Lao Theung

The Lao Theung (in Lao: ລາວ ເທິງ) settle at 100 to 1000 meters of mountain slopes and on the high plains of Laos. They represent the second-largest main group of the population of Laos with 27%. The three main groups of Lao people - Lao Loum (with 55% largest group), Lao Theung (27% second group) and Lao Soung (15% smallest group) differed by the height of their settlements , the date of their arrival in Laos and ethnic, cultural and traditional characteristics. The groups and subgroups rarely mix with each other.

Oldest people group Edit source text

The Lao Theung belong largely to the Mon Khmer peoples and are considered to be the oldest population group in Laos. They were once driven out of the lowlands by the immigrant Lao tribes and called kha (slaves). Even today, the lowland inhabitants call the Lao Theung because of their dark skin color and the other ethnicity as kha. The urns on the level of clay jugs were most probably their creations. Members of the tribes of Lu, Lamet and Kamu were servants of the princes and are still poorly paid workers. Some Lao Theung tribes adopted the Laotian language and Buddhism, others remained with their ethnic religions. Edit the source text

The Lao Theung live on the hunt and burnt construction. They are often sedentary - they grow rice, tobacco, cotton, tea and coffee by means of simple implements, or breed cattle. They often live as large families in elongated pile dwellings. The villages are tightly organized. There are stores, bachelor and congregation, ghost and death houses. The buildings are made of wood, bamboo and wickerwork and have high, steep roofs. Regional DistributionChange source

The Lao Theung are spread over the high mountains of the whole country, but they are mainly located in the north and east. The term Lao Theung summarizes several dozen peoples. In the northern mountain regions the Khmu, the largest subgroup of the Lao Theung, settles. In central Laos live the Katang, the second largest Lao-Theung people. The most important subgroups in South Laos are the Laven, Tau Oi and Souei. The largest variety of Mon-Khmer peoples is found in the southern provinces, especially on the Bolaven plateau. Weblinks Edit sourcetext

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