Lawa people
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 17,000 (est.) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Thailand | |
| Languages | |
| Lawa,others | |
| Religion | |
| Animism,Buddhism[1] |
Lawa(Thai:ลัวะorละว้า;RTGS:Lawa) are anethnic groupin northernThailand.TheLawa languageis related to theBlangand theWa languagefound inChinaandBurma,and belongs to thePalaungic languages,a branch of theAustroasiatic languages.Their population is estimated to be some 17,000.[2]The Western Lawa are found in the vicinity ofMae Sariangin the south ofMae Hong Son Province,the Eastern Lawa are centred onBo LuanginChiang Mai Province.[1][3]
Overview[edit]
The Lawa are sometimes mistaken for being the same people as theLuaof northernLaosand ofNan Province,Thailand, who are speakers of the more distantly relatedKhmuic languages.This problem is compounded by the Eastern Lawa of Chiang Mai Province preferring to be called Lua by outsiders, and by the Thai people generally referring to speakers of these different Palaungic languages as Lua.[3][4]
Today, those Lawa who have not been integrated in mainstream Thai society, still live a traditional way of life, often professinganimism.As with the othermountain ethnic groups of Thailand,they are known for extraordinary craft skills, especially for being ironsmiths.[1]
History[edit]
In the 5th to 10th century the Lawa people lived inCentral Thailand,and, together with theMon,were the inhabitants of present-dayLopburi.The name "Lopburi" is said to have been derived from "Lawaburi", and the city formed the core of an early kingdom in what is now Thailand, theLavo Kingdom,which existed from the 7th century CE until it was incorporated into theAyutthaya Kingdomin 1388 CE.[5][6]Other sources place the Lawa as the original inhabitants of Northern Thailand, pre-dating the Tai migration into these lands.[7][8][9]
There is evidence that the Lawa inhabited cities before the arrival of theTai peoples.Chiang Mai,Thailand, was founded on the location of a 5th-century CE Lawa walled city, and legends state thatKengtungin Myanmar was taken from the Lawa in the 13th century CE through cunning and deceit by KingMangrai,the founder of the northern ThaiLanna Kingdom.[10][9]
The Lawa in northern Thai legends[edit]
The Lawa people are mentioned in northern Thai legends, mainly in connection with the founding of its cities. The 15th century CE bookCāmadevivaṃsaby the Chiang Mai monk Bodhiramsi, relates how theMonQueenCamadevi,a princess of theLavo Kingdom,established the city ofHaripunchai(present-dayLamphun) in the 7th century CE and is attacked by Vilanga, king of the Lawa, with 80,000 soldiers. After his defeat, she marries her two sons to the two daughters of the Lawa king, after which the two kingdoms become allies.[11]
The founding of the city state ofNgoenyangin the 8th century CE, of whichMangraiwas a prince before establishing theLanna Kingdomin the 13th century, is also attributed to the Lawa in theDoi Tungstory.[12]
See also[edit]
Further reading[edit]
Nahhas, Ramzi W (2011)Sociolinguistic Survey of Lawa in Thailand
References[edit]
- ^abc"The hilltribes of Northern Thailand"(PDF).Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 2015-07-21.Retrieved2023-08-14.
- ^Somchit."The Lawa Hilltribe".Retrieved18 July2015.
- ^abNahhas, Ramzi W. (2011)."Sociolinguistic Survey of Lawa in Thailand"(PDF).SIL International.Archived(PDF)from the original on 15 November 2022.[page needed]
- ^Filbeck, David (1980s)."REVIEW ARTICLE- THE LUA OF NAN PROVINCE"(PDF).siamese-heritage.org.Archived(PDF)from the original on 4 August 2019.Retrieved7 March2023.
- ^John Pike."Thailand - 500-1000 - Lavo / Lopburi".Retrieved18 July2015.
- ^"The Kingdom of Syam".Retrieved18 July2015.
- ^"Journal of the Siam Society Volume 68"(PDF).January 1980. p. 160. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 23 November 2016.Retrieved7 March2023.
- ^Grabowsky, Volker (1999)."Forced resettlement campaigns in Northern Thailand during the early Bangkok period"(PDF).siamese-heritage.org.p. 65.Archived(PDF)from the original on 24 September 2021.Retrieved7 March2023.
- ^abKarlsson, Klemens (2013)."(PDF) The Songkran Festival in Chiang Tung: A Symbolic Performance of Domination and Subordination between Lowland Tai and Hill Tai | Klemens Karlsson - Academia.edu".Tai Culture.23:50–62.
- ^Cummings, Joe (2006).Chiang Mai Style.ISBN9812328319.
- ^Hilary A. Disch:A New Vision: Chamari, Chamadewi, and Female Sovereignty in Northern Thailand,page 27, 39
- ^Chris Baker:From Yue to Tai,Journal of the Siam society 90.1 & 2, 2002, page 12
