The Mạ or Maa () are a

Mon–Khmer The Austroasiatic languages , , are a large language family in Mainland Southeast Asia and South Asia. These languages are scattered throughout parts of Thailand, Laos, India, Myanmar, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Nepal, and southern China and are th ...

-speaking people in

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making ...

(population 50,322 in 2019). They are concentrated mostly in the

Lâm Đồng Lâm is a Vietnamese surname. The name is transliterated as Lin in Chinese and Im in Korean. Lam is the anglicized variation of the surname Lâm. Lam is also a commonly held surname of Cantonese speakers of Chinese descent. Large populations in ...

and Đồng Nai province of the country, particularly in the area of the upper Đồng Nai River. There are very close to the Koho people. The Ma achieved some form of political unity and a stratified society before the 19th century due to the influence of the

Funan Funan (; km, ហ៊្វូណន, ; vi, Phù Nam, Chữ Hán: ) was the name given by Chinese cartographers, geographers and writers to an ancient Indianized state—or, rather a loose network of states ''(Mandala)''—located in mainla ...

. This, however, broke down due to varying factors such as the

French colonization The French colonial empire () comprised the overseas colonies, protectorates and mandate territories that came under French rule from the 16th century onward. A distinction is generally made between the "First French Colonial Empire", that exis ...

, inter-group warfare, and slave trading. The Mon-Khmer-speaking group called

Cho Ro The Chơ Ro (or Chau Ro, Do Ro; Vietnamese: người Chơ Ro) are a Mon–Khmer people in Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the ea ...

is identified by some ethnologists as a subgroup of the Ma people.

Culture

Language

The Mạ or Maa language comes under the Mon-Khmer Group: this and the

Koho language Koho or K'Ho is a South Bahnaric language spoken by the Koho people and Mạ people, mainly in the Lâm Đồng Province of Vietnam. It is very close to the Mnong language. The autonym of the Kơho people is ''kon cau'' () while Koho () is a Ch ...

are sometimes considered to be different dialects only. Lê ''et al.'' lists the following Mạ subgroups. There are over 16,000 Mạ people living in Lộc Thắng, Lộc Bắc, Lộc Tân, Lộc Lâm, Lộc Ngãi, and Lộc Châu communes in Bảo Lộc District; Đạ Teh, Đạ M’rê, Đạ Huoai, Đồng Nai, and Ma Đa Gui communes in Đạ Huoai District; Đạ Đờn and Phú Sơn communes in

Đức Trọng District Because of Germany's long history before 1871 as a non-united region of distinct tribes and states, there are many widely varying names of Germany in different languages, more so than for any other European nation. For example, in the German ...

; Đinh Trang Thượng commune in northern Di Linh District (Lê et al. 2014:310). These districts all belong to Lâm Đồng Province. *Mạ Ngăn: the main Mạ subgroup, who live in the Đạ Đơng river basin. Lộc Bắc, Lộc Trung, Lộc Lâm communes of Bảo Lộc District, Lâm Đồng Province. *Mạ Tô: in upstream La Ngà (Đạ Rnga) River, B'Lao ( Bảo Lộc) plateau. Many are in close contact with the Koho people. *Mạ Krung or Mạ Đa Gui: in the southern plains, from southeastern Bảo Lộc District, Đạ Huoai District, Lâm Đồng Province to Định Quán District, Đồng Nai Province. *Mạ Xốp: in Lộc Bắc (B'Lach) commune, Bảo Lộc District, and some in Lộc Trung commune of the same district. Le (2003)Le, Tan Duong (2003) ''A phonological comparison of Maa and Koho varieties''. Master's thesis, Payap University. covers the Maa varieties of Dagui, Chop, and Tadung.

Folklore

The Mạ have a rich oral traditions, and their culture is a tapestry of folklore. Myths, parables, and legends are an integral part of this ethnic group.

Traditional attire

The Mạ are also known for their traditional colorful attire. Mạ women wear skirts that reach well below their knees. The men customarily wear loincloth.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ma People Ethnic groups in Vietnam