Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Mon-Khmer groups
The ethnic Lao believe themselves and their ethnic kin to have inhabited an area that is
present-day Dien Bien Phu in Vietnam before migrating into what is now Laos. Interestingly,
there is historical evidence to support their legends. As the Lao moved southwards they dis-
placed the original inhabitants of the region. Known officially as the
LaoTheung
(
theung
is
Lao for “above”), but colloquially known as the
kha
(“slaves”), these peoples were forced to
resettle at higher elevations where water was more scarce and life decidedly more difficult.
The Khmu
The
Khmu
of northern Laos are thought to number around 350,000, making them one of the
largest minority groups in Laos. Speakers of a Mon-Khmer language, they have assimilated
to a high degree and are practically indistinguishable from the ethnic Lao to outsiders. Their
origins are obscure. Some theorize that the Khmu originally inhabited China's Xishuang-
banna region in southern Yunnan and migrated south into northern Laos long before the ar-
rival of the Lao. The Khmu themselves tell legends of their being northern Laos's first inhab-
itants and of having founded Luang Prabang. Interestingly, royal ceremonies once performed
annually by the Lao king at Luang Prabang symbolically acknowledged the Khmu's original
ownership of the land. The Khmu are known for their honesty and diligence, though in the
past they were easily duped by the lowland Lao into performing menial labour for little com-
pensation. Their lack of sophistication in business matters and seeming complacency with
their lot in life probably led to their being referred to as “slaves” by the lowland Lao. Unlike
other groups in Laos, the Khmu are not known for their weaving skills and so customarily
traded labour for cloth. The traditional Khmu village has four cemeteries: one for adults who
died normal deaths, one for those who died violent or unnatural deaths, one for children and
one for mutes.
A large spirit house located outside the village gates attests to the Khmu belief in
animism
.
Spirits are thought to inhabit animals, rice and even money. Visitors to the village must call
from outside the village gate, enquiring whether or not a temporary village taboo is in place.
If so, then a visitor may not enter, and water, food and a mat to rest on will be brought out by
the villagers. If there is no taboo in effect, male visitors may lodge in the village common-
house if an overnight stay is planned, but may not sleep in the house of another family unless
a blood sacrifice is made to the ancestors. There is no ban on women visitors staying the night
in a Khmu household as it is thought to be the property of the women residents.
The village common-house also serves as a home for adolescent boys, and it is there that
they learn how to weave baskets and make animal traps as well as become familiar with the
village folklore and taboos. The boys may learn that the sound of the barking deer is an ill
omen when a man is gathering materials with which to build a house, or that it is wrong to
bring meat into the village from an animal that has been killed by a tiger or has died on its
