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Jarai (Elephant passage in the Vietnam’s giungle) - 1992
Jarai (Elephant passage in the Vietnam’s giungle) - 1992
Jacek Pałkiewicz2006-06-17 16:24:12
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they live, were able to keep their identity intact for centuries, in spite of the efforts of the Communists who wanted to make them Vietnamese.
The men are short, with amber skin, and almost naked, if it weren't for a loin cloth wrapped around their hips. The women show their naked breasts. With the help of an interpreter (the Jarai belong to the Austronesian group and do not speak Vietnamese) we discover that we are the first white men to enter the village. In fact our expedition went through a restricted area, which is forbidden to foreigners.
Little by little we find out that this small group of people who has been living for 2,000 years on the Annam upland, has always refused to get involved in wars. They fed the Vietcong, it is true, but only because forced to do so. They trade tobacco, medicinal plants, honey and other products of the forest for salt, iron objects, and agricultural tools with the tribes of the plains.
The head of the village invites us into his small bamboo hut. Inside it smells like smoke and the eye has to get used to the dim light. In a corner on the hearth there are basic cooking equipment, many knives of different sizes, hunting utensils and next to the fire some mats for sleeping. The place is pleasingly cool. Although we are in winter, the low night temperature turns into oppressive heat during the day.
A special drink is offered, the "ruon ghe" made of fermented rice that we drink in turns out of the same straw. A woman prepares rice with nuoc-mam, a fish, vegetable and chicken sauce. The interpreter tells us that our host is sorry not to be able to offer snake, frog legs, and monkey brain (specialties of which Jarai are very fond).
After a few sips, the lady of the house turns giggly and in a fit of silly laughter shows her upper teeth, filed almost the root and dyed black. She is of indefinite age and extremely ugly. I cannot believe it when she tells us how old she is. She remembers
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See photographs from:
Vietnam Gallery
