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Lao people

Names

The Lao people, like many other Tai peoples also refer to themselves as Tai (Lao: ໄທ, Thai: ไท, IPA: tʰɑj) and more specifically Tai Lao (ໄທລາວ, ไทลาว).

History

The Laotians are descended from Tai peoples from what is now southern China and northern Vietnam beginning approximately three thousand years ago, where many Tai peoples remain to this day. The designation Lao probably originates from an ancient people, the Wenda Laos, that were a branch of the Tai peoples and one of the groups that settled Southeast Asia. Population pressures, finding suitable habitat for wet-rice cultivation, and escape from the growing tensions of Chinese settlement and Mongol invasions pushed the Tai tribes further south along the Mekong river valleys. Evidence of these migrations are included in legends of Khun Borom, a possibly mythical king whose descendants begot the various Tai peoples. Although Lan Xang (Lao: ລ້ານຊ້າງ, Thai: ล้านช้าง, IPA: laːn saːŋ) is usually considered the first Lao kingdom, although other kingdoms and principalities in what is now Laos and Isan flourished before this date. The Tai peoples pushed out earlier groups of Austronesian and Mon-Khmer peoples and established their own kingdoms. The pale of Tai settlement stretches from Assam, formerly ruled by Tai Ahoms, as far south as Malaysia, as far north as Central China, to the mountains of Vietnam and Hainan. The various Lao kingdoms were closely associated with Lannathai and even Siam, a legacy depicted in the shared culture. There was much adoption from the local Mon-Khmer tribes that preceded Tai settlement, and commonalities with these groups are still visible today.

The areas were subject to many pressures from surrounding kingdoms, such as Siam, Vietnam, and before that, the Khmer Empire. After the split of Lan Xang, the three successor kingdoms were severely weakened and overrun by Siam. This led to massive population transfers into what is now Isan, which was also formerly part of various Lao kingdoms, and to Central Thailand, where many groups are descendants of Lao slaves and corvée labourers. In the 19th century and early 20th century, much of what was Lan Xang was ceded to Thailand and the rest became a French colony; this led to the modern-day divisions of the Lao people. For the history of the Lao people after the late 19th century, see History of Laos, History of Isan, and History of Thailand.

Distribution

There are around 3.6 million Laotians in Laos, constituting approximately 68% of the population (the remainder are largely hill tribe people). The ethnic Lao of Laos form the bulk of the Lao Loum ("Lowland Laotians") (Lao: ລາວລຸ່ມ, Thai: ลาวลุ่ม, IPA: laːw lum). Small Lao communities exist in Thailand and Cambodia, residing primarily in the former Lao territory of Stung Treng (Xieng Teng in Lao), and Vietnam. There are also substantial, unknown numbers of Lao overseas perhaps as many as 500,000 people. Most of the latter were refugees from Laos who fled during the Vietnam War (Second Indochina War) from the Pathet Lao. Places of asylum for the Lao refugees are the United States, France, Japan, Australia, Germany, Canada, Singapore, and the United Kingdom; many also live in Argentina, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Switzerland, Myanmar and Brazil.

The 2000 United States census figure of 168,707 Laotians and the 2005 figure of 200,000 exclude Hmong, but include Mien, Tai Dam, Khmu and other groups in addition to the Lao.

Language

The ethnic Lao speak a Kradai language, closely related to other Tai languages spoken in Laos. It is the official language of Laos with a unique alphabet closely related to older forms of the Thai alphabet, all of which are ultimately derived from Brahmi scripts. Many other closely related Tai tribes speak closely related languages or dialects, such as the Phuan, Phuthai, and Nyaw, mostly belonging to Lao-Phuthai subclade of Tai languages. Formerly, French was a second language of the Lao élite, although very few francophones remain in Laos. Many ethnic Lao speak or understand Thai, due to heavy business trade and exposure to Thai media in Laos.

Culture

Laos is generally very rural areas, and most of the people support themselves by agriculture, with rice being the most important crop.. As inhabitants of river valleys and lowlands that have been long-settled, ethnic Lao do not practise swidden agriculture like upland peoples.

Lao people are generally Theravada Buddhist, as is common in much of Southeast Asia, with most villages containing a wat or temple (Lao: ວັດ, IPA: wat). Animism is also practised to various degrees. Spirits, generally known as phi (Lao: ຜີ, Thai: ผี, IPA: pʰiː) are commonly revered, and include tutelary spirits, ancestors, as well as ghosts and demons. Although Brahmanism was also introduced and one the predominate religion of the Khmer that ruled much of what is now Laos and Thailand, its presence alongside Buddhism is not as pronounced as it is in Thailand. Despite this, the Hindu epic Ramayana, known as Phra Lak Phra Ram (Lao: ພຣະລັກພຣະຣາມ, Thai: พระลักษมณ์พระราม, IPA: pʰaʔlak pʰaʔRaːm) is a well-known story and Hindu iconography depicting such deities as Brahma, Shiva, and others can be found at many temples, many of which were built on top of former Hindu temples.

Lao cuisine is distinct from other Southeast Asian cuisines. It is noted for the use of mint and dill and numerous other bitter herbs, neglected in most other regional cuisines, as well as a heavy reliance on freshwater fish, due to the landlocked nature of the region.

The traditional folk music is lam lao (Lao: ລຳລາວ, Thai: ลำลาว, IPA: lam laːw), although it is also known as morlam (Lao: ໝໍລຳ, Thai: หมอลำ, IPA: mɔːlam) which is the preferred term in Isan language. Artists from Thailand are also popular in Laos and vice versa, which has re-enforced Lao culture in Isan despite heavy Thaification. The music is noted for the use of the khene (Lao: ແຄນ, Isan: แคน, IPA: kʰɛːn) instrument.

Subdivisions of the Lao people

In Laos, little distinction is made between the Lao and other closely related Tai peoples with mutually intelligible languages who are grouped together as Lao Loum or 'Lowland Lao' (Lao: ລາວລຸ່ມ, Thai: ลาวลุ่ม, IPA: laːw lum). Most of these groups share many common cultural traits and speak dialects or languages that are very similar, with only minor differences in tones, vocabulary, and pronunciation of certain words, but usually not enough to impede conversation, but many of these groups, such as the Nyaw and Phuthai consider themselves distinct, and often have differences in clothing that differentiate them.