Phuan people

The Phuan people ( พวน), ''Phouan'', ), also known as Tai Phuan, Thai Puan (; ) or Lao Phuan (), are a Theravada Buddhist Tai people spread out in small pockets over most of Thailand's Isan region with other groups scattered throughout central Thailand and Laos (Xiangkhouang Province and parts of Houaphan). There are also approximately 5000 Phuan in the Mongkol Borei District of Banteay Meanchey Province in Cambodia, 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). There they formed the tribal principality of ''Mueang Phuan'' or ''Xieng Khouang'' also ''Siang Khwang''. Legend has it that it was founded by Chet Cheuang, the youngest son of the mythical progenitor of the Tai peoples, Khun Borom. 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 around 1350, Muang Phuan belonged to the '' mandala'' (sphere of influence) of Lan Xang 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, Vietnam 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.

The British Vice Consul in Chiang Mai, 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, 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 Isan and Lao people with whom they are neighbours. One interesting custom is the use of elephants to parade initiates into the monastery, usually just before Songkran.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 and the Thai Loei. Unlike other tribal Tai languages in the Isan region, the Phuan language is not losing ground to the standard Thai language or the local Isan/Lao trade language.

References

Bibliography

*Miller, Terry E. and Taywin Promnikon. "Fading Musical Memory: 150 Years of Lao Phuan Singing in Lopburi, Thailand." ''Journal of the Siam Society, Vol. 112, Part 1 (June 2024), pp. 71-84.

{{Authority control

Ethnic groups in Laos
Ethnic groups in Cambodia
Ethnic groups in Thailand
Tai peoples