BUNONG:
CAMBODIA’S VULNERABLE LANGUAGE
In Cambodia, the Kmer Rouge was active in the 1970s. This was a tumultuous time for Cambodians and for neighboring countries, as it was for diasporic Cambodians, and much of the world that had connection to or that was exposed to Cambodia.
Many Cambodians sought refuge during this time, and either emigrated or escaped from the country, to Europe, the United States, Australia, and so forth, At times, this escape was dangerous, and few lost their lives. At other times, such as in work documented by the SOAS GLOCAL, single women would escape on small boats together with many men, for a horrendous few weeks..
Yet, theCambodian diasporic people, after reaching their new places of residence, become competet in the new destination languages, such as English, Portuguese, Farsi, and Pashto, as well as in Khmer. These languages are now prevalent throughout parts of Cambodia.
Yet these ethnographers and activists continue to work to assist the Binong people, both in Cambodia and overseas. The networks connect with Cambodia, and hence facilitate the transfer of cultural and other commodities, and hence work tirelessly to sustain heritage across generations.
Much work on the Bunong language and community over the past few years has been through ethnographic work, both in the social sense and in the academic sense.
This work has proceeded for several decades, and has had little to no support, at times, from formal bodies, such as foundations, government and non-government organizations.