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The Khmer are the people who built the powerful Khmer Kingdom in Cambodia in 800 AD. to
last for over 600 years. We can see the great Khmer monuments in Cambodia and in North - East Thailand. to learn more
about the Khmer people and their kingdom read my book "Along The Maekhong River and The Cambodian Border".
The Khmer people make up about 90 percent of the population of Cambodia. Many Khmer also live in southeast Thailand and
southern Vietnam. Their language is affiliated with the Mon-Khmer linguistic family. 96 % of them are Buddhist.
The ancestors of the Khmer migrated to their present homeland in early times from the north or west. Later, Indian
civilization brought Hinduism and Buddhism to the region.
For centuries the country experienced the rise and fall of various empires that built such famous monuments as the
temples at Angkor.
The Khmer traditionally practiced rice farming in the lowland of their nation through which flow the Mekong and Tonle
Sap rivers. They resided in villages of raised houses of bamboo and thatch.
Traditional religious belief was Theravada Buddhist, although pre-Buddhist beliefs and practices concerning numerous
spirits and demons were also maintained. The arts of music, dance, and silk weaving were highly developed. The Khmer
culture and way of life were badly disrupted during the period of Khmer Rouge rule.
The Khmer in Thailand
While the majority of the Khmer live in Cambodia, approximately 1 million Northern Khmer live across the border in
Southeast Thailand. They are primarily concentrated in the provinces of Surin, Sisaket, Buriram, and Nakhon Rachasima.
Their native language, also called Northern Khmer (or Buriram), is distinct from, but similar to, Central Khmer. Since
Thai is the only language taught in schools, many Northern Khmer are bilingual, speaking Northern Khmer while at home.
The great Khmer Empire, which flourished between the ninth and thirteenth centuries, encompassed present-day Thailand,
Cambodia, Laos, and southern Vietnam. Its power declined when the Thai and Vietnamese conquered the Khmer and restricted
them to the area that now known as Cambodia.
These Northern Khmer have virtually been absorbed into the Thai community, adopting their religious practices, customs,
manners, lifestyles, and occupations. Ancient Khmer influences on the Thai are strong as well, giving the two groups a
common ancestral bond. Traditional Khmer music reflects a tie to Indonesia. Folk dancing and the classical royal ballet
are also popular.
The Northern Khmer are especially known for being excellent farmers. Most of them grow rice in irrigated paddies. They
have also become successful craftsmen, educators, and government officials.
The Northern Khmer have a simple social structure. Each village has its own chief, and there is no political structure
beyond the village. The village chief is the link between the people and the central government. Village leadership is
usually divided; the chief has authority in secular matters, while the Buddhist monk has authority in religious issues.
Buddhist rules of conduct are used to maintain social control. These rules include abstaining from lying, stealing,
drinking alcoholic beverages, committing adultery, and killing living creatures. Descent and inheritance are traced
through both the father and the mother.
The former Khmer Empire was influenced by India, from which it adopted Hinduism and Buddhism. Today, virtually all of
the Northern Khmer in Thailand are Buddhist. However, relics of ethnic religions such as ancestor worship and spirit
worship are still important.
Due to Buddhist influence, the Khmer also seek the middle path to nirvana, or ultimate peace through gaining merit in
this life. Merit may be gained through supporting the construction of Buddhist temples, giving food to monks, and
studying in the monastery. Peasant boys often became monks in order to gain an education in the monasteries. Almost all
Khmer males become monks for a temporary period of time before marrying.
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