Tai
The Tai people are an ethnic group with a rich history that dates back around two thousand years, originally residing in the valleys and lowlands of what is now southern China and northern Southeast Asia. They traditionally practiced self-sufficient agriculture, primarily cultivating rice alongside fish, fowl, and vegetables, and lived in elevated homes on stilts. Unique cultural practices included allowing young people the freedom to choose their marriage partners and granting women equal status with men, indicating a progressive societal structure for their time.
As imperial forces expanded, a division occurred among the Tai, leading some to migrate into northern Laos and Vietnam, where they eventually evolved into distinct groups, including the Chuang and the Tho and Nung. The southern Tai became the ancestors of modern ethnic groups in the region, such as the Lao and Thais. The Tai established organized communities known as müang, headed by chao (lords), who gained political power and prestige through their skills in diplomacy and trade. Their technological advancements included the invention of the outrigger canoe and expertise in metalworking. Over time, the Tai migrated southward, blending with various indigenous peoples, which contributed to the complex cultural tapestry of Southeast Asia.
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Tai
Date: beginning in the first century c.e.
Locale: Lowlands of south and southwest China and extreme northern Southeast Asia
Tai
Some two thousand years ago, the Tai people lived in the valleys and lowland areas of what is now southern China and extreme northern Southeast Asia, speaking similar tonal languages. They engaged in self-sufficient agriculture, with a diet consisting mostly of rice, fish, fowl, swine, and vegetables, while living in homes on stilts. Young people were allowed free choice of marriage partners, though there was wide sexual license. Women were accorded equal status with men. Adolescent boys engaged in tattooing as a rite of passage. Müang, or communities organized on a communitarian basis, were headed by chao (lords).
As imperial China expanded toward Vietnam, one group of Tais moved southwest into northern Laos and Vietnam. As the Chinese and Vietnamese asserted control up the Red River in the first few centuries c.e., they divided this group of Tais into two major groups. To the north of the Red River, the Chuang people of Kwangsi and the Tho and Nung of Vietnam developed in isolation from the rest of the Tai peoples. To the south of the Red River, the Tais settled in the region of Dien Bien Phu. The southern Tais are the ancestors of the present Lao, Shans, Thais, and the upland Tais, peoples that now live in Laos, Burma (Myanmar), northeastern India, southern Yunnan, and Thailand.
As the Chinese and Vietnamese encountered the müang, the chao were recognized as allies, enemies, or tributaries. In return for recognition of Chinese supremacy, the chao paid tribute but were left alone to preside over their müang. The Tais in turn exploited upland tribal peoples, using them as menial laborers and slaves, while the tribal chiefs were made vassals. Among the Tais, the chao enjoyed the support of the people for their skill in dealing with foreigners; the chao therefore developed political power and prestige and lived an increasingly refined lifestyle based on artistic, cultural, and technological advancements. The Tais, for example, are believed to have invented the outrigger canoe. Tais were also skilled in making artifacts and implements from copper, bronze, and iron.
Because of the high level of social and political organization of the Tais, they were able to migrate successfully into areas occupied by less sophisticated peoples. Because the areas immediately adjacent to the east of the southern Tais were mountainous, the Tais gradually migrated toward the Chao Praya River Basin, where they could reproduce their customary agricultural pursuits revolving around rice farming.
Many of the present Thais do not descend from the Tais but instead are of Chinese, Indian, Khmer, or Mon origins. However, most Tais intermarried with the indigenous peoples as they migrated southward along the Chao Phraya River Basin after the eighth century.
Bibliography
Gohain, B. K. Origin of the Tai and Chao Lung Hsukapha. New Delhi, India: Omsons Publications, 1999.
LeBar, Frank M., Gerald C. Hickey, and John K. Musgrave. Ethnic Groups of Mainland Southeast Asia. New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 1964.