RƠ MĂM

Population

301 people

Locality

The Ro Mam live in Le Village, Mo Rai Commune, Sa Thay District of Kon Tum Province.

Customs & Habits

The village of the Ro Mam is a “de”. An old chief is normally the head of the de. Each family has of 10-20 people of various generations who have blood ties and who live under the same roof. Each nuclear family forms its own economic unit. The Ro Mam’s matrimonial rites have two steps, the engagement phase and wedding phase. Several days after the wedding, a young couple may divorce. However, once they have lived together for a long time they are not allowed to divorce. When a person dies, Ro Mam people bury the body in the cemetery. The cemetery is always at the west end of the village.

Culture

The Ro Mam language belongs to the Mon-Khmer Group. Rituals and ceremonies are usually held during the production cycle from the start of the slashing of the field until the land is set on fire, and eventually when the rice is brought to the house. These communal village activities continue to the present day.

Costumes

Women wear skirts and short sleeved shirts. The skirts are made from coarse cloth without decorations, and they fall down below their knees. Men wear loincloths, where the front flap hangs over their knees and the back flap falls below their shins. Women like to wear earrings, bracelets, and necklaces made from glass beads.

Economy

The Ro Mam survive mainly from slash-and-burn cultivation, hunting, and gathering. Sticky rice is their staple food.