The Lao Nyaw, Thai Nyaw or Tai Yo (Thai/Isan: ไทญ้อ, , Isan pronunciation: , Khmer: ឡាវញ៉) 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 ...

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 ...

Cambodia Cambodia, officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. It is bordered by Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the north, and Vietnam to the east, and has a coastline ...

and

Laos Laos, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic (LPDR), is the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by Myanmar and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the southeast, and Thailand to the west and ...

, scattered throughout the provinces of

Isan Northeast Thailand or Isan (Isan language, Isan/, ; ; also written as Isaan, Isarn, Issarn, Issan, Esan, or Esarn; from Pāli ''isāna'' or Sanskrit ईशान्य ''īśānya'' "northeast") consists of 20 provinces in northeastern Thai ...

such as

Nong Khai Nong Khai (, ) is a city in northeast Thailand. It is the capital of Nong Khai province. Nong Khai city is located in Mueang Nong Khai district. Nong Khai lies on the Mekong River, near the site of the First Thai–Lao Friendship Bridge, span ...

Sakon Nakhon Sakon Nakhon (, ; sometimes written Sakhon Nakhon) is a city (thesaban nakhon) in Thailand within the Isan region, and capital city of Sakon Nakhon Province as well as Mueang Sakon Nakhon District, with a population of approximately 76,000. Sako ...

Nakhon Phanom Nakhon Phanom (, ; , ) is a town (''thesaban mueang'') in northeastern Thailand, capital of Nakhon Phanom Province. The town covers ''tambons'' Nai Mueang and Nong Saeng and parts of ''tambons'' At Samat and Nong Yat, all in Mueang Nakhon Phano ...

, and parts of

Bolikhamxai Bolikhamsai (, ), formerly gallicized as Borikhamxay, is a province of Laos. Pakxan, Thaphabat, Pakkading, Borikhane, Viengthong, and Khamkeut are its districts and Pakxan is its capital city. The province is the site of the Nam Theun 2 Dam, ...

and Khammouan provinces of

. They are also referred to as simply ''Nyaw'' or ''Yaw'', depending on either the Lao, Isan, and Nyaw pronunciation, which all pronounce the initial consonant as , or the Thai pronunciation, which pronounces the initial consonant as .

History

The Tai Nyaw believe that they are descendants of people originally from the northernmost part of Laos and Tonkin or immigrants during Tai migrations. Whatever the case may be, their dialect most closely resembles the Lao dialects from the regions east of

Luang Prabang Luang Prabang (Lao language, Lao: wikt:ຫຼວງພະບາງ, ຫຼວງພະບາງ, pronounced ), historically known as Xieng Thong (ຊຽງທອງ) and alternatively spelled Luang Phabang or Louangphabang, is the capital of Lu ...

. Legend has it descendants are from the old king of

, who migrated after the overthrow and was forced to leave and spread out to neighboring countries for refuge. The Nyaw believed their ancestors are the king's personal guards and extended family.

Language

The Nyaw language is very similar to the

Lao language Lao (Lao: , ), sometimes referred to as Laotian, is the official language of Laos and a significant language in the Isan region of northeastern Thailand, where it is usually referred to as the Isan language. Spoken by over 3 million people in ...

, which is referred to as the

Isan language Isan or Northeastern Thai (Endonym and exonym, autonym: /, ; , ) refers to the local development of the Lao language in Thailand, after the political split of the Lao-speaking world at the Mekong River at the conclusion of the Franco-Siamese c ...

in Thailand. It is most similar to the Phuthai language also spoken within the same regions. Most Nyaw are often also fluent in Thai and Lao.

Religion

The Tai Nyaw practise

Theravada Buddhism ''Theravāda'' (; 'School of the Elders'; ) is Buddhism's oldest existing school. The school's adherents, termed ''Theravādins'' ( anglicized from Pali ''theravādī''), have preserved their version of the Buddha's teaching or '' Dhamma'' in ...

, but have also maintained their original animist religion. Important to the Nyaw people is the tutelary spirit of the village, known in the dialect as ผู้เจ้า .

Status

In Thailand this language group is increasingly becoming integrated into the mainstream Isan language. This is due in large part to a campaign by the Thai government to modernize all Thai people, as well as due to outside influences of television, internet and local radio broadcasts. Most younger members of this northeastern tribal group in Thailand prefer to be called Thai rather than by their traditional tribal group name.

Headhunters

Believed to be Nyaw indigenous headhunters who sought other tribes for bounty and sport, It was an honor to retrieve the heads of rival tribes as a trophy. Many traditional families still kept the severed skulls as charms and for use in

black magic Black magic (Middle English: ''nigromancy''), sometimes dark magic, traditionally refers to the use of Magic (paranormal), magic or supernatural powers for evil and selfish purposes. The links and interaction between black magic and religi ...

known as "Kong Dee". After the integration of Lao, Thai and

n mainstream society the head hunts were deemed unacceptable.

References