Thai Ethnicity


Figure 1.--About 75 percent of the Thai population are ethnic Thais. Here Thai children performing a traditional dance.

The Thai population is primarily ethnically Thai, comprising about 75 percent of the population. The remaining 25 percent is divided among 30 other ethnic groups which make of the Thai population. These groups have varying historical experiences, language, religion, physical appearance, and cultures. The Thai are one of the principal ethnic groups of Southeast Asia. They are cioncentrated in Thailand, but minorities are found in several neigboring countries and the Lao in Laos to the north are related ehnically. As are the Shan people of (Myanmar/Burma) and various Thai peoples (soiuthern China). The Thai people are divided into three major groups and three groups of lesser importance. The three major groups are: 1) the Central Thai (Siamese) which inhabit the Central Valley, 2) the Eastern Thai (Lao) of the Northeast (Khorat) and the Northern Thai (Lao) of northern Thailand, and 3) the Southern Thain (Chao Pak Thai) of peninsular Thailand. The minor Thai groups include: the Phuthai of northeastern Khorat, the Shan of the far northwestern corner of northern Thailand (along the Burmese border), and the Lue in the northeastern section of northern Thailand. Despite the various groupings, the Thai people are united by a common language. The official language is standard Thai, but there are many local dialects. The largest ethnic minority as is the case in much of Southeast Asia is the Chinese (about 15 percent). They are the descendents of Chinese merchants and traders who emigrated into the area as trade developed with China. The Chinese are a largey urban population involved in business and commerce throughout the country. Other smaller groups account for the rest of the country's population (10 percent). Here the largest group is Malay (less than 5 percent) and they are found primarily in the southern peninsular area leading to Malaya, but to a limited extent along the southeast coast. The other ethnic groups represent only a small portion of the population. Khmers are found all along the Cambodian border from the Mekong to the Gulf of Thailand. Given the fact that Thailand and Cambodia share a long common border. The small Kymer population is probably because of the historical animosities and conflict between these people has meant that both groups along theborder have moved into their repective nation states. Vietnamese / Annamese inhabit the southern Khorat and on the southeast coast. Thee are many different tribal groups, although the number of people is relatively small. Most of the tribal groups are hill peoples. This mnans that over time as the Thai moved into the rich Mekong agicultural Valley, they drove the more primitive people into the arginal hill lands. The tribal people include: the Kui and Kaleung, in the northeast; the Mons, living mainly on the peninsula along the Burmese border; and the Karens along the southern Burmese border. Many of the Hill tribes are also found in adjacent areas oif Burmna and Laos. There are some 20 other very small tribal groups: the Akha, Musso, Meo, Kamuk, Tin, Lawa, and So. These tribes tend to be very primiive engaged in hunter-gather life styles supplemented by primitive agriculture and live in very isolated forret regions. A destinctive group shared with Burma are the Moken ( Mawken or Morgan), some times called the 'sea people' or 'sea gypsies'. They are an Austronesian ethnic group composed of about 2,500 people. As their names sugget, they pursue a sea-based culture. They speak a destinctive language in the Austronesian language family rather than Thai.








HBC






Navigate the Boys' Historical Clothing Web Site:
[Introduction] [Activities] [Biographies] [Chronology] [Cloth and textiles] [Clothing styles] [Countries] [Topics]
[Bibliographies] [Contributions] [FAQs] [Glossaries] [Images] [Links] [Registration] [Tools]
[Boys' Clothing Home]



Navigate the Boys' Historical Clothing national pages:
[Return to the Main Thai page]
[Return to the Main Asian page]
[Afghanistan] [Bangladash] [Bhutan] [Burma] [China] [India]
[Pakistan] [Sri Lanka] [Tajikistan] [Turkmenistan] [Uzbeckistan]




Created: 1:19 AM 6/10/2012
Last updated: 12:39 AM 2/6/2018