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The Chu ru are also
called Cho ru and Chu. They have a
population of more than 10,000 inhabitants,
chiefly living in Don Duong district (Lam
Dung). and the rest in Binh Thuan province.
Chu ru language belongs to the
MalayoPolynesian Group.
They adopted a sedentary life and did
farming very early. Nowadays they also
develop sericulture and life is fairly
stable. Apart from cultivation, they raise
cattle, pigs, goats and poultry. They make
bamboo and rattan articles and production
tools such as sickles, picks and knives.
Some villages are well known for pottery.
Hunting, gathering and picking are sideline
occupations in every family.
The play (village) contains many family
lineages and other residing ethnic groups.
Po-play (village chiefs) are elected by the
inhabitants. Next to them are the sorcerer
who plays an important role in spiritual
life.
Usually, the extended
family of the Chu ru comprises 3-4
matrilineal generations living in an
elongated house. Monogamy is observed. The
young woman takes her husband on her
initiative. The husband lives in his wife's
family.
The Chu ru worship their ancestors. There is
no altar in their house, the rituals being
carry out in the cemetery.
Agricultural ceremonies are diverse, in
celebration of the genies of water and the
new harvest. Worth noticing is the
veneration of the genie Bo-mung (water dam)
celebrated in the second lunar month.
The Chu ru have a rich treasury of oral
literature composed of popular songs,
folksongs and proverbs with the prominent
theme in praise of matriarchy and the role
of females in traditional society. In the
treasury of folklore, there are stories in
verses and narratives of high artistic and
historic value.
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