The ceremony of Chus Yak in Andas village

Phum Andas is an indigenous Kui village located in Sala Visay commune, Prasat Balang district, Kampong Thom province. In this village, there are traditional ritual practices that have been carried out for generations, inherited from their ancestors. Every year, after finishing the harvesting or rice fields or farms, the villagers organize the Neak Ta Invocation Ceremony (Pithy Lœung Neakta) around the month of Meakh (February). In Kui language we call them Chus Yak instead. The purpose of this gathering is to express gratitude to the local guardian spirits (Mcha' Teuk Mcha' Dei, respectively spirits of the water and of the land) for helping ensure a good agricultural yield, to ask for peace and well-being, and to dedicate merit to the ancestral spirits, whom they believe are their protectors. They also ask for a good yield for the next farming year and to prevent all diseases and misfortune in the village.

This ceremony can be divided into two stages: before the day of the event and the day of the event.

Before the day of the ceremony, the representatives of the elders discuss, set a plan, and determine the date and time. Then, they call all the citizens of the village for a meeting to announce the plan to the village members, and together they collectively agree upon the date for the event. The elder representatives must then go to the house of the spirit medium to invite the spirit to possess him, besides inquiring about the chosen date: "Does the Grandfather spirit agree that our event can be held?" If he agrees then all villagers will proceed with the ceremony.

A group of elders leads the search for turtles in the pond to be prepared and used on the day of the event. Before going to search for them, they must again invite the local guardian spirits to possess the medium in order to ask "The children and grandchildren request a few small, imperfect animals so we can use them for the ceremony." If the Grandfather says they can go look for them, they will go. But if the request is rejected they will not. Proceeding without permission will lead them to the chance of failure or encountering bad luck. Furthermore, even if the Grandfather gives them permission, they must only look for a certain number; they must only take what they need and nothing more, or else bad things might happen. 

The method for catching turtles is to hold hands in a line and walk into the pond to start the search. When a turtle bumps into someone, they let go of hands and catch it. They continue this process for subsequent catches. After catching the turtles, they are kept at the house of the Jmœung (the elder or leader who directs the traditional rituals). Meanwhile, the villagers prepare rice cakes (Num Ansorm Ph'av), Num Neale, and grill sticky rice in bamboo tubes (Krâlan) made from the new rice recently harvested from the fields. On the same day, they also invite Buddhist monks to chant and offer them food according to Buddhist tradition.

The Day of the Ceremony

According to the elders, the Sawh Chus Yak ceremony is held on a Tuesday because they believe it is a "strong day" (thngai rœng) that brings victory. In the morning, the Jmœung, or elder chosen to conduct the rituals, leads the elders and villagers to walk through the village to drive away evil spirits, carrying sticks and vines to strike the houses one by one to ensure the villagers live in peace and happiness in the new year. They also scatter rice cakes (Ansorm), vegetables, and rice. Following this, the elders, youth, men, women, and children from each family prepare themselves and their offerings. These include Ansorm, cakes, sheaves of paddy (Kuor Srôv—paddy cut from the field specifically for the ceremony), Rice Soul (Prôlœng Srôv—made from râsêt leaves, wild beans, pâch-pâch vines, and roasted rice, all skewered onto the sheaf of paddy to represent the rice, beans, and crops from the farm), yams, sesame, corn, white liquor (local rice wine or sra so), clothes, and sacred threads (khsâe seima), among other things, to take to the Chuk Yak spirits, in Kui language, or Neak Ta in Khmer.

Around 11 AM to 12 PM, the villagers begin to arrive at the pavilion dedicated to the guardian spirits and organize themselves according to their respective roles: some cook, the elders prepare the offerings and fold the betel and areca leaf offerings (kâch slla thorm). Before the start of the main ritual, they fold the "forest betel" offerings to inform the local guardian spirits.

The spirit possession involves a traditional music band and one medium. The medium invokes the spirits to pray for prosperity, to request fortune and good yields for the coming farming years, and to tie the sacred threads (châng dai) asking for peace and for the village to be safe from all diseases and misfortune.

It should be noted that the Neak Ta or Chus Yak here does not necessarily refer to a statue. In the pavilion, a rock, a piece of wood, or any object can be considered a representative of the guardian spirit, though recently some people have begun carving statues to represent them.

After the possession, the medium dances and leads a procession around the pavilion, accompanied by the elders and villagers (both men and women), who hold the Rice Soul, the sheaves of paddy, yams, and beans in their hands. They circle the spiritual pavilion three times, which concludes the ceremony. Afterwards, participants joyfully share a meal together.

When they return to their homes in the evening, they must place the Rice Soul at the main pillar of the house or in the rice granary to invite the spirit of the rice to enter their home. Now, they may live in peace and happiness. In the past, they also invited the spirit medium to play music at the Jmœung's house, but today some rituals are no longer practiced due to social changes over time and access to natural resources.

The Sawh Chus Yak ceremony confirms the end of the agricultural cycle for the old year and marks the preparation for the next year's farming. It is a wonderful time for gathering and demonstrates the solidarity within the village after a full year of hard work.