The Lamet people are an ethnic group in 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 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...

.

Name Variations

Lamet are also often referred to as:

• Lamed
• Khamet
• Khamed

Geographic Distribution

There are approximately 22,000 Lamet in the Louang Namtha Province, Oudomxai

Oudomxai Province

Oudomxay or Oudômxai is a province of Laos, located in the northwest of the country. The province capital is Muang Xai.-History:The province was created in 1976, when it was split off from Luang Prabang...

 and Bokeo Provinces of 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...

. There are also approximately 100 Lamet in 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...

 in the Chiang Rai

Chiang Rai Province

Chiang 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:...

 and Lampang

Lampang Province

Lampang 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:...

 Provinces. There are also 90 Lamet in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 and 30 in France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

. In Laos, the Lamet are a hill tribe.

Origin

The Lamet claim to be an indigenous population to northwestern Laos. They are a Palaungic ethnic group.

Language

The Lamet speak an Austro-Asiatic

Austro-Asiatic languages

The Austro-Asiatic languages, in recent classifications synonymous with Mon–Khmer, are a large language family of Southeast Asia, also scattered throughout India and Bangladesh. The name Austro-Asiatic comes from the Latin words for "south" and "Asia", hence "South Asia"...

 language related to Palaung and Wa. Most adult males also speak Tai Yuan.

Economy

The Lamet practice slash-and-burn agriculture, as well as hunting, gathering and fishing. The Lamet trade with 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

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...

to obtain their necessaries. Some Lamet also work for wages.

Marriage customs

After marriage, the newly married Lamet man moves into his wife's family home and works for her father. He then begins to make marriage payments up to a fixed amount, after which the couple either moves in with the husband's parents, or the couple makes a new household.

Significance of Wealth

Wealth is considered an important characteristic among male Lamet. For the Lamet, weatlh is measured by one's inventory of buffalo, chimes, and bronze drums.