History

We call ourselves “Montagnards” (mountaineers), a name given to us by the French during the 19th century. We are affectionately nicknamed “Yards” by the American soldiers who fought by our side in the second Indochina War (known as Vietnam War).
We are also known as “Anak Cu Chiang” (Children of the Mountains), a name used by those Montagnards who fought in the forests for independence.

We are called “ethnic minority” by the Vietnamese government, but many lowland Vietnamese derogatorily call us “Moi” (savages).

We, the Montagnards, are the indigenous people of Malayo-Polynesian and Mon-Khmer descent. We are the original inhabitants of the Central Highlands of Vietnam and the rightful owners of this land. Five major tribes are Bahnar, Jarai, Rahde, Mnong and Koho. Each tribal group has a rich culture and tradition of peaceful living under the benevolent eye of God. We had over 40 tribal groups but at the present time, only 26 tribes remain in existence; the others were assimilated by the Vietnamese.

For Centuries prior to 1800, the Central Highlands remained isolated in the mountains separated from the lowland cultures. Before the French came to the Central Highlands, we lived peacefully according to our customs and traditions in a village-centered society. Our Montagnard language, heritage and culture are distinctly different from the Vietnamese people.

In the last 200 years, the outsiders, the Vietnamese, French, and Americans used our land (the Central Highlands) as a battlefield. As a result, more than a million Montagnards were killed and eighty-five percent of our villages were destroyed.