La Newsletter Du Fin Fond Du Grenier

No IV - October 2007.

Du Fin Fond Du Grenier aims to provide its visitors with looks on Muslims minorities in South East Asia and more especially Chams in Cambodia. As an open database of news on cham studies, web links, references to publications or events are offered without discrimination. Therefore, the opinions expressed within the referred communications, either oral or written, published or not, are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of Du Fin Du Grenier.

Emiko Stock.

What to excavate this month ?

Du Fin Fond Du Grenier.

With some late From http://fin-fond-grenier.over-blog.com

This month Du Fin Fond Du Grenier proposes you to look behind the walls of the ancient Aek Rangsei Mosque in Toulngok village, and to follow its founder in his pious journey. Due to some technical reasons, the October pictures selection, will appear along with the November selection in next month issue. Re-read the last newsletter from its online version now available to everyone.

From the bookcase.

A old essential classic : AYMONIER, Etienne 1890 : Lgendes Historiques des Chams , Excursions et Reconnaissances, Vol. 14, No.32, p 145-206. - In French * Thanks to Marc Brunell from Ottawa University for sharing this document and Pittayawat Pittayaporn from Cornell University to make sure it would be available as a complete PDF file.

From the newspaper delivery.

Chams were mentioned in two Cambodias newspapers this month :

BLENGSLI Bjorn No God But God, Can a Nonpolitical Movement Be Exploited by Terrorists ?, Phnom Penh Post, Vol. 16, No 19, September 21 October 4, 2007, p 8-9 .

KINETZ Erika, PRAK Chan Thul Cham Muslims Leaders Fill Out KR Tribunal Complaint Forms, The Cambodia Daily, Vol. 38, No 17, October 26, 2007, p 21.

From the virtual corner.

The renewed website of Agnes De Feo announce two events for the Parisians in November and December: 21/11/07 18h30 Conference: Les Chams du Vietnam aujourdhui (Chams in Vietnam Today) Maison de lIndochine - 1 place St-Sulpice, Paris 6e 08/12/07 14h00 & 16h30 Screening: Un Islam insolite (An Unusual Islam) & Le dernier royaume de la desse (The Last Kingdom of the Goddess) Followed by a debate with Grard Moussay and the director Centres Svres 35 bis rue de Svres, Paris 6e Info, fees and contacts to book in advance can be found on the website: http://www.agnesdefeo.book.fr/news-2.htm

From the events envelope.

After the annual doubt, searching for a hiding moon, the word spread out on the 11 September: Ramadan would start on 13.09.07 this year, as it could be heard on TV and radio all through Cambodia in the Mufti Sos Kamry message.

The occasion on this first eve for families in Chrok Romirt (Kompong Chhnang province) to light homes with candles. The opportunity for kids to run around, deliberating on the most beautiful illuminations. A few hours later, in the middle of the night, families would wake up for a last meal with the call from the mosque. A habit for numbers of the villagers who, as blacksmiths, are used to nocturnal activities.

In the neighbouring village of ORussei,similar traditions are in place: candles burn within the house, nearby offerings to the memory of the ancestors, and young boys join their first prayer in the mosque, before sharing the common meal with all the villagers.

One difference though: as for most main events of the year according to the Muslim calendar, ORussei - as well as a few others traditionalist villages - inaugurated the Ramadan on the 15 September, as the moon, still hiding, would not allow an earlier start.

After one month of fast, more or less followed, people are urging to religious acknowledged elders, yet poor, to buy the P'Ga Fitra, rice of the fitra. The visitor trades for each member of the family, a fixed amount the price of the rice - for a prayer, seen as a protective benediction as well, upon 3 kilos of rice per person. The rice is regiven to the under-privileged owner, and therefore seen as a rewarding donation.

Part of the Chrok Romirt community broke the fast a day earlier, on the 12.09.07, as most of Wahhabis around the world did. Sun raises and its now time to share blessings. In the mosque, but moreover all through the village, families go from one home to another to share MaAh MaAh with relatives and neighbours: a salutation to forgive, be forgiven and an occasion to share festive meals and news.

The day is still high when about twenty young women are been picked up through a procession going to the mosque: today has been chosen for the Tamath. For those who accomplished the study of the coran its the time for a public reading of the holy book, under the guidance of the Imam chief of the mosque.

On the opposite side of the village young boys went under the guidance of an elder to clean up family tombs and pay respect to their ancestors. A very common act to take place during festive days, to show new generations the localisation of the tombs, so that elders shall not be forgotten.

It is not until the next day that the fast will be broken in ORussei. But this year, besides the ritual inside the walls of the mosque, the event is also happening outside

ORussei at the Time / ORussei at Sangkum Time

Following the founding idea of Du Fin Fond Du Grenier, fammilllies old portraits have been collected all through the commune by Leb Kae and myself. Joined to a collection of pictures taken by Alain Daniel in the very same place with Juliette Baccot in 1967, here is first exhbition to take place in ORussei, with ORussei inhabitants.

As elders debates the forgotten faces from the past, youngsters find answers in these conversations and the intriguing pictures they are related to. Here one is told that the unknown face is a deceased father never met, there one founds herself 40 years old earlier as a young kid, and the crowd goes on in an enchained discussion of memories, making a new link with present.

With the unexpected success of this exhibition Orussei in the old times / Orussei in the Sangkum time, deliberately entitled through a word game confusing times, more of these small villages exhibitions are planned to happen in the future all through cham places in Cambodia. Somehow, this is the core of the archives you can find on this website !

Thats all for this month, more to come in November !

Emiko Stock - Du Fin Fond Du Grenier