The abolition of slavery, a legacy of French colonialism
The abolition of slavery, a legacy of French colonialism
Chhun Sunly
1st May, 2023
According to his research, there are records of 200 Khnum Bnan and 10,000 Anak Na in 1887. Ten years later, in 1897, the number of Anak Na increased to 16,000 because the King demanded more labourers.
One important legacy of the French colonial era in Indochina is a landmark event that came at the end of the 19th century – the end of human slavery.
The French had control over Cambodia between 1863 until 1953. The year 1897 is significant because it saw the colonial government finally abolish slavery in Cambodia. After consolidating control over the Kingdom by means of armed force, the French obliged the reigning King Norodom to eliminate Cambodia’s old slavery laws.
Dr Mathieu Guerin, a professor and researcher at the Institut National des Langues et Civilisations Orientales in Paris, gave a lecture on the abolition of slavery in Cambodia to students at the Royal University of Fine Arts in Phnom Penh on Friday last week.
Dr Guerin first detailed the types of slavery common to 19th century Cambodia. He described daily life and work, and how, at last, the enslaved classes were liberated.
“Cambodian society in the 19th century was divided into six classes of people, including: The King and royal family, the Mantri, or the King’s dignitaries, and Anak Ja, or free people. Then, there were three classes of enslaved people, Khnum Ge, Anak Na and Khmum Bnan,” Dr Guerin said.
Khnum Ge included all Khmer people who were in debt, and could not afford to pay back their creditors. For this reason, this class of poor people were forced to work as indentured servants. Their labour was devoted to paying off the interest and principal of their debts.
“Khnum Ge had to stay and work for their creditor’s household until they paid back all their debts. Sometimes, they stayed and worked for their creditors for their entire life,” said Dr. Mathieu Guerin.
There were many reasons why people fell into deep debt. The French in Cambodia at that time collected many documents to prove the status of the Khnum Ge. Examples still exist in France in the form of original reports from French governors, including contracts between the Khnum Ge labourers and their creditors. These documents show us the actual situation of indentured labour in Cambodia, which was a form of lifelong slavery for many people.
Another type of slavery involved a class of people called Anak Na. These persons were obliged to work three months each year without any pay for the King, the royal families, and Buddhist temples. They were obliged to do their annual work, sometimes for their entire life. Their labour was allotted by the King, according to their required atonements.
Anak Na were usually soldiers and workers belonging to armies opposed to the Khmer empire. Defeated enemies forfeited tributes of living souls to the victorious. These persons were brought by the Khmer King from neighbouring states after suffering defeat in battle.
Another type of Anak Na included minority tribes of local Khmer people who revolted against the King or tried to make their region independent from the Khmer Kingdom. After their rebellions failed, they were punished by the King, and they became enslaved as their status changed to Anak Na.
Notably, the descendants of the Anak Na were born into the same class. Thus, the Anak Na represents a caste system determined by lineage. Other classes of Khmer people seldom married with Anak Na because they did not want others to look down on them or be cut-off from their families.
Anak Na were assigned to work building roads, digging ponds, building temples, finding cardamom, bee-keeping and catching elephants for the King.
The third type of enslaved persons were called Khnum Bnan. These unfortunates were the lowest class of slaves. They were the property of the wealthy classes and worked as servants all their lives.
Khnum Bnan slaves came from minority groups who lived mostly in the northeast part of Cambodia. They were bought and sold by slave traders who made a business from trafficking them.
“Slave traders included Khmers, Laotians, and also minority peoples who captured other minority tribes from the mountains and then brought them to sell to wealthy Khmer citizens in the city. Khnum Bnan lived at their masters’ households all their lives,” said Dr Guerin.
According to his research, there are records of 200 Khnum Bnan and 10,000 Anak Na in 1887. Ten years later, in 1897, the number of Anak Na increased to 16,000 because the King demanded more labourers.
Of course, France also exploited slaves between the 16th and 19th centuries. Black African people were transported to work on large plantations in the Caribbean. However, the French decided to end slavery by law in 1848.
During the late 19th century colonial period in Cambodia, the French believed their mission was to bring civilisation to people in Indochina. The French governors saw slavery as the main obstacle to modernisation.
Dr Guerin explained that the elimination of slavery in Cambodia was not an easy task. In fact, the French attempted to end slavery three times – in 1877, 1884 and in 1897.
In 1877, the French tried to dismiss some articles of Cambodian law related to slavery, but these reforms were ineffectual. Abolishing laws on slavery was not enough to eliminate it from real life. The caste system and forms of indentured labour were too deeply engrained in Cambodian society.
In 1884, the French usurped all of the King’s authority, and again amended the law to abolish slavery. However, it was not successful because many Khmer people across the country were unwilling to accept the new French legal code.
Yet, in 1897, once again, the French forced the King to sign a new law abolishing slavery. This time, they achieved more success, releasing people from their forced servitude in wealthy households.
From this time onwards, Cambodia had only a few slaves. Finally, according to contemporary French reports, there were no more slaves in Cambodia.
Dr Guerin added, “The year 1897 was an important moment in which slavery in Cambodia broke down, which finally achieved the civilising aim of France.”
Although the French hoped to liberate everyone and give them equal rights to live, they did not anticipate the consequences of the abolition of slavery. The French were unprepared and did not develop any plan or policy to care for the newly freed slaves.
Dr Guerin noted that social transitions were not smooth for many people, saying, “When slaves were released, it was not easy for them because they didn’t have land, food, relatives, money, business or job, and they belonged to no group because they were cut-off from their tribes for many generations.”
Even their native languages were often forgotten.”
https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501281968/ ... lonialism/
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