Cham sources
From: julie thi underhill <jthiunderhill@yahoo.com>
Date: Oct 16, 2006 5:56 PM
Subject: [Vsg] Cham sources
Dear List,
I am a filmmaker and photographer making a documentary about my Cham grandmother's reburial ceremony in Viet Nam.
Besides Rie Nakamura's dissertation, which I value highly, few sources describe contemporary Cham societies. So I would like to be in contact with scholars of the Cham and with people of Cham descent, regarding Cham history, religion, culture, gender dynamics, and family life. I am especially interested in information about the second burial custom, matrilinealism, and the Hindu Cham Balamon. I also seek accurate census numbers for the Cham who have relocated to the United States.
Communication must be in English or with an intermediary who can do English translation. I appreciate any leads.
Best wishes,
Julie Thi Underhill
From: Nhu Miller <trantnhu@gmail.com>
Date: Oct 16, 2006 7:10 PM
Subject: Re: [Vsg] Cham sources
Father Gerard Moussay is one of the foremost authorities on the Cham.
He is the archivist of the Missions Etrangeres in Paris and has established
one of the most comprehensive archives of documents, maps, photos and
film pertaining to the work of French missionaries from the 17th century
until 1975 at 128 Rue du Bac in Paris. Father Moussay started the
Center for Cham Culture in Phan Rang, wrote several dictionaries and
works on the Cham Balamon.
If you communicate with him, it must be in French. He has an encyclopedic
knowledge of not only the Cham but other Malayo-Polynesian speaking groups.
He has completely modernized the archives which is located in a gorgeous
palace in the heart of Paris. Academics and researchers are welcome and may
peruse documents which are no longer disintegrating thanks to state of the art
preservation.
To reach Father Moussay: g.moussay@mepasie.org
When I began my studies on the Cham in 1971, Father Moussay
was the authority and remains to this day one of the great scholars of this
unusual culture.
There are about 1000 Cham living in the SF Bay Area, most of them
Muslims. Man Jones, a Cham woman who lives in Sacramento area, organized
two Cham Festivals in the early 1990s which attracted Cham from all over the
world, including a famous singer, whose name escapes me, who came from
Canada. A Cham anthropologist (whom Father M. knows and has email)
has been keeping track, in his way, of the Cham in America. There is also
a Cham anthropologist Dharma in Malaysia. Sorry to be so vague about these
names, but it's been a while.
Tran Tuong Nhu