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THE KHMER PEOPLE
THE KHMER PEOPLE are the predominant ethnic group in Cambodia, accounting for approximately 90% of the 13.9 million people in the country. Part of the larger Mon Khmer ethnolinguistic peoples found throughout Southeast Asia, they speak the Khmer language. The majority of the Khmer are followers of the Khmer style of Buddhism, a highly syncretic version which blends elements of Hinduism, animism and ancestor-spirit worship. Significant poplulations of Khmers reside in adjacent areas of Thailand (Northern Khmer) and the Mekong Delta region of neighboring Vietnam (Khmer Krom). After establishment in Southeast Asia, the history of the Khmer people parallels the history of Cambodia. The Khmer also aquired the concept of the Sivite Deva Raja (God-King) and the great temple as a symbolic holy mountain. Although Cambodian kingdoms waxed and waned and were eventually eclipsed, the Cambodian penchant for building temples of stone throughout their kingdoms left monuments still extant today.This period, during which Angkor Wat was constructed, is considered the apex of Khmer civilization. The Khmer kingdom became a great empire, and the great temples of Angkor, considered an archeological treasure replete with detailed stone bas-reliefs showing many aspects of the culture, including some musical instruments, remain as monuments to the culture of the Khmer. In 1434 King Ponhea Yat made Phnom Penh his capital, and Angkor was abandoned to the jungle. On January 7, 1979 Vietnamese forces ousted the Khmer Rouge.
The culture of the ethnic Khmer is fairly homogenous throughout their geographic range. Other dialects are Northern Khmer, called Khmer Surin by Cambodians, spoken by the Khmer in Thailand and Khmer Krom spoken by the Khmer native to the Mekong delta regions of Vietnam adjacent to Cambodia. A little-studied dialect known as Western Khmer, or Cardamom Khmer, is spoken by a small, isolated population in the Cardamom mountain range extending from Cambodia into Thailand. The modern Khmer strongly identify their ethnic identity with their religious beliefs and practices which combine the tenents of Theravada Buddhism with elements of indiginous ancestor-spirit worship, animism and shaminism. The majority of the Khmer live in rural villages either as rice farmers or fishermen and life revolves around the vat (temple) and the various Buddhist ceremonies throughout the year.
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