The
Thai (or
Tai) are the main ethnic group of
Thailand and are part of the larger
Tai ethnolinguistic peoples found in Thailand and adjacent countries in
Southeast Asia as well as southern
China. Their language is the
Thai language, which is classified as part of the
Kradai family of languages, and the majority of Thai are followers of
Theravada Buddhism. The term
Thai people may also refer to the
population of Thailand in general, and not only to ethnic Thais. In this sense, they are also known as Thailanders.
History
The Thai may have been among the many peoples that comprised the
Yi and
Bai ruled kingdom of (
Nanzhao or
Nanman), which dominated Yunnan and much of northern mainland southeast Asia in the 8th and 9th centuries AD. These early Thai emanated out of the
Yunnan region and dispersed into the general area of what is today Thailand. These Thai peoples arrived in various waves and displaced the earlier native
Mon and
Khmer populations as they settled the region with a large group settling in Thailand during the
Sung period of China roughly around 960
CE. The related
Lao people split off from the early Kradai peoples and moved into Southeast Asia, mainly
Laos, while another kindred people, the
Shan, made their way into
Myanmar.
The founding of the
Sukhothai kingdom culminated in the emergence of the first Thai nation-state founded in 1238. Various conflicts in Nanzhao and its successor state the
Kingdom of Dali may have increased migration of the Thai, especially after the Mongol conquest of the region, and helped establish the Thai as a regional power. Successful wars with the Mon helped to establish the kingdom of
Lan Na as the Thai increased their hold in Southeast Asia. The early Thai brought their
Buddhist and Chinese traditions, but also assimilated much of the native Khmer and
Mon culture of Southeast Asia. (See
Thai Chinese for more details)
A new city-state known as
Ayutthaya, named after the
Indian city of
Ayodhya, was founded by
Ramathibodi (a descendant of
Chiang Mai) and emerged as the center of the growing Thai Empire starting in 1350. Inspired by the then Hindu-based
Khmer Empire (
Cambodia), the Ayutthaya Empire's continued conquests led to more Thai settlements as the Khmer Empire weakened after their defeat at
Angkor in 1444. During this period, the Thai developed a feudal system as various vassal states paid homage to the Thai kings. Even as Thai power expanded at the expense of the Mon and Khmer, the Thai Ayutthaya faced setbacks at the hands of the
Malay at
Malacca and were checked by the
Toungoo of
Burma.
Though sporadic wars continued with the Burmese and other neighbors, Chinese wars with Burma and European intervention elsewhere in Southeast Asia allowed the Thai to develop an independent course by trading with the Europeans as well as playing the major powers against each other in order to remain independent. The
Chakkri dynasty under
Rama I held the Burmese at bay, while
Rama II and
Rama III helped to shape much of Thai society, but also led to Thai setbacks as the Europeans moved into areas surrounding modern Thailand and curtailed any claims the Thai had over
Cambodia, in dispute with
Burma and
Vietnam. The Thai learned from European traders and diplomats, while maintaining an independent course. Chinese, Malay, and British influences helped to further shape the Thai people who often assimilated foreign ideas, but managed to preserve much of their culture and resisted the European colonization that engulfed their neighbors. Thailand is also the only country that was not colonized in Southeastern Asia area in the early history.
Geography and demographics
The vast majority of the Thai people live in Thailand, although some Thai can also be found in other parts of
Southeast Asia. About 60 million live in Thailand alone [https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/th.html#People], while thousands can also be found in the
United States,
Laos,
Taiwan,
Malaysia,
Singapore,
Cambodia,
Myanmar, the
United Kingdom,
Australia, and the
United Arab Emirates.
From 3,298 in 1980, there are now an estimated 100,000 migrant Thais living in Germany.
Culture and society
The Thai can be broken down into various regional groups including the main Thai, northeastern, northern, and southern Thai with their own regional dialects of their mutually intelligible
Thai language. Modern Central Thai has become more dominant due to official government policy which was designed to assimilate and unify the disparate Thai in spite of ethnolinguistic and cultural ties between the northeastern Thai and the Lao for example.
The modern Thai are predominantly
Theravada Buddhist and strongly identify their ethnic identity with their religious beliefs that include aspects of ancestor worship (see
Culture of Thailand). Indigenous arts include
Muay Thai (the Thai version of South East Asian kick boxing),
Thai dance,
Makruk (Thai Chess), and
Nang yai (
shadow play).
The Thai have a literacy rate hovering at 90% and a strong predilection towards education and national development.
See also
