Laos, officially the Lao People’s Democratic Republic or commonly referred to its colloquial name of Muang Lao, is a landlocked country in the heart of the Indochinese peninsula of Mainland Southeast Asia. Present day Laos traces its historic and cultural identity to the kingdom of Lan Xang Hom Khao (Kingdom of a Million Elephants Under the White Parasol), which existed for four centuries as one of the largest kingdoms in Southeast Asia. Due to Lan Xang’s central geographical location in Southeast Asia, the kingdom was able to become a popular hub for overland trade, becoming wealthy economically as well as culturally.
In the indigenous Lao people is where the country’s true beauty lies and they define the region as well as its pristine mountainous and landlocked landscapes. Southeast Asia is a remarkable corner of the world. A melting pot of cultures, ethnicities, and religions, not to mention the natural world. Visiting the region is fascinating because of the crisscrossing ethnic groups that are unique to the different countries. In tracing the ethnicities of the countries of Southeast Asia, you can learn so much about this part of the world’s roller-coaster history, and unlock rich traditions and beautiful cultures found nowhere else on Earth.
Lao PDR is the most ethnically diverse country in Southeast Asia. Lao people comprise four main ethno-linguistic families: Lao-Tai (62.4 percent), Mon-Khmer (23.7 percent), Hmong-Iu Mien (9.7 percent), and Chine-Tibetan (2.9 percent)1, which are officially divided into 50 ethnic groups. The 50 ethnic groups in the country can be further broken down into more than 200 ethnic subgroups.
These 50 ethnic groups are geographically dispersed and were historically referenced in terms of three topographic locations: the Lao Loum (lowlands), Lao Theung (mid-lands), and Lao Soung (uplands). These categorizations also implied traditional agricultural production systems, with lowland peoples generally cultivating paddy rice, and midland and upland peoples pursuing shifting cultivation practices.
The Lao-Tai ethnic-linguistic family is composed of eight individual ethnic groups, and generally inhabits lowland areas. The Mon-Khmer family includes 33 individual ethnic groups. There are two ethnic groups belonging to the Hmong-lu Mien ethno-linguistic family, and seven groups belonging to the Chine-Tibetan family. Both Hmong-lu Mien and Chine-Tibetan peoples have traditionally inhabited the uplands of Laos. Buddhism is the most common religion in Lao-Tai groups, while animism is prevalent in non-Lao-Tai groups.
What languages are spoken in Laos?
There are many Lao languages spoken by different ethnic groups. So far, more than 80 languages have been recorded in Laos and all are dialects. However, Lao or Laotian, one of the Tai languages of South East Asia, is the official as well as the dominant language in Laos. The Lao language belongs to Tai languages which are a branch of the Kra–Dai language family.
Of which, the Tai-Kadai languages are the most widely spoken in Thailand, Laos, Myanmar and Southern Chinese. Having close similarities to Thai, the majority of Laotians understand spoken Thai and Lao literate people can read Thai. Now, the primary language of the Lao people is also spoken in the Northeast Thailand, referred to as Isan language.
The major Lao dialects are Vientiane Lao (Vientiane, Vientiane Capital Prefecture, Bolikhamsai); Northern Lao (Luang Prabang, Sainyabuli, Oudomxay); Northeastern Lao/Tai Phuan (Xieng Khouang, Houaphanh); Central Lao (Savannakhet and Khammouane) and Southern Lao (Champasak, Salavan, Sekong, and Attapeu).
Laos has the most ethnically diverse population on mainland Southeast Asia. The 2005
census identified 49 ethnic groups with at least 240 subgroups. The Ministry of
Information and Culture of Laos currently promotes the use of an ethno-linguistic
classification system to distinguish among various ethnic groups in the country. The
major ethno-linguistic groups in Lao are as follows: Lao Tai, Mon-Khmer, Chinese Tibetan
and Hmong Mien.
Besides Lao or Laotian as official national language with 52% of Laos population speaking, there are more than 80 languages used by the other different ethnicities of Laos. In which, the most common are Khmu and Hmong language. Other Laos minority languages include Akha, Arem, Bana, Katu, Ksingmul, Maleng, Lamet, Phai, Tai Daeng, Phu Thai, Tai Dam, etc. Here we will learn about the two most common minority languages in Laos.
Often described as ‘Asia’s forgotten country’, remote areas of Laos remain untouched by the demands of modern-day life and retain their century-old traditions. In the indigenous Lao people is where the country’s true beauty lies and they define the region as well as its pristine mountainous and landlocked landscapes. I was lucky to capture some unforgettable scenes and encountered remarkable hill tribes on my journey, making this one of my favorite destinations yet.
The Hmong are an indigenous group originally from the mountainous regions of southern China, Viet Nam, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand. They distinguish themselves from the Laotian population because of their ethnicity, written and spoken language, culture and religion. According to government sources, the Hmong constitute the third largest ethnic group in the Lao’s People Democratic Republic (LPDR).
There are 49 recognized ethnic groups in Lao PDR. The people of the Lantan tribe are well known for their paper-making skills and produce large quantities each year. They are also renowned harvesters and, arriving at 5 pm, we noticed most of the local villagers returning from their farming duties, creating a bustling atmosphere. As ‘outsiders’, our arrival hadn’t gone unnoticed and a dozen smiling children followed my every move. These curious little Lao were incredibly shy at first until intrigue overwhelmed them. Stopping at a local home, we watched as a local woman chopped up some banana tree trunk to feed to the pigs and took advantage of the opportunity to engage her in some conversation.
Next stop was at a Khoui minority village, where the Khoui women are known for their unusual hairstyle – long hair tied in a bun and held with a comb – and it wasn’t long before we spotted two elderly women in traditional attire. Elegant yet extremely shy, we spoke with these women, and eventually after much convincing they allowed me to take some photos. The majority of Akha Eko tribes live in northern Laos and make up approximately 1.4% of Laos’ total population. Most of the hill tribe villages in Northern Laos are still animist, and the Akha proudly display spirit posts and gates at the entrance to their villages, with their belief in spirits firmly ingrained in both their culture and actions. Although the Akhas don’t have any written history, they do have a rich oral history of their culture, passed down through generations.
Indigenous Peoples Literature 