United Front for the Liberation of Oppressed Races) continued low-level resistance into the 1990s. This history shapes contemporary Jarai-Vietnamese government relations.
Matrilineal Society
Jarai society follows matrilineal descent and matrilocal residenceāchildren belong to their mother's clan, and husbands move to their wife's household. Women own property and play central roles in household decisions. This matrilineal system shapes inheritance, marriage practices, and social organization. Extended matrilineal families occupy the distinctive Jarai longhouse (rĆ“ng), with separate compartments for each nuclear family. However, village leadership and ritual authority were traditionally male. The gong culture, with its elaborate bronze gong ensembles used in ceremonies, has been recognized by UNESCO. Matrilineal traditions persist though encountering pressure from Vietnamese cultural norms.
Contemporary Jarai
Modern Jarai face pressures from Vietnamese highland development policies. Government programs have encouraged resettlement, sedentary agriculture, and Vietnamese migration to the highlands. Land conflicts arise as coffee, rubber, and other commercial plantations expand into traditional territories. Protestant Christianity spread rapidly among the Jarai from the 1980s onward, creating tensions with authorities who associate it with resistance movements. Religious persecution and land disputes have caused periodic protests and refugee flows. Traditional culture faces erosion as younger generations adopt Vietnamese language and customs. How the Jarai maintain cultural distinctiveness while navigating state pressures defines this matrilineal highland people's future.
References
- Hickey, G. C. (1982). Sons of the Mountains: Ethnohistory of the Vietnamese Central Highlands
- Salemink, O. (2003). The Ethnography of Vietnam's Central Highlanders
- Hardy, A. (2003). Red Hills: Migrants and the State in the Highlands of Vietnam