The tribe where parents build huts for girls 'relationship' with as many people as they want

What happens when a teenage girl is alone in a hut, is she allowed to invite as many boyfriends to sleep as she wants?

Many people say that this is the perfect context that leads to a broken heart or unwanted pregnancy. But the northeastern Cambodian tribe believes that this is the best way for girls to find true love, according to the Vancouver Courier.

The habitat of the Kreung tribe, northeastern Cambodia.

The love hut

Deep in the Ratanakiri region of Cambodia, there is a tribe named Kreung. Kreung people got up early when the sun rises and farmed, harvested trees in the forest.

While in most Cambodia, traditionally discouraged women smoke or drink, Kreung women do all these things like boys. Kreung people live a simple life, including basic survival activities such as eating, shelter, love and sex.

In particular, when it comes to women's rights in sex, Kreung has a tradition that many cultures will not accept: love huts.

A love hut in the Kreung tribe.

When girls reach puberty (about 13-15 years old), their parents will build a bamboo hut away from the family home. The purpose of the hut is for girls to communicate and experience with their boyfriends in private.

In 2011, journalist Fiona MacGregor visited Kreung the young woman in the love hut to find out whether sexual independence was the key to lasting love.

What Fiona discovered was a romantic society unexpectedly, where the girls were confident in their relationship with their boyfriends and understood what they wanted in the relationship.

While Western women are faced with conflicting ideas about traditional values ​​and appropriate sexual behavior, Kreung girls are taught that sex is a natural and beautiful part of love.

Kreung people imbued with the idea of ​​premarital sex are acceptable and encouraged. Young women have the right to try to find the right person to marry.

Gaham, 21, took a picture with her husband in front of the love hut.

In particular, the daughter is the active owner of Kreung. They invite boys to like huts to have sex or simply to talk.

Young girls tell journalist Fiona that love huts are an opportunity to find future husbands.

A girl named Gaham, 21, told Fiona about the love hut: 'Before that, we stayed in a cramped house so we couldn't open our hearts, but when we had our own hut, we could open our hearts to each other. . In the night hut it was very dark and quiet, so the atmosphere was very romantic. '

Gaham's mother, Ms. Kampan, 55, also supports the love hut.'I used to have a lot of boyfriends - more than 10 people - before I took Brang. I found him to be a bit jealous, but it didn't matter much because he loved me , "said Kampan, who lived with Mr. Brang for 40 years.

Ms. Kampan, 55, took a picture with her husband.

In Kreung, divorce is a phrase that does not appear much. In a village Kreung has 150 couples, only 1-2 couples quit each other.

Even the word 'lame' is not used. Women can have many boyfriends at the same time and there is no argument if she finally chooses others.

Nang Chan, 17, emphasizes the important role of love in creating a strong woman and helping women find true love.

'Love bins give us independence and are the best way to know who we really like , ' Nang Chan said.

In Kreung tribe, sexual violence was rare and rape did not exist. The Kreung boys had no aggressive attitude. They are taught that the attitude of respect or disrespect for women will affect the livestock business of the whole family and very much believe this.

Nang Chan and a boyfriend.

'When the boys go to bed overnight, if I don't want them to touch people, they won't do it. We only talk and sleep , 'Nang Chan said. 'If I have a special boyfriend and we love each other, I will be close to him. But if I run out of love with him and like another guy, I will stop having sex with the old person. '

'I lived in a hut since I was 15 and since then there have been 4 special boyfriends. I did not count how many people went to sleep overnight. There are 2-3 people at night. '

Currently Kreung people have been instructed to use condoms to prevent pregnancy. Earlier, the tribe self-created the 'contraceptive' including wood, alcohol and a centipede. Thanks to the propaganda of local NGOs, condoms became more popular.

Nang Chan is very confident about his ability to control himself and his peers in sex.

'I have concerns about pregnancy but we have been taught how to be responsible and the boys are often very responsible,' she said. 'I don't know how women are in other cultures, but I think Kreung girls are strong . If girls don't like guys doing anything, they won't do it.'

Nang Chan said Kreung girls were strong.

However, according to journalist Fiona, unplanned pregnancies still occur in Kreung. The strange thing is that it doesn't matter who the pregnant girl is with, the last man she chooses will still raise the child like her own child.

Leum, a 30-year-old father at Kreung, said: 'If the girl has a child with a man who does not love her, she will still be married to her beloved man, raising the child like his own child.'

Customary is lost

According to journalist Fiona, the tradition of sex in the Kreung tribe is threatened by many factors.

Love huts are gradually disappearing as the tribe is more exposed to some modern cultures and Khmer culture, cultures that say sex before marriage is not right.

Not to mention the Kreung people started having more televisions and cell phones. This means teenagers have the means to watch pornography - images that may negatively affect their sexual lifestyles.

Kreung people mainly work in agriculture.

Poeum, 17, said she was recently worried about the attitude of the boys.

'If before, the guy wanted to have sex but I didn't want to, we would just play together and talk , ' she said. 'But now things are more difficult because many guys are not very good. Some people are very rude. If they try to do what I don't want, I have to shout them out loud. '

According to the Phnom Penh Post, the way to build homes for the Kreung people is also changing as they become richer.

Traditionally, houses in Kreung were built of bamboo, small and unsustainable, to be rebuilt once a year. Love huts are also made of bamboo, located far away from the family home.

However, some villages now build houses with wood or bricks because they are longer. They leave their daughters in private rooms in the house, not building their own huts. As such, privacy has been somewhat reduced.

The question of whether the lifestyles of the Kreung people existed after being influenced by external cultures remains open. However, Fiona said that until now, the Kreung tribe is still a rare and inspiring example of the results achieved when young women are free in sex life, without judgment or criticism. .