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.