One confusing
conversation
later and Kim is
reminded of the
difference one
word can make!
Sitting with my neighbour as we
harvested cotton and picked the
white fluffy balls from the seeds, we
chatted. It’s one of those tasks that
is like shelling peas, it doesn’t take
much thought, but is a good time to
sit and talk while our hands are busy.
She was telling me stories about
ghosts, well at least that’s what I
thought we were talking about!
Khmer people seem to love ghost
stories in all their forms. They can be
horrifying stories told to bring fear, sad
stories of past loves that have returned,
dramatic stories that stir up emotions
of family connections and respect of
elders, or they can be funny. Ghost
stories in Cambodia are everywhere!
At the local cinema there are usually
at least three ghost movies showing
and when we go for other movies, our
kids are often freaked out a bit by the
advertising posters!
For our Khmer neighbours, ghosts
are a very real part of life. Most
people will have at least one story of
an experience with a ghost. A long
vacant plot of land can signify that
the land may be cursed because of
supernatural beings encountered
there. A tree may have a ghost story
attached to it, or a whole region may
have its origins rooted in a story of
spiritual activity.
Ghosts are also entwined in family
life. Beliefs are held around deceased
relatives and whether their spirits have
gone somewhere else or whether they
hang around the family home to either
bless, cause mischief or strife.
Ghost stories can also be told as a
way of deterring people from immoral
behaviour. One such story tells of an
unfaithful husband who had a mistress
in a different village. One night after
visiting her he woke to find it wasn’t a
woman at all, but actually a ghost. He
was so frightened he returned to his
wife and remained faithful.
So there I was sitting with my
neighbour, harvesting cotton, thinking
that we were having a conversation
about ghosts (she has talked to me
about them before). The conversation
went something like this…
“I had a ghost once.”
“Really, were you scared of it?”
“No.”
“Where was it?”
“In my bedroom.”
“Really? Perhaps you
shouldn’t watch so
many stories at night.”
“But night-time is
the best time for it.”
“Perhaps it’s better
during the day-time?”
“But I need it at
night to sleep.”
Turns out she wasn’t using the word
for ghost, ‘Kmaoij’, but the word ‘Knaoi’
which means pillow!
Stories can have a big impact
on our lives, but it only takes us
misunderstanding even one key word
and the meaning can be completely
changed. Stepping into another culture,
it can take us hearing stories over and
over to be able to begin to grasp some
of the meanings behind them. Here
in Cambodia, we ask people to tell
us stories so that we can learn and
grow, and hopefully gain enough
cultural understanding that we can
share stories of Jesus without being
misunderstood.
ADVENTURES
WITH THE
BARNES
Episode
№5
resonate · issue 35 · page 2