The Muong people, or better known to westerners as the Montagnards, inhabit The Central Highlands of Vietnam in Southeast Asia. They settled about two thousand years ago and learned to live in harmony with the earth. There are many separate tribes. These include the Bru, Pacoh, Rhade, Bahnar, Jarai, Cua, Sre, Nop, Mnong, Kayong, Lat, Monom, Halang, Hre, Sedang, Jeh, Chru, Nop, and more are probably unknown. Most dwell within a three-hundred kilometer stretch from north to south. It is from the Yen Bai Province to the Nghe An Province of Vietnam. These mountainous lands make the southern portion of the Annam Cordillera and the area is visible from any location along the central coastal plain of Vietnam. Geographically speaking, over the years this region has been accepted as the Vietnamese Central Highlands.
             The name "Montagnard" is actually pronounced "mountain-yard". It is French for "mountain dweller" or "mountain people." Those who live in Vietnam refer to themselves as "Dega." In their folklore, De and Ga were the first Montagnards in Southeast Asia. For Americans, it is Adam and Eve. The Montagnards are hardly similar to the Vietnamese people of the populated lowland area of Vietnam. Their language comes from the Mon Khmer linguistic collection and the Malayo Polynesian stock. There are no books or scripts to teach future generations because they were all destroyed after the Vietnam War. In essence, the living Montagnards are the only source of cultural knowledge. These people do not resemble the Vietnamese either, but physically, they resemble Indonesians, Malays, and Cambodians.
             Everything between the Montagnard people is shared. They have a deep respect and relationship with their natural surroundings. Nothing is taken for granted and there are appointed officials to be stewards to the environment. Agriculture is the primary source of survival with rice as the most impor...