Who Are the Stieng?
The Stieng (Xtiêng) are an Austro-Asiatic ethnic group inhabiting the border region of Vietnam and Cambodia, numbering approximately 85,000-100,000 in Vietnam and smaller populations in Cambodia. They speak Stieng, a Mon-Khmer language of the Bahnaric branch. The Stieng inhabit Binh Phuoc Province (formerly Song Be and Binh Long) in Vietnam and the adjacent Kratié Province in Cambodia. Their territory lies in the transition zone between the Central Highlands and the lowland plains. The Stieng practiced swidden agriculture in forested areas. Their border location and forested habitat placed them at the crossroads of various historical forces, including the Vietnam War.
Forest-Based Culture
Traditional Stieng life centered on the forest. Swidden (slash-and-burn) agriculture provided rice, while hunting and gathering supplemented cultivation. The Stieng possessed detailed knowledge of forest resources—plants for food, medicine, and construction; animals for protein; and forest products for trade. Villages were semi-permanent, moving when surrounding forest was exhausted. Spirit beliefs associated supernatural forces with particular trees, rocks, and water sources. Buffalo sacrifice marked major ceremonies. Forest products like resin and rattans were traded with lowlanders. This forest dependence made the Stieng particularly vulnerable as deforestation and rubber plantations transformed their homeland.
Vietnam War Impact
The Stieng territory along the Vietnam-Cambodia border became heavily contested during the Vietnam War. The famous Ho Chi Minh Trail passed through their region. Both U.S./South Vietnamese forces and North Vietnamese/Viet Cong operated in Stieng areas. Villages were displaced, forests destroyed by bombing and defoliants, and communities caught between warring parties. The so-called "Iron Triangle" zone near Saigon was partially Stieng territory. After 1975, government programs resettled some Stieng and promoted sedentary agriculture. The war's environmental and social disruption left lasting impacts on Stieng communities, who lost much of their traditional forest habitat.
Contemporary Stieng
Modern Stieng face drastic transformation of their environment. Rubber plantations, industrial agriculture, and deforestation have replaced much of their traditional forest habitat. Many Stieng work as plantation laborers or practice sedentary farming. Vietnamese migration has reduced them to minority status in their homeland. Traditional swidden is restricted. Cultural practices persist in modified form—ceremonies continue, but forest-based livelihoods have largely disappeared. Christianity has spread among some communities. Cross-border ties with Cambodian Stieng continue. How the Stieng adapt to the loss of forest environment while maintaining cultural identity shapes this forest people's transition to a dramatically altered landscape.
References
- Matras-Guin, J. & Taillard, C. (1992). Habitations et Habitat d'Asie du Sud-Est Continentale
- Hickey, G. C. (1982). Free in the Forest
- Salemink, O. (2003). The Ethnography of Vietnam's Central Highlanders