1. History

Co Tu ethnic minority people have long lived in the Truong Son-Central Highlands region. Up to now, the origin of the Co Tu people still only stops at hypotheses, but in general, domestic and foreign scholars rely on their achievements in architecture, sculpture, culture and physical beauty to determine that Co Tu people were once the owners of a decaying high culture rather than an ethnic group with a developing primitive civilisation level.

This ethnic group has not yet formed local groups but has had groups that are distinguished according to their residential areas such as highland people (Co-tu Driu), central people (Co-tu Cha Lau) and lowland people (Co-tu Nal).

2. Geographical distribution:

Co Tu ethnic minority people live mainly in the two central provinces of Thua Thien Hue and Quang Nam, particularly Nam Giang, Dong Giang and Tay Giang Districts of Quang Nam Province and a few in Nam Dong and A Luoi Districts of Thua Thien Hue Province.

3. Population, Language

- Population: According to census data on 53 ethnic minorities as of 1 April 2019, the total population of Cham ethnic people is 74,173, including 37,096 men and 37,077 women. 88.2% of the population lives in rural areas.

- Language: Co Tu ethnic group’s language belongs to the Mon-Khmer languages (language family of mainland Southeast Asia), close to Ta Oi and Bru-Van Kieu languages. From the period before 1975, the Co Tu people had languages based on the use of Latin characters to transliterate, but now few people use them.

4. Main features

- Traditional social institutions: Co Tu people live in groups near the water source called vell (village). Their village community relationship is quite close. They practice self-governance based on custom, headed by patriarchs. Each village consists of several dozen roofs surrounding the Guol house, the administrative-cultural-social centre of this ethnic group. Co Tu people practice patriarchy, so men often play a very important role.

- Housing: Co Tu people live in houses on stilts. In a house on stilts, many couples are brothers and their children live together. Each village has a common house called Guol, which is the tallest and most beautiful. It is used for community meetings and joint activities.

- Costume:Co Tu people prefer clothes made of black woven fabric with patterns made of lead and white beads.In the past, Co Tu men used to wear loincloths and were topless. In the winter, they put on a blanket or a decorative cloth shirt. Meanwhile, women wore knee-length skirts and their upper parts were only wrapped in a shawl, like the halter top of the Vietnamese people. They also wore a blanket in the winter. On the occasion of the festivals, they add belts with rustic white backgrounds.

- Religion and belief: Like many other ethnic groups in the Central Highlands, Co Tu people believe that all things and phenomena are supernatural, with the intervention of gods and this belief has dominated almost every aspect of their lives, from major activities such as building a house, choosing a field, getting married and mourning, to small issues like harvesting, farming and hunting. Therefore, they have many rituals to pay respect to gods. In each village of the Co Tu people, there is a "sacred" object (usually a stone) that is kept in the common house as a protective charm for the whole village.

- Cuisine: The main food of Co Tu people are rice, cassava and corn. The Co Tu people usually eat rice every day and cook sticky rice on the occasion of the festivals. Co Tu people are used to eating with their hands. They also like dishes that are grilled, marinated and brewed in bamboo tubes and drink ta-vak wine, etc. Ta-vak wine is a typical drink of the Co Tu people, that is indispensable in festivals.

- Musical Instruments: Common musical instruments of the Co Tu people are gongs, drums, flute, lute and erhu.

- Education: According to census data on 53 ethnic minorities as of 1 April 2019, the rate of people aged 15 years and over who can read and write at high school is 75.4%, the proportion of people attending primary schools is 100.2%, the rate of people going to secondary schools is 92.5%, and the rate of people to high schools is 70.6%. However, the rate of out-of-school children is 9.9%.

- Festivals: Co Tu people still reserve many festivals related to shifting cultivation practices, rituals related to the human life cycle and community festivals. People celebrate Tet (Lunar New Year) according to the village scale, in January and February, after the rice threshing season.

5. Economic conditions

Co Tu people live mainly by cultivating upland rice, with simple farming methods. In addition, Co Tu people raise buffaloes, pigs, dogs and chickens. However, daily food sources are mainly provided by gathering, hunting and fishing. Especially, knitting craft is popular in the Co Tu community. Up to now, the local people have still mainly carried out direct exchanges among objects.