Culture

How do they live? The Giay live in mountain valleys near their fields where they cultivate wet rice. They traditionally built houses on stilts, though today (particularly in Lao Cai and Lai Chau) they often build houses level with the ground. They also often have temporary houses near their fields, often occupied by the elderly, who have the job of protecting the crops. In areas where houses are being built on the ground, they use an upper level of the house as a drying place. Sometimes, though, a porch near the front of the house is used as the drying area. The Giay are also noted for weaving baskets and making bamboo objects for their own use. The Giay have enjoyed good relations with their neighbors. This despite the pressures of growing populations, caused mainly by lowland Vietnamese encroaching on areas inhabited by minority peoples. Natural resources in these areas are strained to their limits.

The interior of Giay houses is comprised of three rooms. The family altar is in the middle room of the three. Usually the front room is used for receiving guests, and the rear area is for the private use of the family. Otherwise, the houses found in Giay villages are not particularly unusual or different from those of other peoples in the area. Giay villages are very crowded, with some comprising hundreds of households. Fields in Giay areas are often cultivated in common, which is somewhat unusual. Most tribal peoples have resisted Communist pressures to adopt rural commune structures.

Giay society is based upon the nuclear family, which is patriarchal. Marriages are monogamous, and family lineage is reckoned through the male line. Women must be able to show that they are under the authority of a man. Wives are under their husband's authority, unmarried girls must obey their fathers, and widows defer to their sons.

Marriage. Marriage is thought of as a purchase of a bride for a young man of the family. Complex negotiations are conducted by both families, and the bride-price is expensive (and must be paid in silver). The agreement to the marriage is sealed by the giving of a silver necklace and bracelet. In addition, each relative of the bride must receive a chicken, a duck, and a silver coin. A common way around this expense is to arrange a "kidnapping" of the young girl, similar to the customs of the Hmong. The young couple will then present their elders with the marriage as an accomplished fact.

Birth. Giay women usually give birth in a squatting position. The birth room is furnished with an altar to invite the spirits to attend and bless the family. The placenta is saved and buried beneath the new mother's bed. When the baby is one month old, the parents arrange a ceremony to inform the ancestors of the birth. At this time a sorcerer is asked to consult a horoscope to learn the expected future of the child. An "age concordance" will be prepared which will give the predicted day and time of the child's marriage and death. A female godmother is appointed for sickly babies. Since the Giay believe that the souls of children will be reincarnated if they die while young, a mark is placed behind a child's ear to prevent this unwanted rebirth.

The Giay use handmade musical instruments similar to those used by their neighbors. They have a rich heritage of wise sayings, maxims and moral codes which are often cited to resolve conflicts. They do have a form of written language, though few are literate in it. They have many legends, humorous tales, epic verses, riddles and folk songs. They often sing stylized songs on such occasions as farewell songs, night songs, and feast songs.

Livelihood Agriculture, especially wet rice production, is the basis of the Giay society. They are noted for their skill in growing rice in irrigated terraced fields. But, in addition to rice growing, they also practice traditional slash-and-burn cultivation, used to grow corn (maize), potatoes, cassava, pumpkins, sweet potatoes, beans, and other vegetables. They do raise domestic livestock such as chickens, other poultry, pigs, and horses. Water buffalo are raised as draft animals. Their animals are usually allowed to roam at will through uncultivated lands surrounding the community. The weaving of baskets and tile making are specialties of the Giay. But they also weave cotton and make metal tools and silver jewelery. They mainly produce craft objects for their own use.