Mainland Southeast Asia: Turmoil and Peace - Dragons and Tigers: A Geography of South, East and Southeast Asia - page 440

Figure 15-17
In Laos, a bomb casing makes a perfect container for
a herb garden. Photograph courtesy of B. A. Weightman.

national unification and instilling a sense of belonging
to a Lao state.
One priority has been to improve infrastructure.
However, both mountainous topography and torrential
rains make access, work, and maintenance problematic.
Lao' s low population density means that the cost per
capita for road construction is often prohibitive. War
damage such as bomb craters and the presence of mines
and cluster bombs inhibit most development.

than 300 stone jars ranging from 3 feet (1 m) to
6 feet (2.5 m) high and around 3 feet (1 m) in
diameter. Each 2,000-year-old jar equals the weight
of three small cars (Figure 15-18).
Generations of archaeologists, geographers,
and others have pondered the origin and use of the
jars. Were they used to brew Lau-lao , a wicked local
drink? Perhaps they were used to store grain or wa-
ter. The most likely theory holds that they were
burial urns with the larger jars being for the elite.
T Tools, bronze, and ceramic objects have been
found in the jars, indicating that they were used by
a sophisticated society . But no one can relate them
to any previous civilization. The stone that they are
hewn from is not found locally .
During the war, the Pathet Lao set up their
headquarters in a cave near the jars and the region
was heavily bombed. Miraculously , the majority of
jars remain unscathed.

Lowland Society
Lao Loum (Laotians of the valleys) have been the dom-
inant group since the founding of Lan Xang in the
fourteenth century . The Lao Loum make up half of the
population of 6.3 million. They live in stilt houses
constructed of wood, bamboo, and thatch. Progressive
village houses sport a corrugated metal roof. Steamed
glutinous rice, or “sticky rice,” is the staple food.
Eaten with the fingers, it is dipped into a soup or
stewed dish.
Lao Loum live in stable villages along rivers or
streams and engage primarily in paddy rice cultivation.
Where terrain is not level, they practice swidden cultiva-
tion. Other crops are cotton, tobacco, or sugarcane, but
these are grown for personal use. Villagers keep chick-
ens, pigs, and draft animals. Hunting, gathering, and
fishing supplement subsistence activities.
Household tasks are usually divided by gender, but
divisions are not rigid. For instance, both men and

RURAL SOCIETY
Over 70 percent of Laos is rural. Most people live in
villages ranging from 10 to 200 households, or up to
approximately 1,200 persons. T Towns are mainly ad-
ministrative and market centers. Most district centers
have little more than a middle school and a few offi-
cials. Some places have minimally supplied clinics.
Since 1975, the government has spent a lot of effort at