The Phuan people ( พวน), ''Phouan'', ), also known as Tai Phuan, Thai Puan ( th, ไทพวน) or Lao Phuan, are a

Theravada ''Theravāda'' () ( si, ථේරවාදය, my, ထေရဝါဒ, th, เถรวาท, km, ថេរវាទ, lo, ເຖຣະວາດ, pi, , ) is the most commonly accepted name of Buddhism's oldest existing school. The school ...

Buddhist Tai people spread out in small pockets over most of Thailand's

Isan Northeast Thailand or Isan ( Isan/ th, อีสาน, ; lo, ອີສານ; also written as Isaan, Isarn, Issarn, Issan, Esan, or Esarn; from Pali ''īsānna'' or Sanskrit ईशान्य ''īśānya'' "northeast") consists of 20 prov ...

region with other groups scattered throughout central Thailand and Laos (

Xiangkhouang Province Xiangkhouang ( Lao: ຊຽງຂວາງ, meaning 'Horizontal City') is a province of Laos on the Xiangkhoang Plateau, in the nation's northeast. The province has the distinction of being the most heavily bombed place on Earth. The province ...

and parts of

Houaphan Houaphanh province ( Laotian: ຫົວພັນ ; Romanization of Lao: ''Houaphan'') is a province in eastern Laos. Its capital is Xam Neua. Houaphanh province covers an area of . The province is bordered by Vietnam to the north, east, and ...

). There are also approximately 5000 Phuan in the Mongkol Borei District of Banteay Meanchey Province in

Cambodia Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailand ...

, as well in Battambang Province. According to the Ethnologue Report, the Phuan number 204,704 and that is split fairly evenly between populations in Laos and Thailand.

History

The Phuan settled in the Plain of Jars after they had gained control of it from the original inhabitants (presumably

Khmu people The Khmu (; Khmu: ; lo, ຂະມຸ ; th, ขมุ ; vi, Khơ Mú; ; my, ခမူ) are an ethnic group of Southeast Asia. The majority (88%) live in northern Laos where they constitute the largest minority ethnic group, comprising eleve ...

). There they formed the tribal principality of ''Muang Phuan'' or ''Xieng Khouang''. Legend has it that it was founded by Chet Cheuang, the youngest son of the mythical progenitor of the Tai peoples,

Khun Borom Khun Borom ( th, ขุนบรม, ) or Khoun Bourôm ( lo, ຂຸນບູຣົມ, ) is a legendary progenitor of the Southwestern Tai-speaking peoples, considered by the Lao to be the father of their race. Mythology According to the myth ...

. Muang Phuan fought for its independence for a long time, but was at times obliged to pay tribute by various overlords.Stuart-Fox: ''Historical Dictionary of Laos.'' 2008, S. 266. After the conquest by

Fa Ngum Somdetch Brhat-Anya Fa Ladhuraniya Sri Sadhana Kanayudha Maharaja Brhat Rajadharana Sri Chudhana Negara ( lo, ສົມເດັດ ພຣະບາດ ອັນຍາ ຟ້າ ລັດທຸຣັນຍາ ສຣີ ສັດຕະນາ ຄ� ...

around 1350, Muang Phuan belonged to the ''

mandala A mandala ( sa, मण्डल, maṇḍala, circle, ) is a geometric configuration of symbols. In various spiritual traditions, mandalas may be employed for focusing attention of practitioners and adepts, as a spiritual guidance tool, for e ...

'' (sphere of influence) of

Lan Xang existed as a unified kingdom from 1353 to 1707. For three and a half centuries, Lan Xang was one of the largest kingdoms in Southeast Asia. The meaning of the kingdom's name alludes to the power of the kingship and formidable war machine of the ea ...

most of the time. A revolt against the hegemony of Lan Xang has been documented around 1651/52, when the Phuan prince at that time refused to give his daughter to King Sourigna Vongsa of Lan Xang. His army then devastated the land of the Phuan and abducted about 500 families into his direct domain. After the division of Lan Xang in 1707, Muang Phuan was the subject of battles for supremacy between

Siam Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making ...

and the Laotian states in the 19th century. Thousands of Phuan families were deported as workers by the victorious armies, including to the Central Laotian Mekong Valley in today's Bolikhamsai Province and to

northeast Thailand Northeast Thailand or Isan (Isan/ th, อีสาน, ; lo, ອີສານ; also written as Isaan, Isarn, Issarn, Issan, Esan, or Esarn; from Pali ''īsānna'' or Sanskrit ईशान्य ''īśānya'' "northeast") consists of 20 provin ...

. The British Vice Consul in

Chiang Mai Chiang Mai (, from th, เชียงใหม่ , nod, , เจียงใหม่ ), sometimes written as Chiengmai or Chiangmai, is the largest city in northern Thailand, the capital of Chiang Mai province and the second largest city in ...

, Edward Blencowe Gould, described the forced relocation of Phuan from the Plain of Jars in 1876: Due to slave raids and forced population transfers, there are small, scattered villages of Phuan in Sakon and Udon Thani provinces and another area around Bueang Kan, Nong Khai and Loei provinces in Thailand. Despite the small numbers and isolation, the Siamese kept the Phuan apart from the Lao and other Tai people in Northern and Central Thailand where small communities of Phuan also exist, forcing them to live apart and dress in black clothing. The Phuan in turn practised endogamous marriage habits and steadfastness to their language and culture.Paul, L. M., Simons, G. F. and Fennig, C. D. (eds.). 2013. Ethnologue: Languages of the World, Seventeenth edition. Dallas, Texas: SIL International. Retrieved from http://www.ethnologue.com As a result of the

Laotian Civil War The Laotian Civil War (1959–1975) was a civil war in Laos which was waged between the Communist Pathet Lao and the Royal Lao Government from 23 May 1959 to 2 December 1975. It is associated with the Cambodian Civil War and the Vietnam War ...

, in which the province of Xieng Khouang was devastated by fighting and American area bombing, many Phuan moved to Vientiane.

Culture

The Phuan are known for handwoven textiles, especially the striped and patterned ''pakama'', a short sarong worn by men, and a ''pasin tin jok'', a longer women's skirt. Some villages in the Tha Wang Pha District retain a tradition of knife making. Due to their proximity and very similar culture and language, Phuan culture is very similar to other tribal Tai groups and the

and

Lao people The Lao people are a Tai ethnic group native to Southeast Asia, who speak the eponymous language of the Kra–Dai languages. They are the majority ethnic group of Laos, making up 53.2% of the total population. The majority of Lao people adhere ...

with whom they are neighbours. One interesting custom is the use of elephants to parade initiates into the monastery, usually just before

Songkran Songkran is a term derived from the Sanskrit word, ' (or, more specifically, ') and used to refer to the traditional New Year celebrated in Bangladesh, Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, parts of northeast India, parts of Vietnam and ...

.Cummings, J., et al. ''Lonely Planet: Thailand.'' Lonely Planet Publishers, 2003, p. 393. File:เชียงคาน ถนนคนเดิน Chiang Khan Walking Street - panoramio (1).jpg, Chiang Khan in Loei Province, Thailand. The town and surrounding district has a large Phuan minority. File:Xiangkhouang_Province,_Laos_-_panoramio_(2).jpg, A rural road in Xiangkhouang Province. This was the original Phuan homeland and Phuan is the primary Tai language of the province.

Language

The language is closely related to other tribal Tai languages, such as the

Thai Dam The Tai Dam (Tai Dam: , lo, ໄຕດຳ, th, ไทดำ) are an ethnic minority predominantly from China, northwest Vietnam, Laos, Thailand. They are part of the Tai peoples and ethnically similar to the Thai from Thailand, the Lao from ...

and the

Thai Loei Thai or THAI may refer to: * Of or from Thailand, a country in Southeast Asia ** Thai people, the dominant ethnic group of Thailand ** Thai language, a Tai-Kadai language spoken mainly in and around Thailand *** Thai script *** Thai (Unicode blo ...

. Unlike other tribal Tai languages in the Isan region, the

Phuan language Phuan or Northeastern Lao is a Tai language spoken in Laos, Thailand and Cambodia. Distribution The Phuan (, ''Phouan'', ) are a tribal Tai people originally inhabiting Xiangkhouang and parts of Houaphan provinces of Laos. As a result of slave ...

is not losing ground to the standard Thai language or the local Isan/Lao trade language.

References

{{Authority control Ethnic groups in Laos Ethnic groups in Cambodia Ethnic groups in Thailand Tai peoples