Ma women are very skilful cloth weavers, decorating their works with images of flowers, leaves, birds and animals of various colours. Traditional iron working is also practised. The Ma refine iron ore themselves to make farm tools and weapons. In the region near Dong Nai, the Ma make boats from hollowed tree-trunks to serve as transport or for fishing in the rivers. Their traditional dress is simple.
Women wear skirts cut below the knee, men loincloths.
In winter, they cover themselves with blankets. On working days they leave their upper lobes naked. They file their teeth and stretch their earlobes and wear a lot of ornaments. The family of a young man propose marriage, but after the wedding the groom comes to live in his wife's house. Only when he has enough wedding presents to hand over to the bride's family, can he take his wife to his house.