People, Places, and Cultures

CAMBODIAOuk! pg 20 • Holy Hot Pink Caterpillars pg. 34

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People, Places, and Cultures

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A D V I S O R Y B O A R D

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Curriculum Frameworks and Instructional Resources Office, California

Department of Education

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Middle Eastern Studies

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Teacher Quality, University of Arkansas

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Boston University

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University

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Editorial and Marketing office: FACES, Cricket Media, 70 E. Lake Street, Suite 800, Chicago, IL, 60601. Tel: 312-701-1720.FACES: People, Places, and Cultures (ISSN 0749-1387) (USPS 743-910) is published monthly with combined issues in May/June, July/August, and November/December by Cobblestone Publishing, a division of Cricket Media, 70 E. Lake Street, Suite 800, Chicago, IL, 60601. Tel: 312-701-1720. Periodicals postage paid at McLean, VA, and at additional mailing offices. One-year subscription (9 issues) $33.95; $15 additional per year outside the U.S. (includes Canadian GST/HST). Please remit in U.S. funds (GST #130428204). Prices subject to change. Back issue prices available on request. For SUBSCRIPTIONS, CHANGE OF ADDRESS, and ADJUSTMENTS, write to FACES at Cricket Media, PO Box 6395, Harlan, IA 51593. Please give both new address and old address as printed on last label. Allow six to eight weeks for change of address. POSTMASTER: Please send change of address to FACES, Cricket Media, PO Box 6395, Harlan, IA 51593.Copyright ©2016 by Cricket Media. All rights reserved. Reproduction of the whole or any part of the content is illegal without written permission from the publisher. Not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts or other material. All letters assumed for publication become the property of Cricket Media. For information regarding our privacy policy and compliance with the Children’s On-line Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), please visit our web site at www.cobblestonepub.com or write to Cricket Media/ COPPA, Cricket Media, 70 E. Lake Street, Suite 800, Chicago, IL, 60601. Editorial correspondence: FACES, Cricket Media, 70 E. Lake Street, Suite 800, Chicago, IL, 60601. Printed in the United States of America.

1st printing Quad Graphics Midland, Michigan August 2016

ABOUT THE COVER Cambodia is a country on the rise.

After decades of unrest, this Southeast

Asian country is using education and

technology to improve the lives of its

citizens. Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock.com

PHOTO?MYSTERY

Do you know what this is? Answer is on page 48.

C

FEATURES8Recovering from Wars

by Colette Weil Parrinello

12A Time to Celebrate by Kathiann M. Kowalski

16 The Cultural Rebirth of Cambodia by Christine Graf

20Ouk! by Donna O’Meara

22Swallowed by the Jungle: Unearthing Angkor Wat by Pat Betteley

26Dangerous Ground: Landmines in Cambodia by Christine Graf

30Leng Ouch Fights to Save Forests by Colette Weil Parrinello

34Holy Hot Pink Caterpillars . . . by Kathryn Hulick

42The Final King of Angkor Wat retold by Pat Betteley

DEPARTMENTS

12

30

34ACTIVITIES

37 Cambodian Crossword41 Fallen Proverb

CONTEST 36 Cambodian Art Contest

2 High 54 At a Glance6 Critter Corner29 Where in the World? 38 A Closer Look41 Face Facts 46 Art Connection48 Guest Review48 Editor’s Pick49 One Last Face

26

HIGH FIVE

2

Visiting Cambodia

Cambodia is a country recovering from a turbulent recent

past, but it is also a country with a glorious past that

includes the ancient city of Angkor. Here are five facts

about this Southeast Asian country to get you started on

your journey.

1. Nearly 2 million people were murdered during the Khmer

Rouge reign of Cambodia in the 1970s. Most of those killed

were educated or professional people. The country is still

dealing with the repercussions of these killings.

2. Bon Om Tuk, or the Water Festival, celebrates

the receding of the Tonle Sap lake back into the

Mekong River. It marks the beginning of the

annual fishing season.

Fishing on the Tonle Sap is an important industry in Cambodia.

3

3. Angkor Wat is one of the most

recognizable sites in the world. The temple

was built around 1113 by a powerful Khmer

ruler to honor the Hindu god, Vishnu, and

took workers 35 years to complete.

4. During more than 30 years of armed

conflict, four to six million mines were

laid in Cambodia. Approximately 20,000

Cambodians have been killed by landmines

(half of them children), and another 40,000

have been severely injured or maimed. One

in every 290 Cambodians is an amputee.

5. Cambodia’s warm, wet climate is perfect

for growing rice. It is the country’s most

important crop and the Cambodian phrase

for “eat,” sii bay, means, “to eat rice” when

translated literally.

4

map by Mary Rostad

Kampong Cham

Oudong

PHNOM PENH

Kampong Luong

Tonlé Sap

Siem ReapAngkor

Pursat

Koh Kong

Battambang

Poipet

Pailin

KampotSihanoukville

Anlong Veng

CAMBODIA

THAILAND

Gulf of

Thailand

5

CambodiaOfficial Name: Kingdom of Cambodia

Area: 69,898 square miles (181,035 square kilometers), about the size of Missouri

Capital: Phnom Penh

Population: 15.7 million (July 2015 estimate)

People: Khmer, 90 percent; Vietnamese, 5 percent; Chinese, 1 percent; others, 4 percent

Official Language: Khmer; English and French are also spoken

Religions: Buddhist, 96.9 percent; Muslim, 1.9 percent; other, 1.2 percent

Land: Cambodia’s most important geographical region is the central plain, which is flooded by the Mekong River to create fertile fields. The flooding makes this area perfect for growing rice and a variety of vegetables

Highest Point: Phnom Aural (5,948 feet, or 1,813 meters)

At a Glance

Stung Treng

Kratié

Kampong Cham

PHNOM PENH

Kampong Luong

Siem ReapAngkor

CAMBODIA

VIETNAM

South China Sea

LAOS

CRITTER CORNER

6

“Look, up in the tree. It’s a pinecone!”

“It’s an anteater.”

“No, it’s a Pangolin!”

Also known as the Malayan or Javan

Pangolin, this armored mammal feeds entirely

on ants and termites it finds in forests and

plantations in Southeast Asia. With its strong

sense of smell, the Pangolin seeks out its prey,

tears into an ant nest or termite mound with

powerful claws, and gathers insects with its

sticky tongue that is longer than its entire body.

No need for teeth, the adult Pangolin swallows

its dinner whole — at the rate of about 200,000

ants or termites per day, or 70 million insects a

year. Talk about effective pest control!

Though its body is covered by rows of

scales, the Pangolin is actually a mammal,

not a reptile. The tough scales are made of

by Pat Betteley

This historic scientific illustration of a cod is from 1796.

Image from the Biodiversity Heritage Library. Digitized by Harvard University, MCZ, Ernst Mayr Library

a compressed, hair-like material called keratin,

the same protein that makes up human hair

and fingernails. As its belly lacks scales, the

Pangolin protects itself by rolling into a ball when

threatened. Like the skunk, it can also emit a foul

odor. The Pangolin is nocturnal (feeds at night),

and spends its days resting in tree holes or hiding

among plant leaves. The Pangolin is a good

climber with a prehensile (grasping) tail that is

so powerful it can hang upside down from tree

branches. Other handy adaptations are special

muscles that seal the Pangolin’s nostrils and ears

closed to protect them from swarming insects.

The Sunda Pangolin (scientific name Manis

javanica) has been classified with anteaters,

aardvarks, and armadillos for obvious reasons.

However, after more extensive DNA testing, some

scientists now believe that Pangolins are actually

Scaly anteater of Cambodia

The Sunda Pangolin

A Pagolin’s scales

are made of a

compressed, hair-

like material called

keratin.

7

more closely related to raccoons and

giant pandas.

Though most people think of the

elephant or rhino as poster animals for

illegal trade in wildlife, the little known

Pangolin is actually the most frequently

trafficked (captured and sold illegally)

mammal, according to wildlife experts.

Pangolin meat is considered a delicacy

in parts of China, and its scales are used

to treat skin diseases. In fact, Pangolins

have been traded for hundreds of years.

In 1820, King George III of England was

presented with a suit of armor made from

Pangolin scales. Customs officers seize

thousands of Pangolins and hundreds

of pounds of scales each year. These

illegal shipments are cleverly buried

beneath dog biscuits or falsely labeled as,

“communications equipment,” or even

“frozen fish.” Though Cambodia has laws

against hunting Pangolins, enforcement

is often weak. The temptation for local

poachers in poor areas to catch and sell

Pangolins (which sell for high prices on

the national and international market) is

strong. Also, Pangolins prefer to live in

tree hollows in undisturbed forests, which

are rapidly disappearing. Because of

these factors, the Pangolin population in

Southeast Asia has crashed in many areas,

and the species is considered critically

endangered. Conservation groups are

focusing on preventing poaching, ending

illegal trade, and protecting their habitat

so Pangolins don’t become extinct before

people even realize they exist!

This historic scientific illustration of a cod is from 1796.

STATSScientific name: Manis javanica

Diet: ants and termites

Average Life Span: unknown how long they

live in the wild; some live up to 20 years in

captivity

Size: between 12 and 39 inches long

Pagolins roll up in a ball to

protect their bellies, a spot

not covered in scales.

8 8

by Colette Weil Parrinello

Cambodia is a young democracy that struggles to modernize after decades of brutal wars. While Cambodia is among the poorest countries, it’s among the countries that have made the most rapid reduction in poverty, from 48 percent of the population in 2007 to 17 percent in 2015. Cambodians are a resilient people and look ahead to build a new future for their families. Once reduced to ghost towns, larger cities such as Phnom Penh and Battambang now bustle with new businesses, housing, and markets, while the economy continues to grow. The new parliamentary democratic monarchy has firmly declared that education is the key to jobs and poverty reduction.

recovering

In recent years, the Cambodian

government has made improvements

to the country’s education system.

a99

emerging from the civil warsCambodia endured decades of violence and

murder of its people. The radical communist

movement called the Khmer Rouge (DK) took

over Cambodia in 1974 turning the country into

a land where all the citizens worked together in

a government-owned collective rice-growing

machine. DK marched people out of the cities

into the countryside and murdered anyone

who was educated or professional and not a

peasant, nearly 2 million people — accountants,

teachers, government officials, religious people,

shopkeepers, doctors, nurses, hospital workers,

those who disagreed with the Khmer Rouge,

and foreigners. They emptied the schools

turning them into prisons, burned books, stores

and churches, ended money use, radio, TV and

newspapers, Buddhism, and individual freedoms.

The communist Vietnamese captured

Phnom Penh from the Khmer Rouge in 1979 and

occupied Cambodia until 1989. The Vietnamese

began rebuilding the cities, roads, hospitals,

and schools. Civil war continued until a peace

accord was signed in 1991.

As the country recovers, the results of this

devastation shadow the movement forward. It is

estimated that 7 million land mines were planted

throughout the country of which 1.6 million

have been removed. Every month around 80

people step on a mine.

Government TodayThe present day Cambodian government is a

fragile democracy structured as a parliamentary

recovering from wars

constitutional monarchy. In 1993 under the

guidance, funding, and protection of the United

Nations, Cambodians voted in their first free

democratic elections. A new constitution was

adopted that guarantees equal rights for men

and women, voting rights, ownership rights, and

defines the government.

In this governmental structure the executive

branch is composed of the king and the prime

minister. The king is a member of the royal

family and must be at least 30 years old. This

is a sacred role and a symbol of unity with no

power to rule or govern.

Legislative power lies with the parliament

that consists of the 120-member National

Assembly. The cabinet is led by the prime

minister and includes state ministers and state

secretaries. The Constitutional Council is a nine-

member council that interprets the constitution

and laws passed by the National Assembly.

A woman casts her vote

in a recent election.

10

New Jobs and Growing Industries

Cambodia has made strides in developing

industries and jobs. The economy has grown

steadily in the past ten years. Tourism to

Cambodia is the fastest growing industry.

Nearly five million people visited last year! The

garment, textiles, construction, fishing, timber

products, and agricultural industries are also

growing, along with mining in gold, bauxite,

iron, and gems.

Education is Crucial for the FutureCambodia lost an entire generation of

people, skills, and education to civil wars and

genocide — a quarter of the population. After

the Khmer Rouge eliminated all schools and

teachers, the communist Vietnamese brought

back some schools that included teaching

communist doctrine.

In 2000, the new government instituted

overall education reforms and made K-9th

grade education mandatory, including

preschool. With the help of worldwide

partners, they opened new schools.

There has been much progress. The

literacy rate for those 15 and over who

can read and write is at 77 percent of the

population, but the rate for females and

those living in rural areas is significantly

lower. The lack of trained teachers, supplies,

and schools that don’t offer up to six grades

hinders growth. Rural schools are especially

underfunded, may lack drinking water or

toilets, and can be located long distances

from a village.

Poverty forces children out of school.

Nearly 39 percent of children ages 5 – 14 work

due to the necessity to help their families. They

work as tour guides, in restaurants, and in fish

processing and cement plants. Others stay at

home to help on the farm.

During the Khmer Rouge, schools and

hospitals were turned into prisons.

Some rural schools still lack some basic

necessities such as drinking water.

11

A Country of Youth and Resilience Not only is Cambodia a country with a young

democracy, it is a country of young people. The

average age in Cambodia is 23 years old. In urban

areas, young people look for jobs, higher education

and opportunities. Urban people dress in Western

styles, have access to Internet, zip around on motor

scooters and in cars, and are surrounded by radio,

TV, and newspapers. In rural areas, young people

struggle in poverty with inadequate education

and opportunities. Their daily lives revolve around

gaining the necessities of adequate food, water,

education, housing, and sanitation.

Binding nearly every Cambodian is their

Buddhist faith, which stresses the temporary nature

of an earthly existence and emphasizes moderation

and self-improvement. A Cambodian’s lifestyle

pace is friendly, calm, and relaxed. They hold

deep respect for their elders, family, and personal

relationships.

The rest of the world can only honor this small

country and the resiliency of its people, beaten

and brutalized from wars, invaders, genocide,

and corruption, as they continue to make slow

progress to lift themselves into the modern

world.

FAST FACTS

• In modern Cambodia, there is a growing gulf

between the elite rich and the poor.

• During the Khmer Rouge all books, libraries,

and the written language were destroyed. The

National Library was converted to a stable. The

Library now contains more than 10,000 books.

• Students in schools learn their language,

Khmer, along with English as the official second

language.

Colette Weil Parrinello is a frequent writer for

children’s magazines and is a co-regional advisor

for the Society of Children’s Book Writers and

Illustrators.

11

Independence Monument in Phnom Penh commemorates

Cambodia’s independence from France.

12

Cambodian families celebrate Prachum Ben

by preparing special cakes and rice balls.

According to legend, the King of the Land of the

Dead allows spirits to visit their earthly relatives

during this festival to honor the memory

of Cambodians’ ancestors. Ceremonies for

Prachum Ben center on the country’s Buddhist

monasteries and temples.

The exact dates of Prachum Ben and certain

other Cambodian holidays depend on the cycles

of the moon. Prachum Ben usually occurs at

the end of September. In late April, Cambodians

celebrate Visak Bauchea, another religious

holiday that honors the Buddha’s birth and

enlightenment.

Later in the fall, excitement washes through

Cambodia as the country celebrates the Water

Festival (Bon Om Tuk). The festival celebrates

an extraordinary natural phenomenon. During

heavy summer rains, the Tonle Sap River flows

backwards into the Tonle Sap lake, which

is Southeast Asia’s largest freshwater lake.

Translated, Tonle Sap means “freshwater lake.”

The floodwaters expand the Tonle Sap lake up

A Time to Celebrate!By Kathiann M. Kowalski

Cambodian Buddhists burn batches of incense and

light candles during a festival in Phnom Penh.

13

A Time to Celebrate!

to ten times its normal size, to cover as much as

13,000 square kilometers. When the monsoons

taper off in October, water levels go down.

In late October or early November each

year, the Water Festival celebrates the annual

reversal of the Tonle Sap back into the Mekong

River. For the fishing industry, the Water Festival

ushers in the annual fishing season.

Each year, tens of thousands of Cambodians

celebrate the Water Festival in Phnom Penh

with colorful boat races. About 400 long boats

— some with 50 rowers each — compete in

the name of different pagodas and farming

communes. After the races, which last three

days, fireworks are set off and a lighted flotilla of

boats parades down the Tonle Sap River.

Other agricultural festivals are also cause for

celebration. Each year in mid May, Chrat Prea

Angkal, the Royal Plowing Ceremony, features

bulls pulling a decorated plow to mark the start

of rice-sowing season.

Civic and political holidays are cause for

celebration, too. Like many countries around

the world, Cambodians celebrate International

Labor Day on May 1. The United Nations’

Human Rights Day is observed on December 10.

Cambodia’s own Constitution Day is celebrated

on September 24. October 23 honors the Paris

Peace Agreements in Cambodia. Independence

Day on November 9 celebrates Cambodia’s

freedom from French rule. January 7 is Victory

Day over the violent Khmer Rouge regime. His

Majesty the King’s Birthday and Her Majesty the

Queen’s Birthday are also times for celebration.

His Majesty the King’s Birthday is marked by a

three-day observance. Children and women

have their own holidays as well. Women’s Day is

celebrated in March, and Children’s Day is in June.

Colorful parades highlight the Water Festival.

14

Cambodia has an official holiday

on January 1 for International New

Year’s Day, and ethnic Chinese and

Vietnamese in the country usually

celebrate Tet, the Chinese New Year, in

late January or early February. But the

biggest New Year’s celebration comes

in mid April with the traditional Khmer

holiday, Chaul Chhnam.

As it is bad luck to begin the

New Year with a messy house, each

family spends the last day of the old

year thoroughly cleaning their home

inside and out. The family statue of

the Buddha is gently washed, and

the home altar is lovingly decorated.

When New Year comes, families

visit the local temple and pray for

good fortune. Sprinkling the statue

of the Buddha with water is a way of

asking for extra good luck. Molding

little mounds of sand outside the

temple and mounting tiny flags

on top, Cambodians pray for a life

filled with as many days as there are

grains of sand. Children especially

enjoy making and decorating kites

from bamboo cloth. Using vegetable

dyes, they paint the cloth with

animal shapes or bold geometric

designs. Then they fly their unique

kite creations. Fireworks add a

wonderfully festive air to the New Year

as Cambodians exchange traditional

Buddhist greetings and wishes of

good luck. To add to the playful spirit,

Cambodians splash one another with

water. It can get very wet, but it is a

fun way for families and friends to start

the New Year together.

Row, row, row your boat! Boat races are held over

a three-day period during the Water Festival.

15

WORD HELPA pagoda (pa-GO-da) is

a Buddhist temple.

Fireworks light up the sky of the capital city during a festival.

°

16

Cambodian musicians Arn Chorn-Pond and

Youen Mek performed together at New York

City’s Lincoln Center in 2013. Mek taught Chorn-

Pond to play the flute in the late 1970s when he

was just a young boy. Their lessons didn’t take

place in a school or music studio; they took

place in a Khmer Rouge prison

camp. At the time, the thought of

one day performing together at

Lincoln Center would have seemed

ridiculous and unimaginable.

For most of Cambodia’s history,

the country’s performing artists

were highly respected. Members

of the royal family were dancers

and musicians, and the monarchy

recognized the importance of all

art forms. After the Khmer Rouge

The Cultural Rebirth of Cambodia

took power in 1975, all forms of art and music

were banned except for those that glorified the

government. Approximately 90 percent of all

Cambodian artists, dancers, and musicians were

killed, and the rest went into hiding or were

sent to prison camps.

Chorn-Pond came from a

family of artists and musicians

who ran an opera company for

generations. After his parents were

killed by the Khmer Rouge, he was

sent to a prison camp where he

learned to play the flute and the

khim, a small stringed instrument.

His flute teacher was Youen Mek,

and the two became friends and

watched out for one another.

Chorn-Pond believes his musical

by Christine Graf

A master musician teaches a student on a traditional instrument.

°

17

The Cultural Rebirth of Cambodia

talents saved his life. He saw children being

killed on a regular basis, but soldiers spared

his life because they enjoyed his music. Out

of 700 children, he was one of only 60 who

survived. Two of his own siblings died at the

camp from starvation, and the other nine

were killed by the Khmer Rouge.

He was eventually forced to become

a child soldier, but managed to escape

into the jungle. Months later, he made it

to the Thai border where he was found

unconscious and malnourished. It was

there that he met an American pastor who

adopted him and took him to the United

States.

Adjusting to life in the United States

was not easy for the orphaned Cambodian

teenager who didn’t speak English and

had never attended school. With the

support of his new family, he was able to

graduate from high school and college. In

the mid-1990s, 32-year-old Chorn-Pond

returned to Cambodia. He found just one

surviving member of his family, a cousin

who had been trained in opera by Chorn-

Pond’s father. He had a feeling that Youen

Mek might still be alive, and he searched the

streets for months before finding his former

flute teacher.

“Even after 25 years, we recognized

each other immediately,” says Chorn-Pond.

“He was on the street under a makeshift

roof, cutting hair for a living. We hugged,

and he cried. He begged me to help

him play and teach music again.” When

Chorn-Pond returned home to America, he

knew he had to do something to preserve

Cambodian’s traditional performing art

forms before they were lost forever.

In 1998, he established The Cambodian

Master Performers Program (now called

Cambodian Living Arts) to support

Without the hard work of the Cambodian Living Arts organization,

many of the country’s traditional arts would be lost.

The musical group Mango Dream combines

traditional Cambodian music with Mediterranean jazz.

°

Cambodia’s surviving master performing

artists. He returned to Cambodia and searched

villages and city streets for master artists who

had survived the genocide. He found several

including one of Cambodia’s greatest opera

singers. She was drunk and lying in a ditch

when he found her, and he convinced her

that she could sing again. She, Chorn-Pond’s

cousin, Youen Mek, and several other master

artists joined the program and were given

salaries, health benefits, instruments, and

teaching space in their provinces. They

worked one on one with students who

were paid small stipends to help support their

families. Since 1998, hundreds of students

from nine different provinces have been taught

by 30 different master teachers. The program

has helped to keep traditional forms of art and

dance alive in Cambodia and has served as a

bridge between generations.

Chorn-Pond began his program at the same

time that Cambodia’s newly-established Ministry

of Culture and Education began working to

restore art and culture to the country. The task

has been difficult because most of the country’s

performing art forms were never documented.

Instead, they were passed from one generation

to the next. This has been especially problematic

for the Cambodian Royal Ballet, which has

existed for more than 1,000 years. Only 20 of

its dancers and five of its teachers survived the

Khmer Rouge, and they had to rely entirely

on their memories to recreate complicated

dances that involve thousands of graceful hand

movements. Sadly, some of their history can

never be recovered.

18

Dancers perform a contemporary dance at the Festival of Chapei in Phnom Penh.

°

Although Cambodia has

a long way to go to reclaim

what it lost at the hands of

the Khmer Rouge, the people

remain determined. They value

their art and culture and believe

that it is the very soul of their

beloved nation. And it is that art

and culture that is helping to

heal their own wounded souls.

FAST FACTS:• Chorn-Pond is the founder of the

Khmer Magic Music Bus,

which transports master musicians

and their students to villages

throughout the country so that

they can perform.

• Many of the masters that Chorn-

Pond found in Cambodia were

near death when he found them

and brought them to hospitals.

19

Dancers perform a contemporary dance at the Festival of Chapei in Phnom Penh.

"The Fishing" is a folk dance performed

during festivals and other celebrations.

Many of Cambodia’s dances have been

performed for hundreds of years.

20

Board games are a great way to engage

in friendly competition while developing

strategic and problem-solving skills. One of

the most popular board games in the world is

chess. No one knows where chess originated,

but it is believed to be a very ancient game.

It may have been invented in India as early as

the seventh century.

Around the world, the game board,

pieces, and rules of what is commonly called

international chess are all the same. But

Cambodians like to play their own traditional,

national form of chess. Cambodian chess,

called Ouk Chhoeu trang (uke chow-oo

by Donna O’Meara

Ouk!trang), is the most popular game in the country.

Ouk Chhoeu trang can be traced to the

ancient Khmer civilization of Angkor Wat. During

the ninth century, Angkor Wat was a thriving

cultural metropolis, and chess pieces, which

were shaped from gleaming bronze, reflected

that wealth. Today, Cambodian chess pieces

are carved from wood. The word for wood in

Cambodian is Chhoeu.

The object of both traditional and

Cambodian chess is to force a position called

“checkmate” in which the enemy king can

be captured. Ouk is a word that mimics the

sound the chess piece makes when it taps

Chess is an ancient game and has many variations around the world.

21

the board during checkmate. Cambodian

chess players must say “ouk” when they

“check” their rival’s king to win the game.

(In international chess, the player must say

“checkmate.”)

The board is composed of 64 side-by-

side dark and light squares. Two players

compete to win in international chess. In

Cambodian chess, two teams of players

duel for the rival king.

As in international chess, each team

begins with 16 pieces that include: eight

pawns called trey (fish); two rooks called

tuuk (boats); two knights called ses (horses);

two bishops called koul (generals); one

queen called neang and a king called ang.

The wooden pieces resemble international

chess pieces in shape, but a light or dark

wood differentiates the sides instead of pieces

being white and black. Two different types of

cowrie shells may be used to represent the

trey pawns. Cowrie shells have a polished,

colorful appearance. The chessboard is set

up traditionally with 16 dark pieces lined up

in two rows on one side of the board and 16

light pieces lined up on the other. The game is

won when the ang is checkmated. There is no

point-tallying system in Cambodian chess; the

game is won, lost or, if there is no clear winner,

a draw is called.

Each team begins with 16 pieces.

22

Wading across swamps and cutting

through the dense Cambodian jungle

was all part of the job for Henri Mouhot

(moo-OH) in 1860. He was a French explorer

and scientist collecting samples of local plant

life for Britain’s Royal Geographical Society. After

hearing rumors of a mysterious lost city and

monuments hidden deep in the jungle, Henri

hired a local guide to take him to the spot. He

described the eerie mood at the site. “Hardly

a sound echoes but the roar of tigers, the

harsh cry of elephants and wild stags,” he said.

Among vines and tree roots, the “size of an

elephant’s legs” that choked the stone ruins,

Henri gazed at the remains of a great city that

lie in northern Cambodia, in a region called

Angkor (ANG-kor).

Angkor first arose in the early 800s CE

(Common Era), and reached its peak in the

1100s and 1200s. It was the home of rulers, as

well as a center of culture, business, and religion

for the Khmer (kuh-MEHR) Empire. The city was

very well planned, with advanced networks for

storing and distributing water, grand temples,

and galleries with detailed artwork.

Angkor’s largest and most famous temple

is Angkor Wat (ANG-kor WAHT). “It is grander

than anything left to us by Greece or Rome,”

Mouhot reported. The temple was built around

1113 by a powerful Khmer ruler to honor the

Hindu god, Vishnu, and took workers 35 years

to complete. (The structure has since been used

as a Buddhist temple, also.)

Today, Angkor Wat is one of the largest

ancient structures in the world. It is actually

more of a mini-city than a temple, containing a

by Pat Betteley

whole complex of buildings. Archaeologists tell us

that Angkor Wat is a magnificent example of the

Temple Mountain design, which is deeply tied to

the Hindu faith. The large pyramid-shaped temple

stands for Mount Meru. (In Hindu mythology,

Mount Meru is a golden mountain that stands

in the middle of the universe. It is home to the

gods.) Each of the five huge towers at Angkor Wat

represents one of the mountain’s peaks. A moat

around the temple represents the ocean. Lining

the walkway that crosses the grounds is a railing

carved to look like a snake. Three-dimensional

pictures called reliefs are carved on stonewalls in

the temple. These reliefs help archaeologists see

how Angkor’s ancient residents dressed, how they

played games, and even the type of wildlife found

in the Cambodian jungle surrounding Angkor

(monkeys and peacocks).

“What has become of this powerful people,

so civilized, so enlightened, the authors of these

gigantic works?” Mouhot wondered. Historians

have some theories about what caused Angkor

to mysteriously collapse sometime between the

1300s and 1400s. Some believe that Cambodia’s

climate changed drastically causing problems

with farming and food supply. Others think that

the population just grew too large for farms

to support them. (It is believed that Angkor

supported up to a million people at the peak

of the Khmer Empire.) Eventually, in 1431,

armies from neighboring Thailand attacked and

conquered the weakened Angkor.

In the centuries after the collapse of Angkor,

the soft sandstone buildings eroded, enormous

trees sprung up among towers and courtyards,

and undergrowth and tropical rains destroyed

23

A monk’s brightly colored robe can be

seen in a passageway of Angkor Wat.

Angkor Wat took about 35 years to complete.

Today the site is a major tourist attraction

as well as a religious destination.

24

For Position Only! Members of the

Basque club of Miami compete in a

friendly game of tug-of-war, or sokatira.

all written records. In the early 1900s, local

Cambodian craftsmen and archaeologists

became interested in the ancient site. They

began to fit fallen rocks back into position like

a giant jigsaw puzzle. Bit-by-bit, they repaired

temples and bridges, uncovered sunken

gardens, and dug out moats. The stone gods

were mended, and experts in Khmer and

Sanskrit translated many inscriptions engraved

on Angkor’s buildings to slowly reveal the

mysteries of the Khmer.

In the 1960s, Cambodia was torn by

civil war. There was a lot of violence in the

country, and no one guarded the monuments

at Angkor. People stole statues and carvings

from the site, and sold them for large amounts

of money. A radical group then took control

of Cambodia in 1975. The workers at Angkor

were forced to leave, weapons were stored in

the monuments, and a bomb hit part of the

temple. After the area became more stable in

1992, The United Nations Educational, Scientific,

and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) got

involved at Angkor, and gave the Cambodian

government extra help conserving Angkor’s

monuments.

By 2007, new radar images of the Angkor

settlement showed that the Angkor site was

even larger than experts had thought. The

technology revealed the paths of many canals

25

For Position Only! Members of the

Basque club of Miami compete in a

friendly game of tug-of-war, or sokatira.

and more than one thousand ponds that

showed the Khmer watering system for farming

was larger than anyone had seen before.

Meanwhile, Angkor has become a great

tourist attraction, with hundreds of thousands of

international visitors each year. Buddhist monks

wearing bright orange robes visit the temple

regularly to pay their respects. Experts warn

that the huge numbers of visitors are placing a

lot of stress on the monuments and the land.

The challenge for the future will be to honor

Angkor’s majestic past, and keep it as a treasure

for the whole world to value and protect.

FAST FACTS:• In 1860, Henri

Mouhot described

Angkor’s sculptures

as the “work

of an ancient

Michaelangelo.”

• Winner of the

2015 Traveler’s

Choice Award for #1

Landmark in the Entire

World: Angkor Wat.

Angkor Wat is one of the largest ancient structures still standing.

26

“One less land mine, one less child without a leg.”

- Aki Ra

Dangerous Ground: Landmines

in Cambodia

Aki Ra doesn’t know when his birthday is. In fact, he isn’t even sure of

his age. He thinks he was born in 1970, a few years before his parents

were killed by the Khmer Rouge. He grew up at a Khmer Rouge work camp

where orphaned children were treated like slaves and forced to become child

soldiers. Each day they were also expected to bury at least 100 landmines,

small containers filled with explosive materials and fragments of sharp metal.

Landmines, heavily used since World War II, are buried just below ground

level or hidden where they aren’t easily seen. Originally used during warfare

to defend strategic locations and prevent enemies from using important roads

and bridges, they explode when stepped on or driven over. More recently,

landmines have been used to target civilians, restrict population movement,

and prevent access to farmland.

by Christine Graf

Dangerous Ground: Landmines in Cambodia

Large rats have been trained to sniff out landmines.

27

During more than 30 years of armed conflict, four to six million mines were laid

in Cambodia. Approximately 20,000 Cambodians have been killed by landmines (half

of them children), and another 40,000 have been severely injured or maimed. One in

every 290 Cambodians is an amputee.

Landmines are present in 50 percent of Cambodia’s villages, and 35 percent of

the country’s land is too dangerous to use. Cambodia’s agricultural production could

double if this land was safe to farm. Without landmines, people living in poor, rural

farming villages would have a chance for better lives. They would no longer have to

live in fear of taking one wrong step.

Because there are millions of unexploded landmines in Cambodia, the problem

has attracted international attention. In 1992, the United Nations sent peacekeepers

to the country to coordinate a demining operation. Aki Ra and other Cambodians

volunteered to work alongside the peacekeepers. After they left, he spent the next

15 years working on his own. Using just a knife and a stick, he removed and diffused

tens of thousands of mines — many of which he laid himself when he was a child.

After traveling to England for training in 2005, Aki Ra became an accredited deminer.

In 2008, he established a non-profit called Self Help Demining. Today, his team of

30 deminers works mostly in poor, rural farming villages. Although there are other

demining organizations operating in Cambodia, they typically work in areas that are

considered more high priority. Self Help Demining’s work has allowed more than

100,000 impoverished people to move onto land that was previously unusable.

Large rats have been trained to sniff out landmines.

Experts estimate that there are still

millions of unexploded landmines

buried throughout Cambodia.

28

Cambodia’s deminers use metal detectors

to detect mines, steel prods to gently loosen the

ground around them, and explosives to blow them

up. Their work is dangerous and painstakingly slow,

and metal detectors can’t distinguish between

landmines and other metal objects. It takes several

days for a deminer to clear a patch of land the size

of a tennis court. The cost associated with finding

and destroying one mine can be as high as $1,000.

The cost of the mine itself is as low as $3.

Specially-trained dogs have been successfully

used to locate mines, but each dog costs about

$40,000. Rats happen to be much cheaper. Yes,

rats! A Belgian non-profit demining organization

has successfully trained African giant pouched rats

to sniff out mines. These cat-sized rats have terrible

vision but an extraordinary sense of smell. Each rat

requires nine months of training at a cost of about

$6,500, but they are able to work for several years.

Rats are fitted with harnesses attached to ropes that

are laid out in grid patterns on parcels of land. They

walk from one end of the rope to the other while

sniffing the ground. Their noses are so sensitive that

they are able to detect as little as 1 ounce (29 g)

of explosives. Rats indicate the presence of a

mine by scratching at the ground. If their handler

discovers a mine in that location, the rat is given a

banana as a reward.

Rats have several advantages to humans

when it comes to mine detection. Unlike humans

using metal detectors, rats do not detect nails and

metal fragments. They also don’t weigh enough to

detonate mines even if they are standing directly

on top of them. These factors enable rats to work

much faster than humans. In just 30 minutes, a rat

can complete the amount of work that it could

take an entire day for a deminer to finish.

Although rats and dogs are helping with

Cambodia’s landmine problem, there are limited

numbers of these animals available. Experts

estimate that it could take up to 20 years for all

landmines to be cleared from the country, and

the work could not be done without people like

Aki Ra, a man who says, “My only goal in life is to

make my country safe for my people.”

About one in every 290

Cambodians is an amputee.

29

WHERE IN THE WORLD?

D

o yo

u kn

ow where this reader is enjoying her copy of FAC

ES?

HERE IS A HINT: This golden structure was

built in 1866.

The answer is on page 48.

29

FAST FACTS:• Aki Ra opened a landmine museum to

help fund his work, and he also runs an

orphanage for children.

• More than 100 million landmines have

been laid in 78 countries throughout the

world, and millions more are stockpiled

and available for use.

• Landmines have been used in every war

since 1938.

Aki Ra (third from the left) was recently honored

for his work to rid Cambodia of its landmines.

30

Environmental activist awarded 2016 Goldman Environmental Prize for exposing illegal logging and corruption by corporations and government.

Leng Ouch is like a secret agent working for

Cambodia’s rural people and the forest. He puts

his life in jeopardy to hunt down the corrupt

people who have robbed the country and its

people of their valuable land and trees. He’s an

environmental activist who goes undercover

to gather evidence on the uncontrolled illegal

logging activities. For his devotion and passion, he

was awarded the highest honor for environmental

activism, the 2016 Goldman Environmental Prize.

Environmental Devastation and Human

Suffering

Cambodia is losing its forests at an unparalleled

rate and has the fifth fastest rate of deforestation in

the world, primarily due to illegal logging. As one

of the poorest countries in the world, nearly one

fifth of Cambodians

live in dire poverty

on less than $1.25 a

day. Eighty percent

of the population live

in rural areas and rely

on forests for their

livelihood in small-scale

agriculture.

In the early 2000s,

the government started

issuing ELCs, Economic Land Concessions,

to stimulate the economy by giving large

corporations long-term agricultural land leases

to develop sugar and rubber plantations. But

these long-term leases were cover-ups for large

corporations’ illegal logging, the theft of local land

rights from rural farmers, and timber poaching in

the national parks. It is estimated that 90 percent

of the logging is illegal. The illegal timber is

being used for fuel for manufacturing and for the

valuable rosewood. The rosewood is smuggled

and sold illegally to Vietnam, Thailand, and China.

China uses the rosewood to feed their huge

appetite for hongmu furniture.

Ouch Puts His Life on the Line

Ouch is in constant deadly danger as he

exposes how illegal logging has devastated the

countryside. The illegal logging is among the

world’s greatest environmental disasters and has

stripped impoverished Cambodians of their only

source of survival. He’s used various disguises

such as a driver,

tourist, timber dealer,

laborer, dockworker

and cook to gain

evidence on corrupt

government officials,

LENG OUCH FIGHTS TO SAVE FORESTS

by Colette Weil Parrinello

Cambodia’s forests are being cut

down at an alarming rate.

31

the military and large corporations. During

his undercover work he takes photos, records

conversations of bribes and illegal deals,

and uses drones to document the illegal

forest clear-cutting. He posts the shocking

photos, videos, and recordings and receives

worldwide Internet, radio, and TV coverage.

He’s exposed criminal collusion between

government officials and timber companies.

Ouch and his family fear for their safety

and have been threatened by the military

police. Illegal timber poachers have killed

other environmental activists, park rangers,

and police. Ouch’s former colleague and

environmental activist, Chut Watty, was

murdered in 2012.

From Poor Family to Lawyer to Activist

Ouch was raised in a poor family, his father

a Pedi cab driver. During the Khmer Rouge,

Ouch struggled to get an education. He

knows how important the forests are to

Cambodia. The forest was his family’s source

of food and medicine. With hard work and

good grades he received a scholarship to law

school. As a lawyer he has devoted himself

to humanitarian work to help the poor and

uneducated for nearly 20 years. Five years

ago he set up his own non-profit, Cambodia

Human Rights Task Force (http://www.chrtf.

net/) to expose illegal logging and the loss

of land rights. Through Ouch’s efforts rural

communities patrol their forests and report

Leng Ouch puts his life in jeopardy to protect his

country’s forests.

An activist tries to prevent illegal logging in Cambodia.

illegal activity. He makes little money from his efforts.

The international attention Ouch has drawn to the pillage and loss

of land has put increasing scrutiny and pressure on the government.

In 2014, the government canceled 23 ELC’s including two that were

inside the Virachey National Park — an area that is supposed to be

federally protected.

For Ouch’s dedication, selflessness, and bravery to document the

corruption and speak out for the return of land to his countrymen, he

is one of six recipients to receive the 2016 Goldman Environmental

Prize, the world’s largest award recognizing and honoring grass roots

activism. Recipients are awarded $125,000.

Ouch is honored to receive the award but fears that the visibility

puts increasing pressure on his work and safety. He continues to

try and stop the government from issuing more forest clearing

concessions and seeks to have the government take back the land

from the logging companies and return it to the legal owners —

Cambodian citizens.

32

FAST FACTS: • “Even though I know my life is at risk, I still try to save the forest,” said

Leng Ouch. “If I don’t do this, who will?”

http://www.goldmanprize.org/recipient/leng-ouch/

• Cambodia has one of the worst rates of deforestation in the world.

There is less than 50 – 60 percent of the forest left, less than 1,200

square miles, from the clear cutting starting in the 2000s.

• Clear cutting began under the Khmer Rouge as a form of revenue to

fund the war and continues today. Deadly landmines are still in many of

the clear-cut areas.

• Poor rural people not only lose their land, but illegal clear-cutting

drives the loss of habitat, decreases the quantity and health of wildlife

and the flow of rivers and fish quantities, drives rapid erosion, and cuts

fresh water access.

33

34

HOLY HOT PINK If you want to meet a striped rabbit, a

poisonous dragon millipede, or a frog with

green blood and turquoise bones, travel on

over to the Greater Mekong region in Southeast

Asia. This corner of the world including

Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam,

and some of China is packed with fascinating

critters.

According to a report by the World

Wildlife Fund (WWF), 1,068 new species have

been found there in just ten years! Here’s the

breakdown: 519 plants, 279 fish, 88 frogs, 88

spiders, 46 lizards, 22 snakes, 15 mammals, four

birds, four turtles, two salamanders, and a toad.

“Who knows what else is out there waiting

to be discovered, but what’s clear is that there

is plenty more where this came from,” says

Stuart Chapman, head of the WWF networks

Greater Mekong Program.

The Greater Mekong is also home to river

dolphins, Asian elephants, tigers, Javan rhinos,

and the largest freshwater fish in the world: the

Mekong giant catfish measuring nearly nine feet

long and weighing more than 600 pounds. But

this biodiversity hot spot is in danger. As the

human population grows, factories and farmland

threaten local wildlife.

The WWF plans to work with local

governments and businesses to protect the

environment while still helping the economy.

WWFs report, First Contact in the Greater

Mekong, illustrates just how rich this region is in

newly discovered life. Colorful caterpillars and

freaky frogs are only the beginning! Scientists

browsing a food market in Laos discovered

a species of rock rat everybody thought had

been extinct for 11 million years, and officially

identified the “new” species in 2005. The world’s

largest huntsman spider (Heteropoda maxima),

which has up to a foot-long leg span, was also

discovered in Laos and named in 2001. A black

and white striped krait from Vietnam (Bungarus

slowinskii) joined the black mamba and spitting

cobra in a growing family of super-deadly snakes

in 2005. And in 2000, scientists discovered a new

mammal, a truly rare occurrence these days!

The furry, black and brown Annamite striped

rabbit (Nesolagus timminsi) lives in Vietnam and

Laos. And then there’s that dragon millipede

(Desmoxytes purpurosea) from Thailand added

to the list of new species in 2007. This hot pink,

spiny, creepy-crawly protects itself with the

deadly poison cyanide! Are you still sure you

want to travel to the Greater Mekong?

by Kathryn Hulick

The wildlife found in Asia’s Greater Mekong region

ranges from bizarre to beautiful.

35

HOLY HOT PINK CATERPILLARS . . .

Mekong river dolphins are a

threatened species throughout the

region.

It’s easy to see how the Mekong

giant catfish got its name!

36

YOUR TURNThe Greater Mekong region is home to amazing wildlife. Imagine you are a scientist studying the area and you have discovered a new species of colorful frog. Show us what this frog would look like!

Frog Name __________________________________

Have your parent or legal guardian send us a high-resolution image of your creation to

faces@cricketmedia.com by October 10, 2016. Be sure the email includes your name, age,

and hometown, and states that “Cricket Media may publish the attached image in print

and online, and I am authorized to provide.”

37

Answers are on page 48.

37

CAMBODIAN Crossword

Down2. river that floods creating Cambodia’s fertile fields3. Cambodia’s official language4. an armored mammal that eats ants and termites5. Ouk Chhoeu trang is a version of this game6. a Buddhist temple

Across1. festival that honors the memory of Cambodia’s ancestors (two words)6. capital of Cambodia (two words)7. Southeast Asia’s largest freshwater lake (two words)8. Cambodia’s most important crop9. ancient Cambodia’s most famous and largest temple (two words)

38

A CLOSER LOOK Ricecompiled by Carolee Miot McIntosh

Rice is the most important crop in Cambodia, and throughout Asia. In fact, for about half the world’s population it is the main food.

The Cambodian word for “eat,” sii bay, means, “to eat rice” when translated literally.

Rice is ideally suited to grow in Cambodia’s warm, wet climate.

According to the Rice Association, there are more than 40,000 different varieties of rice, but only a small variety is sold.

39

How did the custom of throwing rice at a wedding begin? Rice is a symbol of fertility and abundance.

Brown rice is better for you nutritionally than white rice.

Rice is grown on every continent except Antarctica.

The consumption of rice has been traced back to 5000 B.C. in several countries including China and India.

Sake is an alcoholic drink made by fermenting rice. It is the national beverage of Japan.

A deep bowl with a tiny hole in the center floats in a bucket of water hidden inside the elephant. The bowl pulls a system of strings attached to the tower atop the elephant.

The phoenix atop the tower spins and releases a metal ball from a box beneath it, into the serpent’s open mouth.

The serpent tips forward, pulling the sunken bowl out of the water via the inner-pulley system.

The ball runs through the serpent’s body, dropping it out the opposite end into a vase.

The elephant driver is made to strike the beast, which sounds a chime, indicating the half-hour mark.

The serpent tips back to its rested position, which submerges the bowl inside again, and the cycle repeats for each metal ball.

Explore a tradition in your community and share it with the world.

CHALLENGE BEGINSAugust 1st!

GLOBAL

2016 3rd Annual

FOLKLORIST CHALLENGE

challenges.epals.com/folklife2016

When you’re here, it’s OK to dwell on the past.

Subscribe at Shop.CricketMedia.com/Try-Dig

Syria

: The

Ele

phan

t Clo

ck, f

rom

al J

azar

i’s ‘B

ook

of K

now

ledg

e of

Inge

niou

s M

echa

nica

l Dev

ices

’ (13

15 C

E) /

Pict

ures

from

His

tory

/ Br

idge

man

Imag

es

™

I N T O H I S T O R Y

Where history and archeology meet.

Al-Jazari’s 12th-century clock is an elephant that won’t let you forget.A deep bowl with a tiny hole in the center floats in a bucket of water hidden inside the elephant. The bowl pulls a system of strings attached to the tower atop the elephant.

The phoenix atop the tower spins and releases a metal ball from a box beneath it, into the serpent’s open mouth.

The serpent tips forward, pulling the sunken bowl out of the water via the inner-pulley system.

The ball runs through the serpent’s body, dropping it out the opposite end into a vase.

The elephant driver is made to strike the beast, which sounds a chime, indicating the half-hour mark.

The serpent tips back to its rested position, which submerges the bowl inside again, and the cycle repeats for each metal ball.

Explore a tradition in your community and share it with the world.

CHALLENGE BEGINSAugust 1st!

GLOBAL

2016 3rd Annual

FOLKLORIST CHALLENGE

challenges.epals.com/folklife2016

When you’re here, it’s OK to dwell on the past.

Subscribe at Shop.CricketMedia.com/Try-Dig

Syria

: The

Ele

phan

t Clo

ck, f

rom

al J

azar

i’s ‘B

ook

of K

now

ledg

e of

Inge

niou

s M

echa

nica

l Dev

ices

’ (13

15 C

E) /

Pict

ures

from

His

tory

/ Br

idge

man

Imag

es

™

I N T O H I S T O R Y

Where history and archeology meet.

Al-Jazari’s 12th-century clock is an elephant that won’t let you forget.

Fallen Proverb

by Janise Gates

41

Face facts

Jumbled below you will find a well-known Cambodian proverb. The letters are directly below the column in which they fit, but are mixed up within the column. It is your job to determine where each letter goes.

Answer is on page 48.

The traditional greeting

in Cambodia is called

Sompiah. The gesture

includes a slight bow with

the hands together in

front of the chest, with the

fingers pointed up.

T N N D U A D N G T Y T

E I G H E T L D O W M

D G S A R H U A I C E A N H

L A N O R Y S M R E R N A S A N

42 42

CHARACTERS:

Narrator 1, Narrator 2, Tiger, Gibbon,

Water Buffalo, Gecko, Elephant, Pangolin, Snake

Narrator 1: Four animals sat gazing at the ruins of ancient

Angkor Wat.

Tiger: Look at those old stone carvings of kings. Kings in

parades. Kings at feasts. Kings fighting battles. I would have

been a fine king, with my amazing strength.

Gibbon: Muscles are not always the answer. I would have

been a finer king than you, as I would rule with compassion

and kindness.

Water Buffalo: What makes a fine ruler is strength of

character. If I were king, nothing could make me give up.

Gecko: What about bravery? I would have been a great

warrior who was fearless in battle.

Elephant: Many qualities are necessary to be a good

king – including strength, kindness, diligence, and

bravery.

Gibbon: Where did you come from, Elephant? I did not

see you sitting there.

Elephant: Never mind. Go to the temple on that hilltop to

find out if you are truly worthy to be king,

Water Buffalo: What temple? Do you mean that ruin over

there?

Gecko: I have been all over this jungle, but I have

never seen that ruin before.

RETOLD BY PAT BETTELEY

ILLUSTRATED BY KATIE CANTRELL

4343

Tiger: No matter. I shall beat you to the hill!

Gibbon: You will not get there before me!

Water Buffalo: I am determined to win!

Gecko: I will see you at the top!

Narrator 2: Tiger raced through the jungle. He came

to a swamp guarded by a fierce Snake. The enormous

reptile was coiled, ready to strike. Tiger took one mighty

leap, sailed over Snake’s head, and ran on.

Narrator 1: Next, Tiger came across a bird with a

broken wing. He pretended not to hear Crane’s calls for

help, and hurried on. Meanwhile, Gibbon had swung

through the trees until he met the snake.

Gibbon: You seem to be tangled in the branches. I will

help you.

Narrator 2: After untangling Snake’s coils, Gibbon

hurried off toward the hill. But soon, the monkey got

tired. He spied a Pangolin plodding through the jungle.

Gibbon: Can I hitch a ride?

Pangolin: Hop on, friend.

Narrator 1: Water Buffalo pushed tirelessly through the

jungle until she heard a hissing voice.

Snake: Do not fear. I will let you pass.

Water Buffalo: I would like to believe you, but slinky,

slithery, creatures terrify me. I will go a different route!

Narrator 2: Water Buffalo was determined to finish,

but she had to trek around the far edge of the swamp

through a tangle of twisted trees. Gecko, too, found the

Snake barring his way.

44 44

Gecko: I am not afraid. You are too slow to catch

me!

Narrator 1: Gecko dodged his way past Snake and

ran on toward the distant hill. Finally, the four animals

arrived at the temple on the hilltop.

Tiger: Is that you, Elephant?

Gibbon: I thought we left you at the ruins with all

the carved kings.

Water Buffalo: Yes, how did you beat us here?

Gecko: Very curious.

Elephant: You have done well, friends. Each has

reached the top of the hill. But your journeys have

revealed your strengths and weaknesses.

Tiger: What do you mean? Am I not the mightiest?

Elephant: Clearly, yes. Your strength allowed you to

escape danger and be the first to reach the top of

the hill.

Tiger: (roaring in triumph) Then I am the WINNER!

Elephant: But, you ignored Crane’s call for help along

the way. You lack compassion for others. There was

another who was kind to a stranger, though.

Gibbon: (nodding) It was I.

Elephant: But you tired quickly, choosing to ride

on the back of another rather than make your own

way. One animal was determined to run the race by

herself, though. She kept going tirelessly.

Water Buffalo: (snorting proudly) You noticed.

4545

Elephant: However, you lacked the courage to face

your fears. You let the Snake force you far from the path.

Another of you was bravest. He faced a terrible foe

without fear.

Gecko: (chirping happily) You are talking about me.

Elephant: Unfortunately, you were foolish not to

realize the danger you were in. You were actually

in great peril, and lacked the wisdom to understand

your situation.

Narrator 2: The animals took a walk down the path

to think about Elephant’s words. They realized that

none of them had all the qualities of a great king.

When they returned to the temple, Elephant was

gone. But all around them were wondrous carvings

of an ancient Elephant King: scenes of strength,

kindness, diligence, and bravery.

Tiger: I will try to be more considerate, like

the King.

Gibbon: I will work on not being lazy.

Water Buffalo: I must overcome my fears.

Gecko: And I will learn to be less foolhardy.

Narrator 1: All of the animals learned

something about being a good leader that

day. And they never forgot their meeting with

the final king of Angkor Wat.

WORD HELP

• Diligence is careful and persistent work.

• A pangolin is a scaly mammal that eats ants.

• Foolhardy means to act recklessly or without thinking.

46

Art Cambodian StyleCambodians are in the midst of rebuilding

the arts in their country. With support from

the government and tourism they have opened

a University of Fine Arts, collected important

pieces of art, and are preserving traditional

Cambodian ways of making art. One important

artist, Chhim Sothy has helped to preserve

traditional Cambodian style in his paintings. An

example of his style and message can be found

in his painting Please Let There Be Peace. He

draws our attention to a human figure holding a

dove by painting them white and placing them

in the center of the painting. Then he surrounds

the painting with beautiful swirling designs and

shapes that are repeated throughout the painting.

To keep us looking, he hides a few surprises here

and there inside the swirls, such as pieces of

fruit, lotus flowers, and even a snake. He uses a

black background and just a few complimentary

colors of orange and blue to create a powerful

impression. His painting has a clear message –

his desire for peace even in the midst of chaos

or uncertainty. You can make a painting in a

traditional Cambodian style too.

Materials:

Drawing paper

Drawing pencils

Colored pencils

Black fine liner pen (optional)

Step 1: Choose a Theme

Think of a theme you would like to

communicate, something that is important to

you. An example might be kindness or fairness.

Step 2: Create a Central Figure

Choose a central figure that will communicate

your theme. It could be a human figure or

something else. Is there a common symbol that

represents your theme? Draw your figure near

the center of your piece.

Step 3: Fill in the Space

Look at the space surrounding your central figure.

What shapes or patterns could you create to fill in

the space around it without taking away from its

importance? One way to do this might be making

the shapes and designs a different size than the

central figure. To create a sense of harmony in

your work, repeat a few of the same gestures

or pencil lines. Is there a shape or symbol that

you could hide inside your design? It could be

something that represents the opposite of your

theme. For example, Chhim Sothy hides a snake

in his picture, which represents the opposite of

peace.

Step 4: Choose Colors

Imagine a color scheme that will compliment

your theme. Then choose a color that will

by Brenda Breuls

Your Turn: Cambodian Art Have your parent or legal guardian send us a high-resolution image of your creation to

faces@cricketmedia.com. Be sure the email includes your name, age, and hometown, and states

that “Cricket Media may publish the image provided in Cricket’s magazines and online, and that I

am authorized to provide the image.”

47

Art Cambodian Style

highlight your central figure. Keep the

designs in the rest of the picture muted or

subtle and contrasting to the color of your

central figure. You want it to stand out from

the rest.

Step 5: Final Touches

Sometimes outlining your piece with a black

fine liner pen makes it “pop” from the page.

Other times, an artist chooses to make the

images understated. Decide what you would

like to do with yours. Be sure to display your

finished Cambodian inspired art. Our artist’s rendering of Chhim Sothy’s style.

48

EDITOR’S PICKAnswer to Mystery Photo on inside front cover: Durian fruit is known for its spiky skin and overpowering scent.

Answer to Where in the World? on page 29: The Royal Palace has been home to the kings of Cambodia since the 1860s.

Answers to Cambodia Crossword on page 37: Across1. Prachum Ben 6. Phnom Penh; 7. Tonle Sap; 8. rice; 9. Angkor Wat.Down2. Mekong; 3. Khmer; 4. Pangolin; 5. Chess; 6. Pagoda.

Answer to Fallen Proverb on page 41:Don’t let an angry man wash dishes; don’t let a hungry man guard rice.

Answers to Can You FInd? on back cover:

A Song for Cambodiaby Michelle Lord Illustrated by Shino Arihara

When Arn was a young boy in

Cambodia, his days were filled

with love, laughter, and the

sweet sounds of music. That all

changed suddenly in 1975 when

Arn’s village was invaded by

Khmer Rouge soldiers and his

family was torn apart.

Nine-year-old Arn was taken to

a children’s work camp, where

he labored long hours in the rice fields under the glaring eyes of threatening

soldiers. Overworked, underfed, and in constant fear for his life, Arn had to find

a way to survive. When guards asked for volunteers to play music one day, Arn

bravely raised his hand — taking a chance that would change the course of his

life.

A Song for Cambodia is the inspirational true story of Arn Chorn-Pond. His

heartfelt music created beauty in a time of darkness and turned tragedy into

healing.

Ages 8 and up

Lee & Low Books, 2008

www.leeandlow.com

from April 2016 FACES: The Dominican Republic

SAY WHAT?

“Pfffft!”

– Lane R.

“Na, na, na!”

– Ruth S.

“What are you

looking at, bud?”

– Molly M.

“Want a great

deal on car

insurance?”

– James T.

Photo Credits: R. Foto/Shutterstock.com: inside front cover; Siwabud Veerapaidarn/Shutterstock.com: 2-3; pavalena: 4-5; Gil C/Shutterstock.com: 5; Andre Coetzer/Shutterstock.com: 6; Moolkum/Shutterstock.com: 7; Stephane Bidouze/Shutter-stock.com: 8; AP Photo/Heng Smith: 9, 30; Akarat Phasura/Shutterstock.com: 10 (top); SergeBertasiusPhotography/Shutterstock.com: 10 (bottom); kitsanakorn maneerat/Shutterstock.com: 11; epa European pressphoto agency b.v./Alamy Stock Photo: 12; Rick Piper Photography/Alamy Stock Photo: 13; dave stamboulis/Alamy Stock Photo: 14-15, 20; Peter Treanor/Alamy Sto¬¬ck Photo: 15; Cambodia Living Arts. Photo: Matthew Wakem: 16 (both), 17 (top); Cambodia Living Arts. Photo: Din Darathey: 17 (bottom), 18 (both); Cambodia Living Arts: Photo: Paul Bloomfield: 19 (both); Lionela Rob/Alamy Stock Photo: 21; panyajampatong/Shutterstock.com: 23 (top); Lukasz Janyst/Shutterstock.com: 23 (center); Banana Republic Images/Shutterstock.com: 23 (bottom); Lena Serditova/Shutterstock.com: 24-25; Twisterphoto/Shutterstock.com: 25; Claudio Montesano Casillas/Rex Shutterstock: 26; Andrees Latif/Reuters: 27; National Geographic Creative/Alamy Stock Photo: 28; AP Photo/Dan Steinberg: 29 (top); Aleksei Sarkisov/Shutterstock.com: 29 (bottom); AP Photo/Elaine Kurtenbach: 31 (top); Dan Vincent/Alamy Stock Photo: 31 (bottom); Claudiovidri/Shutterstock.com: 32-33; MetasZBABLU/Shutterstock.com: 34; Chor Sokunthea/Reuters: 35 (right); crazystocker/Shutterstock.com: 35 (left); anekoho/Shutterstock.com: 37, 48; imageBROKER/Alamy Stock Photo: 38-39; Greg Balfour Evans/Alamy Stock Photo: 49. Cricket Media has made every effort to trace the copyrights of these images.

49

ONE LAST FACE

Fill in the speech bubble for this photograph. Have your parent or legal guardian send your idea, with your name, to faces@cricketmedia.com, and include a note that says “Your caption is your original work and FACES has permission to publish it in print and online.” Please put the title of this issue in the subject line. The best entries will be published in an upcoming issue!

Can You Find?Lost Treasures of Angkor WatCan you find the 10 items hidden

in this scene of Angkor Wat?

Answer key is on page 48.

illustration by Chuck Whelon

September 2016 Volume 33 Number 1 cricketmedia.com $6.95