Pearic peoples (; from ; also ''Por'') refers to indigenous groups, including the ''

Pear Pears are fruits produced and consumed around the world, growing on a tree and harvested in the Northern Hemisphere in late summer into October. The pear tree and shrub are a species of genus ''Pyrus'' , in the family Rosaceae, bearing the p ...

'', ''Samre'', ''Chong'', ''Samray'', and ''Sa'och'', which speak one of the

Pearic languages The Pearic languages (alternatively called the Chongic languages) are a group of endangered languages of the Eastern Mon–Khmer branch of the Austroasiatic language family, spoken by Pear people (the ''Por'', the ''Samré'', the ''Samray'', the ...

and live a sparse existence after years of conflict in

Cambodia Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailand t ...

and

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

. Pearic groups speak different, but closely related, languages and share many cultural traits that differ markedly from the dominant Khmer and Thai cultures.

Ethnography

Pearic peoples include: ''Samré'' in Pursat Province; ''Samray'' in Battambang; ''Chong'' and ''Chong-Samré'' in Trat Province of eastern Thailand; and ''Chong la'' and ''Chong heap'', in Chanthaburi Province, Thailand. In the Pear communities in Preah Vihear Province, the Pear population was estimated to be 299 households (1,674 persons) in 2002. According to the ''Pear Samray'' people of Kranhung, the Kulen hill region's ''Samray'' survived because of emigration in the days of the Angkor kingdom. After the 1967 revolt of Samlaut, Pear of the Stung Kranhung area moved to

Ta Sanh Ta Sanh is a khum (commune) of Samlout District in Battambang Province in north-western Cambodia Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern ...

. While some ''Sa'och'' live in Cambodia's coastal area, many ''Sa'och'' from the

Kampong Som Sihanoukville (; km, ក្រុងព្រះសីហនុ, ), also known as Kampong Som ( km, កំពង់សោម, ), is a coastal city in Cambodia and the capital of Preah Sihanouk Province, at the tip of an elevated peninsula ...

area were taken captive by the Thais in the 1830s and resettled in Kanchanaburi Province, Thailand. Some ''Sa'och'' show physical characteristics similar to

Negrito The term Negrito () refers to several diverse ethnic groups who inhabit isolated parts of Southeast Asia and the Andaman Islands. Populations often described as Negrito include: the Andamanese peoples (including the Great Andamanese, the Onge, ...

s and in this respect are different from other Pearic peoples. Martin speculates the ''Sa'och'' inhabited the higher areas and the ''Samré'' the lower slopes and flatter areas before the arrival of Khmer from Champassak in about the 6th century. The ''Chong'' (or ''Chhong'') are Pearic peoples who live in both Thailand and Cambodia, In Thailand, Chong inhabit Trat Province and Chanthaburi Province. , the Chong in Koh Kong Province, Cambodia are seeking to prevent construction of the

Cheay Areng Dam Cheay Areng Dam was a proposed 108 MW hydroelectric dam on Areng river in Koh Kong Province, southwest of Cambodia. China Guodian Corporation once intended to build the dam. Sinohydro Resources Ltd, a holding company for Sinohydro Group, was ...

, which would displace local residents. Pearic peoples traditionally cultivate upland rice by the

swidden Slash-and-burn agriculture is a farming method that involves the cutting and burning of plants in a forest or woodland to create a field called a swidden. The method begins by cutting down the trees and woody plants in an area. The downed vegeta ...

method. They follow traditional religions.

Language

The people speak the endangered group of

Gérard Diffloth Gérard Diffloth (born in Châteauroux, France, 1939) is a French linguist who is known as a leading specialist in the Austroasiatic languages. As a retired linguistics professor, he was former employed at the University of Chicago and Cornell Univ ...

(1992) states that the language and customs of the Pear are radically different from other social groups in Cambodia.

Ethnography

Language

References

Further reading