Montagnards
Vietnam's highland tribes
Montagnards refers to the indigenous peoples of the Central Highlands of Vietnam, comprising dozens of distinct ethnic groups.
The French term means "mountain people." During the Vietnam War, Montagnards often allied with American forces, and many later resettled in the United States as refugees.
The term also refers historically to a radical faction in the French Revolutionary assembly who sat in the upper benches.
Southeast Asian ethnic group
- indigenousOriginating in a region
- animismSpirits inhabit all things
- longhouseElongated communal dwelling structure
- rice wineFermented grain alcohol
communal · village · matrilineal · patrilineal · oral tradition
Irregular armed fighter
- insurgencyArmed uprising against authority
- uprisingOrganized resistance to power
- defianceOpen resistance to authority
- autonomyIndependent decision-making capacity
self-determination · liberation · struggle · clandestine · solidarity · allies · scouts · irregulars
Elevated Vietnamese interior region
- plateauFlat highland area
- elevationHeight above reference point
- terrainLand's physical features
- altitudeMeasured height above reference
ridge · valley · foothills · terrace farming · slash-and-burn · swidden · upland · lowland
Long-established customs passed down
- customsTraditional practices or import taxes
- ritualsCeremonial repeated practices
- ceremoniesFormal observances with ritual
- animismSpirits inhabit all things
ancestor worship · shaman · gong · longhouse · weaving · textiles · folklore · mythology
Elevated Vietnamese interior region
- French IndochinaSoutheast Asian colonial territory
- refugeePerson fleeing danger abroad
- asylumShelter from persecution
- diasporaScattered population sharing origins
Hmong
Southeast Asian ethnic group
- indigenousOriginating in a region
- animismSpirits inhabit all things
- longhouseElongated communal dwelling structure
rice wine · communal · village · matrilineal · patrilineal · oral tradition
guerrilla
Irregular armed fighter
- insurgencyArmed uprising against authority
- uprisingOrganized resistance to power
- defianceOpen resistance to authority
autonomy · self-determination · liberation · struggle · clandestine · solidarity · allies · scouts · irregulars · anti-communist
Central Highlands
Elevated Vietnamese interior region
altitude · ridge · valley · foothills · terrace farming · slash-and-burn · swidden · upland · lowland · hill tribe
traditions
Long-established customs passed down
- customsTraditional practices or import taxes
- ritualsCeremonial repeated practices
- ceremoniesFormal observances with ritual
animism · ancestor worship · shaman · gong · longhouse · weaving · textiles · folklore · mythology · oral tradition
Central Highlands
Elevated Vietnamese interior region
- French IndochinaSoutheast Asian colonial territory
- refugeePerson fleeing danger abroad
- asylumShelter from persecution
- French RevolutionBastille, guillotine, Robespierre, French Revolution, Marie Antoinette
- ethnic groupsJews, Arabs, Chinese, Irish, Greeks
- RevolutionsFrench Revolution, Russian Revolution, American Revolution, Cuban Revolution, Mexican Revolution
- Southeast Asian peoplesThai, Khmer, Vietnamese, Lao, Malay
- Vietnamese culturepagodas, Mekong Delta, Hmong, ethnic groups, traditional dress
- Tay NguyenCentral Highlands, coffee plantations, coffee farms, volcanic plateau, plateaus