Lahu
| Lahu | |
|---|---|
| Alternative names: Ladhulsi, Kawzhawd | |
| Total population | 711,500 (est.)[1] |
| Regions with significant populations | China: Yunnan, Myanmar, Vietnam, Thailand, Laos |
| Language | Lahu |
| Religion | animism, Buddhism, Christianity |
The Lahu people (Chinese: 拉祜族; pinyin: Lāhùzú; own names: Ladhulsi or Kawzhawd; Vietnamese: La Hủ) are an ethnic group of Southeast Asia.
They form one of the 56 ethnic groups officially recognized by the People's Republic of China, where about 450,000 live in Yunnan province. An estimated 150,000 live in Burma. In Thailand Lahu are one of the six main hill tribes, and their population is estimated at around 100,000. The Tai often refer to them by the exonym "Mussur", meaning hunter. About 10,000 live in Laos. They are one of 54 ethnic groups in Vietnam, where about 1,500 of them live in Lai Chau province.[1]
The Lahu divide themselves into a number of subgroups, such as the Lahu Na (Black Lahu), Lahu Nyi (Red Lahu), Lahu Hpu (White Lahu), Lahu Shi (Yellow Lahu) and the Lahu Shehleh. Where a subgroup name refers to a color, that is the traditional color of their dress. These groups do not function as tribes or clans - there are no kin groups above that of the family. Lahu trace descent bilaterally, and typically practice matrilocal residence.
Their language is in the Loloish branch of the Lolo-Burmese subgroup of the Tibeto-Burman family (itself a member of the Sino-Tibetan language family). Like most of its relatives, it is a heavily isolating language with Subject Object Verb word order and a set of numeral classifiers. There are seven tones, and consonants cannot close syllables. The language spoken by the Lahu Shi is notably divergent from that spoken by the other groups. In Thailand, Lahu Na often serves as a lingua franca among the various hill tribes. Written Lahu uses the Latin alphabet. Among Christian villages, the language has been enriched by loanwords from English, Latin and Greek via Bible translation, plus neologisms in the areas of hygiene, music and education.[1]
The traditional Lahu religion is polytheistic. Buddhism was introduced in the late 1600s and became widespread. Christianity became established in Burma in the 1800s and has been spreading since.
Contents |
References
- Matisoff, James (1982). The Grammar of Lahu. Berkeley, California: University of California Press. ISBN 0-520-09467-0.
Notes
- ^ a b c Matisoff, James A. (2006). English-Lahu Lexicon. Google Books: University of California Press, xi-xii.
External links
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Ethnic groups in China | Ethnic groups in Myanmar | Ethnic groups in Thailand | Ethnic groups in Vietnam | Tibeto-Burman languages