The Mpi people, officially called Kaw (Umpi) () are an
ethnic group
An ethnicity or ethnic group is a group of people with shared attributes, which they collectively believe to have, and long-term endogamy. Ethnicities share attributes like language, culture, common sets of ancestry, traditions, society, re ...
of
Thailand
Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...
. Their population is limited to the villages of Ban Dong in
Phrae province and Sakoen in
Nan and numbered at 1,287 according to surveys in 2017.
The groups were first documented by anthropologist Richard Davis in 1967. According to oral histories, they migrated from
Sipsongpanna in southern China around the 18th century. They speak a distinctive language,
Mpi
MPI or Mpi may refer to:
Science and technology Biology and medicine
* Magnetic particle imaging, a tomographic technique
* Myocardial perfusion imaging, a medical procedure that illustrates heart function
* Mannose phosphate isomerase, an enzyme ...
—a
Sino-Tibetan language—and practise animist religious beliefs alongside Buddhism.
References
External links
Kaw-Umpi – Development of community knowledge-based database system for empowering the most marginalized and vulnerable indigenous groups in Thailand
{{Ethnic groups in Thailand
Ethnic groups in Thailand