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The
Pa then have a population of about 3,700
inhabitants concentrating in some communes
of Ha Giang and Tuyen Quang provinces. Other
names are Pa Hung and Tong. Pa then language
belongs to the Mong-Dao Group.
The Pa then live mainly on slash-and-burn
cultivation. Rice and corn are their staple
food. The Pa then villages often settle near
rivers or streams or in valleys and lower
slopes. Each village has about 30-40,houses.
Pa then houses are built either on stilts,
level with the ground or half on stilts and
half on beaten earth.
Pa then costumes look very colourful. Men
wear a blouse, long indigo trousers and
cover with a long scarf. Women wear a long
skirt, a bra and a shirt and wear their hair
wound in a turban which is trimmed with
colourful motifs, especially in red colour.
Pa then women like to wear silver ornaments.
The Pa then have many
family lineages. People of the same lineage
consider themselves next of kin and have
common ancestors. Marriage is forbidden
within the same lineage. According to
custom, after marriage, the husand comes to
live with his wife's family for a certain
time. If the. family of the wife has no son,
the husband will live there forever and has
to worship the spirits of his wife's family.
Half of their children take the family name
of the father and the rest takes the family
name of the mother.
The Pa then worship their ancestors at home.
Some beliefs are related to agriculture like
worshipping the genie of the soil, new rice
ritual, praying for rain or worshipping the
souls.
The Pa then preserve a rich heritage of folk
cultural entertainments which are mainfested
by legends, folk songs, lullabies, dances
and musical instruments such as part
panpipes, string instruments called lay nhay
and bamboo flutes. |