Location: The Rhade are one of the many highland groups or mountain people living in the areas of Laos and Vietnam just south of the seventeenth parallel.
History: Having no written history, little was known about the Rhade until French contact was established in the early nineteenth century. The Rhade have a matrilineal kinship system and believe that they are descendants from the ancestress H'de. (Hickey, 1993). Men are the main breadwinners in the family. However, women are the owners of all family property including, livestock, food, and shelter. Married men live with their wive's family and have little control over family operations. There is a period when they have the opportunity for leadership positions. However, this occurs only when asked to do so by the spirit of the Yang Rong (Hickey, 1993).
During the Indochina war the Rhade fought for both the French and the Viet Minh. Unfortunate consequences at the end of the war forced many of the Rhade to go underground (Hickey, 1993). In 1961, the United States approached the Rhade tribal leaders to seek support for a self-defense program sponsored by the U.S. and Vietnamese governments. Since the Vietnamese military was having a difficult time defending the Rhade villages from the Viet Cong, it seemed like a natural and militaristic strategy to seek the support from the Rhade as it would also strengthen the size of the ground troops during the Vietnam war. Trained by American Special Forces, the Rhade specialized in strike force patrols, reconnaissance, ambushes, and village defense. Initially called village defenders, the Rhade fighting soldiers soon became known as the Civilian Irregular Defense Group.
Since 1989 the Rhade population has been reduced to less than thirty percent of its population prior to the Vietnam War (Washington Post, 1989). Due mostly to lack of respect for land boundaries and communist pressure, many of the Rhade have been forced to move into Vietnamese settlements away from their Longhouses. Furthermore, claims on land made by others outside of the Rhade culture have added to their departure. For those Rhade that still remain, agriculture plays a key economic role for their success. Rice, coffee, cashews, avocados, and other fruits and vegetables as well as animals make up the majority of the food production needed for economic survival. Unfortunately for those Rhade that remain, communism has discouraged the Rhade from exercising traditional religious practices.
Hickey, G.C. (1993). Shattered World. University of Pennsylvania Press
Richburg, K.B. (1989). Vietnamese Pioneers move Westward. Washington Post
http://www.army.mil/cmh-pg/books/vietnam/90-23/90-232.htm
Written by: Chris Kraft