Among VN's Cham Ahier community, nine forehead bone fragments are preserved in sacred Klaong boxes after cremation. This centuries-old tradition, culminating in the Kut burial ritual, reflects a profound belief in the journey to the ancestral world.
Sacred Klaong boxes and the journey to the ancestral world
For the Cham Ahier community, whose spiritual traditions are rooted in Brahmanism, funeral rituals embody deeply held beliefs about life, death, the universe and the relationship between the living and their ancestors.
Following a person's death, the body is cremated in accordance with traditional rites. From the cremated remains, nine fragments of the forehead bone are carefully selected, cleaned and polished into rounded shapes to serve as sacred objects of ancestral worship.
These fragments are then placed in a specially crafted container known as a Klaong box, where they are preserved with great care.
Within Cham spiritual life, the Klaong box carries profound religious and symbolic significance.
A Klaong box containing forehead bone fragments, sealed with beeswax. Photo: Ethnic and Development News
Researcher Nguyen Ngoc An, from the Mui Ne Museum of Antiquities in the former Binh Thuan province, now part of Lam Dong province, emphasized that its meaning extends far beyond the preservation of human remains.
"The Klaong box is not merely a container for cremated remains. It carries spiritual significance, expressing respect for the deceased and reflecting deeply rooted beliefs about the transition from the world of the living to that of the ancestors," he explained.
One remarkable example is the Klaong box belonging to Po Kai Taong, a 19th-century district-level official and descendant of the Champa royal family. The artifact is currently preserved at the Mui Ne Museum of Antiquities.
Made of metal, the compact cylindrical container measures 5.2 centimeters in diameter and five centimeters in height. It has a tightly fitted lid and a surface covered with patina.
Its most distinctive feature is the lid, where ancient Cham script is intricately engraved in raised and recessed patterns surrounding a central circular knob.
The inscription records the official's name and title.
The Klaong box of Po Kai Taong, a district-level official descended from the Champa royal family, preserved at the Mui Ne Museum of Antiquities. Photo: Nguyen Su, from researcher Nguyen Ngoc An's conference presentation.
According to An, engraving names and official titles in Cham script on Klaong boxes during Vietnam's Nguyen Dynasty served not only to affirm the social standing of the deceased but also to demonstrate the enduring continuity of Champa's cultural and spiritual traditions.
He described the artifact as a valuable historical record.
"The Klaong box not only preserves human remains but also serves as an authentic 'historical document in metal,' providing valuable material for research into Cham royal lineages and their funeral rituals," he said.
An recently presented his findings on Klaong boxes and Kut burial ceremonies at a conference in Hanoi, shedding new light on these distinctive cultural practices.
The sacred Kut ritual and the legacy of Cham royalty
Researcher Nguyen Ngoc An recently shared findings on Klaong boxes and the Kut burial ritual at a conference in Hanoi.
The preservation of forehead bone fragments in Klaong boxes is only one stage in the Cham Ahier community's elaborate funeral traditions.
After the first-month death anniversary, the first-year commemoration and the completion of a three-year mourning period, families begin preparing for one of the most important ceremonies: the Kut burial ritual.
Known as nhap Kut, the ceremony involves transferring the deceased's forehead bone fragments to a Kut burial compound, a clan cemetery organized according to the Cham community's matrilineal traditions.
Unlike burial ceremonies performed shortly after death, the Kut ritual takes place only when the maternal clan has gathered a sufficient number of Klaong boxes.
This process can take decades.
Before the boxes containing the ancestral remains are carried to the Kut compound, the clan must first conduct commemorative rituals at home.
The Kut ceremony follows a highly elaborate sequence of prescribed rites.
The Kut burial ceremony follows a strict sequence of traditional rituals. Photo: Ethnic and Development News
Preparations include selecting land for quarrying stone, raising the roof structure of the Kut house, cutting and shaping stones, erecting Kut memorial steles and performing land purification ceremonies.
These are followed by prayers and ancestral offerings conducted both in forested areas and within the Kut compound.
The remains of male and female ancestors are arranged according to their religious rank and social status, with separate Kut steles designated for different groups.
One particularly distinctive aspect of the tradition is the way the architecture of Kut cemeteries reflects the social hierarchy and royal authority of historical Cham society.
Families whose deceased male relatives held the religious rank of Paseh, a Brahman priestly position, or possessed royal titles were entitled to erect up to five Kut steles.
The same privilege applied to families whose deceased female relatives were Pajau, female spiritual practitioners responsible for important rituals, or direct descendants of Cham kings.
Decorative carvings were also governed by strict distinctions.
Only Kut steles belonging to royal lineages were permitted to feature motifs such as lotus petals, flames or four-petaled flowers.
Members of a Cham clan make their way to the Kut ancestral burial compound. Photo: Ethnic and Development News
These architectural and artistic conventions preserved visible markers of religious authority, social standing and royal ancestry within Cham funerary traditions.
Researcher An, drawing on additional research conducted with his colleague Lam Tan Binh, also highlighted a recent Kut ceremony involving descendants of the Cham royal lineage of Po Klong Manai.
The ceremony brought together 51 Klaong boxes containing the forehead bone fragments of deceased ancestors.
Among them were 18 Klaong boxes that members of the Chu Ru and Raglai communities had handed over in 1938.
The descendants formally transferred all 51 boxes into the Kut burial compound in a solemn ceremony.
The ancestral remains included those of several historically significant figures.
Descendants of the Po Klong Manai royal lineage perform the Kut burial ceremony. Photo: Nguyen Su, from researcher Nguyen Ngoc An's conference presentation.
One was Nai Khan Wa, daughter of King Po Klaong Ghul.
Another was Nguyen Thi Them, a revered female ancestor who played an important role in safeguarding and maintaining the worship of precious artifacts belonging to the Cham royal family.
The ceremony represented both a spiritual homecoming for generations of ancestors and a reaffirmation of the descendants' connection to their royal heritage.
Despite centuries of historical upheaval, the Cham community has continued to preserve the Kut ritual and the tradition of venerating ancestral remains in Klaong boxes.
These practices reflect the Vietnamese cultural principle of remembering and honoring one's roots while demonstrating the remarkable resilience of Cham spiritual heritage.
More than a set of funeral customs, the rituals remain a living expression of collective memory, family identity and the enduring bond between the Cham people and their ancestors.
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