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The Thai have a
population of more than 1,000,000
inhabitants living in the provinces of Lai
Chau, Son La, Hoa Binh and Nghe An. The Thai
have other names such as Tay, Tay Dam, Tay
Khao, Tay Muoi, Tay Thanh, Hang Tong and Pu
Thay. Thai language belongs to the Tay-Thai
Group.
The Thai are
experienced in consolidating edges, digging
canals and building frames to fix'gutters to
convey water to the fields. Wet rice is
their staple food, especially sticky rice.
The Thai also cultivate rice, secondary
crops and other trees on burnt-over land.
Each family breeds cattle and poultry,
wattles bamboo articles, weaves cloths and
some families have developed ceramicware-making
occupation.
Thai brocade is very well-known with unique,
colourful and durable motifs.
In recent decades,
Thai men have adopted the Kinh's style of
dress, while Thai women retain their
traditional clothes including short vests,
long black skirts, scarves and ornaments.
The Thai live in houses on stilts. A Thai
village, called a ban, comprises on average
40-50 houses built side by side. Among the
Black Thai, the roof is shaped like a
tortoise carapace with decoration called
khau cut at each of the ridge.
Matrilocate is the rule in the Thai society.
After the wedding, Thai man comes to live
with his wife family in several years,
untill the couple have child they come to
live in the husband's house.
The Thai's
concepts of death is that they will continue
their life in other world. Thus they
organize funerals in a way like a farewell
party to see off the dead persons to the
uppermost world.
The Thai group comprisqs many family
lineages. Each lineage retains its own
tabooes, for exam ple the Lo never eats Tang
Lo bird; the Quang abstains from killing
tigers. The Thai people worship their
ancestois, heaven, earth, ban and muong
(several ban form a muong). Every year they
also hold rituals to pray for good crops,
starting by a ritual to greet the first
thunder of the year.
The Thai possess
a valuable legacy of myths, legends, ancient
tales, stories in verses and folksongs. The
well-known epics include the Xong chu xon
xao (farewell to his lover), the Khu Lu Nang
Ua (Lu and Ua). The Thai knew how to in wrte
a time immemorial, so have kept on tissue
paper and leaves many vetiges of ancient
lterature, customs and practices and
folkloric genres. The Thai like to sing, in
particular recite khap with the
accompaniment of string instruments and
dance. Their folk dances such as Xoe and Sap
(bamboo dance) are performed On the stages
both at home and a broad. Han Khuong and Con
throwing are also of Thai's unique cultural
characters.
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