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Name of
Ethnic Group: E De (Rade, De, Kpa Adham,
Krung, Ktul, Dlie Rue, Bio, Epan, Mdhur and Bich).
Population:
Nearly 195,000 people.
Locality:
Concentrated in Dac Lac, southern Gia Lai, and western parts of Khanh Hoa and Phu Yen
Provinces.
Customs
and Habits: The E De live in houses built on stilts. These houses are generally
elongated. The interior of the house is divided into two parts. The main part, called the
Gah, is reserved for receiving guests. The rest of the house, called the Ok, is divided
into compartments for a kitchen and for living quarters. At each side of the house there
is a floor yard. The yard lying in front of the entrance is called the guest yard.
Matriarchy
prevails in E De society. Women are the heads of their families. The children take the
family name of the mother. The right of inheritance is reserved only for daughters. The
husband comes to live at his wife's house after marriage. If the wife dies and nobody
among the wife's relatives replaces her position, the man then returns to his home and
lives with his sisters.The E De practice a polytheistic religion.
Culture: E De language belongs to the Malay-Polynesian Group. The E
De have a rich and unique treasury of oral literature including myths, legends, lyrical
songs, proverbs, and particularly well-known khan (epics). Their musical instruments
are comprised of gongs, drums, flutes, pan
pipes and string instruments. The Ding Nam is a very popular musical instrument of the E
De which is much liked by many people.
Costumes:
Women wear a skirt and vest with colourful motifs. Men simply wear loincloths. The E De
like to wear copper, silver, and beaded ornaments.
Economy:
The E De practice slash-and-burn agriculture and cultivate rice in submerged fields.
Besides cultivating, the E De also practice animal husbandry, hunting, gathering, fishing,
basketry, and weaving.
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