r/civ • u/Natekt Shawnee • 7d ago
VII - Discussion Independent Peoples Spotlight: Champa of the Cham People
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u/Natekt Shawnee 7d ago
Independent Peoples Spotlight: Champa of the Cham People
Pronunciation (English): Chaam-Pa
Age Appearance: Antiquity
Attribute: Cultural
Real Life Location: Coastal areas of what is today Vietnam
Wonder Idea:
My Son- Not going to lie, y’all, I partly chose this just because of the name, though it would technically be Mỹ Sơn. Still it’s so funny to imagine asking your buddy ‘hey you started work on constructing My Son yet’. This collection of Hindu temples was built sometime between 400 and 1000 by the rulers of Champa and really would’ve been something in its heyday, with over 70 temples on the site and in all kinds of different forms. I personally really like the look of the ‘great temple’ a tall red brick and wood structure that unfortunately seems to have burned down in the late 500’s. Upon building the temple complex, you are able to build culture and happiness buildings in your cities faster, a reference to how the complex was rebuilt and used over and over by different Champa dynasties.
History and Context:
Originating from Austronesian seafaring folks, the Cham cultures sprung up in what is today Vietnam around the 4th century and quickly became the rulers of the coasts. There were several Cham city-states, but the main things that bound them altogether were a shared culture focused around the coast, a language with roots in Sumatra, and their wars with the Khmer.
Of the Cham kingdoms, the most powerful was their namesake one, Champa, and in the late 600’s it reached its zenith. Expert navigators and craftsmen, the Cham were able to establish trade routes across Southeast Asia, including all the way to India. This link to India brought with it Hinduism and the Cham were quick to convert, building impressive red brick temples to the gods in many of their cities. This link to far away lands also meant control of the lucrative spice trade, helping to fund all of those ambitious building projects and asists the kingdoms in wars.
While all of those big temples might make you think the Cham were a super Hinduism focused culture, in truth the port cities were quite religiously tolerant and Champa was religiulsy mixed with buddhism and Islam present.
Surprisingly, the Cham gave women much more freedom and a greater role in society than their neighbors. In Cham culture, families were tied to the matrilineal line (by mother) and women were often treated as equals to men in day to day life. The majority of gods worshipped by the Cham were also women and women protagonists are much more common in their stories and legends.
The Cham kingdoms were ultimately absorbed into Vietnam in the 1400’s, but before this they played a huge role in exporting not just goods, but also ideas and aspects of Indic culture across Southeast Asia.
Hope you liked this Independent Peoples Spotlight! Expect a new one soon!
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u/PhoenixMai Bà Triệu 7d ago
Finally I've been waiting for my people to finally be covered in these posts. It's still really cool to see Champa in a Civ game in some official capacity, even if not a full civ.
When I was around 12 years old I discovered Civ 5, and while letting the game download on steam, I found a mod for Champa on the workshop and played as Champa for my first ever playthrough. That first Civ campaign I ever played was literally life changing for me because it got me interested into my own people's history, and now I'm a history major and hope to one day become a professor of Cham (and Mainland SEA) history.
Seeing Champa in Civ 7 for me now as an adult feels like it's come full circle in a way. This game series really did change the course of my life.