Bahnar people

The Bahnar or Ba-Na (Vietnamese pronunciation: [ɓaː˧naː˧] are an ethnic group of Vietnam and the indigenous people of the Central Highland provinces of Gia Lai and Kon Tum, as well as the coastal provinces of Bình Định and Phú Yên. They speak the Bahnar language, a language in the Bahnaric language group that belongs to the Mon-Khmer (Austroasiatic) language family.

Bahnar
Ba-Na

Bahnar women dancing
Total population
≈ estimated 300,000
Regions with significant populations
Vietnam	286,910
United States	≈ 10,000
France	≈ 5.000
Languages
Bahnar-Rengao • Vietnamese
Religion
Traditional religion, Animism, Christianity
Related ethnic groups
Sedang, Jarai

Bahnar Cathedral in Kon Tum

Etymology

The word bahnar is similar to phnom (ភ្នំ) in the Khmer language, which means mountain. The Bahnar have many names, such as Bonom, Jolong, Rongao, Tolo, Kriem, Roh, Konkodeh, Golar, and others.

Culture

Arts

Epics (Bahnar language: H'amon) such as Dam Noi represent centuries-old aspirations of Banar people.

Like many of the other ethnic groups of Vietnam's Central Highlands, the Bahnar play a great number of traditional musical instruments, including ensembles of pitched gongs and string instruments made from bamboo. These instruments are sometimes played in concert for special occasions, which may also involve ceremonial Rượu cần (rice wine) drinking and group dancing.

A Bahnar rong (communal house) in the village of Kon Kotu.

Festivals

• Koh Kpo (or Groong Kpo Tonơi): a festival to express gratitude toward Yang (the god) with the main activity being the stabbing of a water buffalo. A possible Chamic reconstruction of this name would be 'Gleng Ka Ppo Tanguei' 'Dedication to the God of the Corn.' Contemporary Bahnar refer to this ceremony as the even more truncated 'Gong Kpo.'

Notable persons

• Dinh Nup, a hero who led villagers to carry out a war of resistance against the French colonial regime. He became the main character of a famous novel entitled Đất nước đứng lên ("Country rising up"), written by Nguyên Ngọc.
• Ya Dok, a heroine, the wife of Nguyễn Nhạc
• Siu Black, popular singer

See also

• Bahnar language
• Bahnaric languages
• Champa
• Degar
• Tây Nguyên
• FULRO

References

• Bùi Minh Đạo. 2011. The Bahnar people in Viet Nam. Hanoi: World Publishers. ISBN 978-604-77-0319-7
• Đào Huy Quyền. 1998. Nhạc khí dân tộc Jrai và Bahnar [Musical instruments of the Jrai and Bahnar]. Hanoi: Nhà xuất bản trẻ.
• Bahnar language page at Ethnologue site