Identification of cam awal community in Vietnam

Abstract

Cultural exchange and acquisition are two essential basic features of a culture. This is also reflected quite clearly in the Cham Culture. With open cultural geography – located at the crossing of three great cultures – civilizations of human kind (India, China and Saudi Arabia), Cham Culture has acquired and exchanged exogenous cultural factors on the base of native culture, social condition and spirit structure. Thence it formed two belief–religion communities: Cam Awal and Cam Ahier communities. These communities exist and develop interdependently without possessiveness. Therefore, Cam community in Vietnam must be identified as a social entity rather than a politic entity, including a lot of factors such as traditional culture, belief – religion, social organization, etc.

Keywords

• chăm/cam awal
• chăm bàni/bini
• cộng đồng chăm bàni