Dai people
Encyclopedia
The Dai peoples is one of several ethnic group
s living in the Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture
and the Dehong Dai and Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture
(both in southern Yunnan
, China
), but by extension can apply to groups in Laos
, Vietnam
, Thailand
, and Burma when Dai is used to mean specifically Tai Lue, Chinese Shan or even Tai
in general. For other names, see table below.
, and are closely related to the Lao
and Thai people
who form a majority in Laos
and Thailand
. Originally, the Tai
, or Dai, lived closely together in modern Yunnan Province until political chaos and wars in the north at the end of the Tang
and Song Dynasty
and various nomadic peoples prompted some to move further south into modern Laos then Thailand. As with many other officially recognized ethnic groups in China (See Gaoshan
and Yao
), the term Dai at least within Chinese usage is an umbrella term and as such has no equivalent in Tai languages
who have only more general terms for 'Tai peoples in general' (e.g., Tai Lue: d̥ai˥˩, but this term refers to all Dai people, not including Zhuang) and 'Tai people in China' (e.g., Thai
: ชาวไทในจีน'), both of which include the Zhuang for example which is not the case in the Chinese; and more specific terms, as shown in the table below. Therefore the word Dai, like with the aforementioned Yao, is a Han-Chinese cultural concept which has now been adopted by other languages such as English
, French
and German
(see respective Wikipedias). As a solution in the Thai language, however, as in English, the term Tai Lue can be used to mean Dai, despite referring to other groups as in the table below. This is because the two main groups actually bear the same name, both meaning 'Northern Tai' (lue and nüa are cognate).
Although they are officially recognized as a single people by the Chinese state, these Tai people form several distinct cultural and linguistic groups. The two main languages of the Dai are Dai Lü
(Sibsongbanna Dai) and Dai Nüa
(Daihong Dai); two other written languages used by the Dai are Tày Pong and Tai Dam
. They all are Tai languages
, a group of related languages that includes Thai, Lao
, and Zhuang, and part of the Kradai language family
. Various dialects of the Tai/Dai language family are spoken from Assam
, India
to Taiwan
and Shanxi Province, China in the North to Java
in the South. The Tai peoples follow their traditional religion as well as Theravadin Buddhism, and maintain similar customs and festivals (such as the Sankrant
) to the other Tai-speaking peoples. They are among the few natives groups in China who nominally practice the Theravada school of Buddhism.
s on the east bank and six on the west, which with Chiang Rung
formed twelve rice field divisions with all twelve having another 32 small provinces. These were:
On the west bank - Rung, Ha, Sae, Lu, Ong, Luang, Hun, Phan, Chiang Choeng, Hai, Chiang Lo and Mang;
On the east bank - La, Bang, Hing, Pang, La, Wang, Phong, Yuan, Bang and Chiang Thong (present-day Luang Prabang
).
Some portions of these Tai Lue either voluntarily moved or were forcibly herded from these city-states around one to two hundred years ago, arriving in countries of present-day Burma, Laos
and Thailand
.
, led a following of Tai Lue
from Jinghong to Yong in present-day Shan State
to rule over the original inhabitants, the Lawa
. They were aided by the following factors:
Assimilating beliefs and customs and the arrival of a unifying Buddhist religion in a later period
Family ties with and a tributary system
to the city-states of Jinghong and Kengtong
, and the building of official alliances with clusters of city-states around Chiang Rai
on the banks of the Mekong, such as Chiang Saen
and Chiang Khong
.
Given this history, the Tai Yong are thus closely related to the Tai Lue. In Thailand, these people are still known as Tai Yong, as distinct from the Tai Khoen of Kengtung (Kyaingtong) and the Tai Yai of Shan state generally. The term Shan is generally not used in Thai.
; these provinces are:
s, in addition to the staple crop of rice
. Many Dai live near the Mekong
river where it meanders through the far south of Yunnan.
Ethnic group
An ethnic group is a group of people whose members identify with each other, through a common heritage, often consisting of a common language, a common culture and/or an ideology that stresses common ancestry or endogamy...
s living in the Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture
Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture
Xishuangbanna is an autonomous prefecture in Yunnan Province, China. The capital city is Jinghong, the largest settlement in the area and one that straddles the Mekong River, called the Lancang River in Chinese.-Name:...
and the Dehong Dai and Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture
Dehong Dai and Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture
The Dehong Dai and Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture is located in Yunnan province, China.- Geography :...
(both in southern Yunnan
Yunnan
Yunnan is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the far southwest of the country spanning approximately and with a population of 45.7 million . The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders Burma, Laos, and Vietnam.Yunnan is situated in a mountainous area, with...
, China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
), but by extension can apply to groups in Laos
Laos
Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
, Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
, Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, and Burma when Dai is used to mean specifically Tai Lue, Chinese Shan or even Tai
Tai peoples
The Tai ethnicity refers collectively to the ethnic groups of southern China and Southeast Asia, stretching from Hainan to eastern India and from southern Sichuan to Laos, Thailand, and parts of Vietnam, which speak languages in the Tai family and share similar traditions and festivals, including...
in general. For other names, see table below.
Name ambiguity
The Dai people form one of the 56 ethnic groups officially recognized by the People's Republic of ChinaPeople's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
, and are closely related to the Lao
Lao people
The Lao are an ethnic subgroup of Tai/Dai in Southeast Asia.-Names:The etymology of the word Lao is uncertain, although it may be related to tribes known as the Ai Lao who appear in Han Dynasty records in China and Vietnam as a people of what is now Yunan Province...
and Thai people
Thai people
The Thai people, or Siamese, 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...
who form a majority in Laos
Laos
Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
and Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
. Originally, the Tai
Tai peoples
The Tai ethnicity refers collectively to the ethnic groups of southern China and Southeast Asia, stretching from Hainan to eastern India and from southern Sichuan to Laos, Thailand, and parts of Vietnam, which speak languages in the Tai family and share similar traditions and festivals, including...
, or Dai, lived closely together in modern Yunnan Province until political chaos and wars in the north at the end of the Tang
Tang Dynasty
The Tang Dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. It was founded by the Li family, who seized power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire...
and Song Dynasty
Song Dynasty
The Song Dynasty was a ruling dynasty in China between 960 and 1279; it succeeded the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period, and was followed by the Yuan Dynasty. It was the first government in world history to issue banknotes or paper money, and the first Chinese government to establish a...
and various nomadic peoples prompted some to move further south into modern Laos then Thailand. As with many other officially recognized ethnic groups in China (See Gaoshan
Taiwanese aborigines
Taiwanese aborigines is the term commonly applied in reference to the indigenous peoples of Taiwan. Although Taiwanese indigenous groups hold a variety of creation myths, recent research suggests their ancestors may have been living on the islands for approximately 8,000 years before major Han...
and Yao
Yao people
The Yao nationality is a government classification for various minorities in China. They form one of the 55 ethnic minority groups officially recognized by the People's Republic of China, where they reside in the mountainous terrain of the southwest and south...
), the term Dai at least within Chinese usage is an umbrella term and as such has no equivalent in Tai languages
Tai languages
The Tai or Zhuang–Tai languages are a branch of the Tai–Kadai language family. The Tai languages include the most widely spoken of the Tai–Kadai languages, including standard Thai or Siamese, the national language of Thailand; Lao or Laotian, the national language of Laos; Burma's Shan language;...
who have only more general terms for 'Tai peoples in general' (e.g., Tai Lue: d̥ai˥˩, but this term refers to all Dai people, not including Zhuang) and 'Tai people in China' (e.g., Thai
Thai language
Thai , also known as Central Thai and Siamese, is the national and official language of Thailand and the native language of the Thai people, Thailand's dominant ethnic group. Thai is a member of the Tai group of the Tai–Kadai language family. Historical linguists have been unable to definitively...
: ชาวไทในจีน'), both of which include the Zhuang for example which is not the case in the Chinese; and more specific terms, as shown in the table below. Therefore the word Dai, like with the aforementioned Yao, is a Han-Chinese cultural concept which has now been adopted by other languages such as English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
and German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
(see respective Wikipedias). As a solution in the Thai language, however, as in English, the term Tai Lue can be used to mean Dai, despite referring to other groups as in the table below. This is because the two main groups actually bear the same name, both meaning 'Northern Tai' (lue and nüa are cognate).
Although they are officially recognized as a single people by the Chinese state, these Tai people form several distinct cultural and linguistic groups. The two main languages of the Dai are Dai Lü
Tai Lü language
Tai Lü is a language spoken by about 670,000 people in South East Asia. This includes 250,000 people in China, 200,000 in Burma, 134,000 in Thailand, and 5,000 in Vietnam...
(Sibsongbanna Dai) and Dai Nüa
Tai Nüa language
Tai Nüa is one of the languages spoken by the Dai people in China, especially in the Dehong Dai and Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture in the southwest of Yunnan province...
(Daihong Dai); two other written languages used by the Dai are Tày Pong and Tai Dam
Tai Dam language
Tai Dam Black Tai is a Tai language spoken by the Tai Dam in Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, and China . It is called ภาษาไทดำ "Black Tai language" in Thai and Dǎidānyǔ 傣担语 in Chinese....
. They all are Tai languages
Tai languages
The Tai or Zhuang–Tai languages are a branch of the Tai–Kadai language family. The Tai languages include the most widely spoken of the Tai–Kadai languages, including standard Thai or Siamese, the national language of Thailand; Lao or Laotian, the national language of Laos; Burma's Shan language;...
, a group of related languages that includes Thai, Lao
Lao language
Lao or Laotian is a tonal language of the Tai–Kadai language family. It is the official language of Laos, and also spoken in the northeast of Thailand, where it is usually referred to as the Isan language. Being the primary language of the Lao people, Lao is also an important second language for...
, and Zhuang, and part of the Kradai language family
Language family
A language family is a group of languages related through descent from a common ancestor, called the proto-language of that family. The term 'family' comes from the tree model of language origination in historical linguistics, which makes use of a metaphor comparing languages to people in a...
. Various dialects of the Tai/Dai language family are spoken from Assam
Assam
Assam , also, rarely, Assam Valley and formerly the Assam Province , is a northeastern state of India and is one of the most culturally and geographically distinct regions of the country...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
to Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
and Shanxi Province, China in the North to Java
Java
Java is an island of Indonesia. With a population of 135 million , it is the world's most populous island, and one of the most densely populated regions in the world. It is home to 60% of Indonesia's population. The Indonesian capital city, Jakarta, is in west Java...
in the South. The Tai peoples follow their traditional religion as well as Theravadin Buddhism, and maintain similar customs and festivals (such as the Sankrant
Thai New Year
The Songkran festival is celebrated in Thailand as the traditional New Year's Day from 13 to 15 April. It coincides with the New Year of many calendars of South and Southeast Asia....
) to the other Tai-speaking peoples. They are among the few natives groups in China who nominally practice the Theravada school of Buddhism.
Exodus
The original areas of the Tai Lue included both sides of the Mekong River in the Sipsongpanna. According to the Tai Lue, there were five city-stateCity-state
A city-state is an independent or autonomous entity whose territory consists of a city which is not administered as a part of another local government.-Historical city-states:...
s on the east bank and six on the west, which with Chiang Rung
Jinghong
Jinghong romanised as chiang rung, chiang hung, chengrung, cheng hung, jinghung, keng hung and muangjinghung) is the capital of Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan province, China, and the historic capital of the former Tai kingdom of Sipsongpanna.-Location:Located between 100°25' -...
formed twelve rice field divisions with all twelve having another 32 small provinces. These were:
On the west bank - Rung, Ha, Sae, Lu, Ong, Luang, Hun, Phan, Chiang Choeng, Hai, Chiang Lo and Mang;
On the east bank - La, Bang, Hing, Pang, La, Wang, Phong, Yuan, Bang and Chiang Thong (present-day Luang Prabang
Luang Prabang
Luang Prabang, or Louangphrabang , is a city located in north central Laos, where the Nam Khan river meets the Mekong River about north of Vientiane. It is the capital of Luang Prabang Province...
).
Some portions of these Tai Lue either voluntarily moved or were forcibly herded from these city-states around one to two hundred years ago, arriving in countries of present-day Burma, Laos
Laos
Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
and Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
.
The Tai Yong
In the 19th Buddhist century Chao Sunanda, son of the ruler of JinghongJinghong
Jinghong romanised as chiang rung, chiang hung, chengrung, cheng hung, jinghung, keng hung and muangjinghung) is the capital of Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan province, China, and the historic capital of the former Tai kingdom of Sipsongpanna.-Location:Located between 100°25' -...
, led a following of Tai Lue
Dai people
The Dai peoples is one of several ethnic groups living in the Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture and the Dehong Dai and Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture , but by extension can apply to groups in Laos, Vietnam, Thailand, and Burma when Dai is used to mean specifically Tai Lue, Chinese Shan or even...
from Jinghong to Yong in present-day Shan State
Shan State
Shan State is a state of Burma . Shan State borders China to the north, Laos to the east, and Thailand to the south, and five administrative divisions of Burma in the west. Largest of the 14 administrative divisions by land area, Shan State covers 155,800 km², almost a quarter of the total...
to rule over the original inhabitants, the Lawa
Lawa people
Lawa are an ethnic group in Laos and northern Thailand. They lived there before Thai people arrived. Today they live often in their traditional way of life, often professing animism. As the other mountain ethnic groups of Thailand, they are known for extraordinary craft skills...
. They were aided by the following factors:
Assimilating beliefs and customs and the arrival of a unifying Buddhist religion in a later period
Family ties with and a tributary system
Tributary state
The term tributary state refers to one of the two main ways in which a pre-modern state might be subordinate to a more powerful neighbour. The heart of the relationship was that the tributary would send a regular token of submission to the superior power...
to the city-states of Jinghong and Kengtong
Kengtong
-Bibliography:*J. G. Scott, Gazetteer of Upper Burma and the Shan States. 5 vols. Rangoon, 1900-1901.*Sao Sāimöng Mangrāi, The Pādaeng Chronicle and the Kengtung State Chronicle Translated. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, 1981- External links :...
, and the building of official alliances with clusters of city-states around Chiang Rai
Chiang Rai
-Demographics:Official Population count: According to the Thailand National Statistical Office, as of September 2010, Chiang Rai municipal district has a population of 199,699...
on the banks of the Mekong, such as Chiang Saen
Amphoe Chiang Saen
Chiang Saen is a district in the northern part of Chiang Rai Province, northern Thailand.-History:According to an ancient chronicle, the original city of Chiang Saen was built in 545 in an area called Yonok, by Tai migrants from the Chinese province of Yunnan, and was an important city of the...
and Chiang Khong
Chiang Khong
Wiang Chiang Khong is a small town at the Mekong river in the northeast of Chiang Rai Province in Thailand, the central town of Chiang Khong district. It is the northernmost border crossing of the country into Laos .As of 2005 the town has a population of 4,342 and covers an area of 1.80 km²....
.
Given this history, the Tai Yong are thus closely related to the Tai Lue. In Thailand, these people are still known as Tai Yong, as distinct from the Tai Khoen of Kengtung (Kyaingtong) and the Tai Yai of Shan state generally. The term Shan is generally not used in Thai.
Tai Lue in Thailand
In Thailand there are Tai Lue in many provinces of the upper regions of Northern ThailandNorthern Thailand
Thailand's northern region is geographically characterised by multiple mountain ranges which continue from the Shan Hills in bordering Myanmar and Laos, and the river valleys which cut through them...
; these provinces are:
- Chiang RaiChiang Rai ProvinceChiang Rai is the northernmost province of Thailand. Neighbouring provinces are Phayao, Lampang and Chiang Mai. In the north it borders Shan State of Myanmar and Bokeo of Laos.-Geography:...
: Mae SaiMae SaiMae Sai is the northernmost district of Chiang Rai Province in northern Thailand. The town of Mae Sai is a major border crossing between Thailand and Burma...
, Chiang Khong and Chiang Saen districts (a portion fled to Chiang Rung at the outbreak of the AyuthianAyutthaya kingdomAyutthaya was a Siamese kingdom that existed from 1350 to 1767. Ayutthaya was friendly towards foreign traders, including the Chinese, Vietnamese , Indians, Japanese and Persians, and later the Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch and French, permitting them to set up villages outside the walls of the...
-Burman WarWarWar is a state of organized, armed, and often prolonged conflict carried on between states, nations, or other parties typified by extreme aggression, social disruption, and usually high mortality. War should be understood as an actual, intentional and widespread armed conflict between political...
)
- Chiang MaiChiang Mai ProvinceChiang Mai is the second-largest province of Thailand, located in the north of the country. Neighboring provinces are Chiang Rai, Lampang, Lamphun, Tak, and Mae Hong Son. In the north it borders Shan State of Burma...
: SamoengAmphoe Samoeng-Geography:Neighboring districts are Mae Taeng, Mae Rim, Hang Dong, Mae Wang, Mae Chaem and Galyani Vadhana of Chiang Mai Province and Pai of Mae Hong Son Province.-History:...
and Doi SaketAmphoe Doi SaketDoi Saket is a district in the eastern part of Chiang Mai Province in northern Thailand.-Geography:Neighboring districts are Mae On, San Kamphaeng, San Sai, Mae Taeng, Phrao of Chiang Mai Province, Wiang Pa Pao of Chiang Rai Province and Mueang Pan of Lampang Province.- Life Style:The district...
districts
- NanNan ProvinceNan is one of the northern provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Uttaradit, Phrae and Phayao. To the north and east it borders Sainyabuli of Laos.-Geography:...
: Tha Wang PhaAmphoe Tha Wang PhaTha Wang Pha is a district in the central part of Nan Province, northern Thailand.-History:The minor district Tha Wang Pha was established on October 1 1962 with area split off from Pua district...
, PuaAmphoe PuaPua is a district in the central part of Nan Province, northern Thailand.-Geography:Neighboring are from the north clockwise Chiang Klang, Thung Chang, Chaloem Phra Kiat, Bo Kluea, Santi Suk and Tha Wang Pha....
, Chiang KlangAmphoe Chiang KlangChiang Klang is a district in the northern part of Nan Province, northern Thailand.-Geography:Neighboring are from the north clockwise Thung Chang, Pua, Tha Wang Pha and Song Khwae.-History:...
and Thung ChangAmphoe Thung ChangThung Chang is a district in the northern part of Nan Province, northern Thailand.-History:Thung Chang district dates back to the Kwaeng Khun Nan , which was converted into the district Lae in 1914...
districts (the greatest number, fleeing from the Saiyaburi and Sipsongpanna regions)
- PhayaoPhayao ProvincePhayao is one of the northern provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Nan, Phrae, Lampang and Chiang Rai. In the north-east it borders Xaignabouli of Laos.- Geography :...
: Chiang MuanAmphoe Chiang MuanChiang Muan is a district in the southern part of Phayao Province, northern Thailand.-History:Chiang Mun was originally part of the district Ban Muang of Chiang Rai Province...
and Chiang KhamAmphoe Chiang KhamChiang Kham is a district in the northeastern part of Phayao Province, northern Thailand.-Geography:Neighboring districts are Pong, Chun of Phayao Province, Thoeng of Chiang Rai Province and Phu Sang of Phayao Province again...
districts (many in number)
- LampangLampang ProvinceLampang is one of the northern provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Chiang Rai, Phayao, Phrae, Sukhothai, Tak, Lamphun and Chiang Mai. The old name of Lampang is Khelang Nakhon.-Geography:...
: Mueang LampangAmphoe Mueang LampangMueang Lampang is the capital district of Lampang Province, northern Thailand.-Geography:Neighboring districts are : Mueang Pan, Chae Hom, Mae Mo, Mae Tha, Ko Kha and Hang Chat of Lampang Province, Mae Tha of Lamphun Province, and Mae On of Chiang Mai Province.-Administration:The district is...
and Mae ThaAmphoe Mae Tha, Lampang ProvinceMae Tha is a district of Lampang Province, northern Thailand.-Geography:Neighboring districts are : Sop Prap, Ko Kha, Mueang Lampang, Mae Mo of Lampang Province, Long and Wang Chin of Phrae Province.-Administration:...
districts
- LamphunLamphunLamphun is a town in northern Thailand, capital of Lamphun Province. It covers the whole tambon Nai Mueang of Mueang Lamphun district...
: Mueang LamphunAmphoe Mueang LamphunMueang Lamphun is the capital district of Lamphun Province, northern Thailand.-Geography:Neighboring districts are Mae Tha and Pa Sang of Lamphun Province, San Pa Tong, Hang Dong, Saraphi of Chiang Mai Province, Ban Thi of Lamphun and Mae On of Chiang Mai again.The main river of the district is...
and Ban ThiAmphoe Ban ThiBan Thi is the northernmost district of Lamphun Province, northern Thailand.-History:The minor district Ban Thi was established on April 1 1990, when two tambon were split off from Mueang Lamphun district...
districts
Economy
The Dai people are typically farmers, growing a variety of tropical crops such as pineapplePineapple
Pineapple is the common name for a tropical plant and its edible fruit, which is actually a multiple fruit consisting of coalesced berries. It was given the name pineapple due to its resemblance to a pine cone. The pineapple is by far the most economically important plant in the Bromeliaceae...
s, in addition to the staple crop of rice
Rice
Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...
. Many Dai live near the Mekong
Mekong
The Mekong is a river that runs through China, Burma, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. It is the world's 10th-longest river and the 7th-longest in Asia. Its estimated length is , and it drains an area of , discharging of water annually....
river where it meanders through the far south of Yunnan.
Tai groups and names
| Chinese Chinese language The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages... | Pinyin Pinyin Pinyin is the official system to transcribe Chinese characters into the Roman alphabet in China, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan. It is also often used to teach Mandarin Chinese and spell Chinese names in foreign publications and used as an input method to enter Chinese characters into... |
Tai Lü Tai Lü language Tai Lü is a language spoken by about 670,000 people in South East Asia. This includes 250,000 people in China, 200,000 in Burma, 134,000 in Thailand, and 5,000 in Vietnam... | Tai Nüa Tai Nüa language Tai Nüa is one of the languages spoken by the Dai people in China, especially in the Dehong Dai and Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture in the southwest of Yunnan province... | Thai Thai language Thai , also known as Central Thai and Siamese, is the national and official language of Thailand and the native language of the Thai people, Thailand's dominant ethnic group. Thai is a member of the Tai group of the Tai–Kadai language family. Historical linguists have been unable to definitively... |
Conventional | Area(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 傣仂 （西雙版納傣族自治州） |
Dǎilè |
tai˥˩ lɯː˩ | ไทลื้อ | Tai Lü Tai Lü language Tai Lü is a language spoken by about 670,000 people in South East Asia. This includes 250,000 people in China, 200,000 in Burma, 134,000 in Thailand, and 5,000 in Vietnam... , Tai Lue |
Sipsongpanna Tai Autonomous Prefecture | |
| 傣那 （德宏傣） |
Dǎinà |
tai˥˩ nəː˥ | tai le6 |
ไทเหนือ, ไทใต้คง | Tai Nüa Tai Nüa language Tai Nüa is one of the languages spoken by the Dai people in China, especially in the Dehong Dai and Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture in the southwest of Yunnan province... , Northern Tai, Upper Tai, Chinese Shan |
Dehong; Burma |
| 傣擔 | Dǎidān | tai˥˩ dam˥ | ไทดำ, ลาวโซ่ง, ผู้ไท | Tai Dam Tai Dam language Tai Dam Black Tai is a Tai language spoken by the Tai Dam in Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, and China . It is called ภาษาไทดำ "Black Tai language" in Thai and Dǎidānyǔ 傣担语 in Chinese.... , Black Tai, Tai Lam, Lao Song Dam*, Tai Muan, Tai Tan, Black Do, Jinping Dai, Tai Den, Tai Do, Tai Noir, Thai Den |
Jinping (金平), Laos Laos Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west... , Thailand Thailand Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the... |
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| 傣繃 | Dǎibēng | tai˥˩pɔːŋ˥ | ไทเบง | Tay Pong | Ruili Ruili Ruili City is a county-level city in Dehong Prefecture, Yunnan province, southwest China.It is a major border crossing between China and Myanmar, with Muse town located across the border.- Name :... (瑞丽), Gengma (耿马), along the Mekong Mekong The Mekong is a river that runs through China, Burma, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. It is the world's 10th-longest river and the 7th-longest in Asia. Its estimated length is , and it drains an area of , discharging of water annually.... |
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| 傣端 | Dǎiduān | tai˥˩doːn˥ | ไทขาว | White Tai, Tày Dón, Tai Khao, Tai Kao, Tai Don, Dai Kao, White Dai, Red Tai, Tai Blanc, Tai Kaw, Tày Lai, Thai Trang | Jinping (金平) | |
| 傣雅 | Dǎiyǎ | tai˥˩jaː˧˥ | ไทหย่า | Tai Ya, Tai Cung, Cung, Ya | Xinping (新平), Yuanjiang (元江) | |
| 傣友 | Dǎiyǒu | tai˥˩jiu˩ | ไทยโยว | Yuanyang (元阳), along the Red River Red River (Vietnam) The Red River , also known as the Sông Cái - Mother River , or Yuan River , is a river that flows from southwest China through northern Vietnam to the Gulf of Tonkin... |
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External links
- Photos related to Dai Theravada Buddhism
- Site including information on some endangered Tai scripts
- Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden