Lao Ti in Thailand

The Lao Ti have only been reported in Thailand
This people group’s population is unknown or estimated to be extremely small. This people group may have assimilated into larger surrounding groups and may no longer be recognizable as a distinct group. To ensure every people group is represented, Joshua Project includes unknown and very small population people groups until on-site research determines they do not exist. More info at Small People Group Policy.
Population
Main Language
Largest Religion
Christian
Evangelical
Progress
Progress Gauge

Identity

The second smallest of the Buddhist people groups profiled in this book are the two hundred Lao Ti people of Ratchaburi Province in western Thailand. They inhabit just two villages—Ban Goh and Nong Ban Gaim in the Chom Bung District not far from Thailand's border with Myanmar. They share their communities with families from other ethnicities, especially the Central Thai, Northern Thai and Isan. Despite their small numbers, the Lao Ti were first studied by the anthropologist Erik Seidenfaden in 1939.


History

Although they now live far from Laos, the Lao Ti say their ancestors came from Vientiane in Laos, where they were ox cart drivers 'who transported goods and materials across the countryside. Because of this itinerant occupation, their group name was derived from the Lao term ti meaning pai nai in Thai or 'where are you going?' in English.' Elderly Lao Ti still recall the oral history of their people. They say their forefathers were slaves of the Lao rulers in the mid-1800s when Vietnamese and Siamese armies laid claim to Laos. During the reign of the great Thai King Chulalongkorn, the Lao Ti were captured by the Siamese army and taken as prisoners of war to their present location in Ratchaburi Province in Thailand.


Customs

Although almost all young Lao Ti people today have lost the use of their mother tongue, elderly Lao Ti can still speak their distinct dialect, which is different from that of all neighbouring people including the Lao Song, who live in a nearby village. Because the Lao Ti vernacular is not being taught to the younger generations, it is likely that the language will become extinct when the present elderly generation dies out. Animals play an important role in the economy of the two Lao Ti villages. 'They raise buffaloes, oxen, horses, chickens, ducks and pigs, the former as draft animals and the latter for consumption. Occasionally, Lao Ti men hunt deer, wild pigs, rats and snakes to supplement their daily diet. They catch fresh water fish with hooks and traps in streams and ponds. '

Many ethnic groups in Southeast Asia observe the practice of the groom paying a bride price before a wedding can take place, but the traditional bride price paid by the Lao Ti was unique and reflected their history. A young Lao Ti man had to give an ox cart, one pair of draft oxen and 60 baht to his parents-in-law. Elderly Lao Ti people can still remember doing this when they were younger, but the custom has gradually died out. In fact, these days the Lao Ti have sold almost all of their traditional carts (which were wooden and made with huge wheels) to be garden decorations in restaurants and private residences.


Religion

The Lao Ti say that every single member of their small tribe is a Buddhist. Parents consider it a great honour to dedicate their son to serve in the temple as a monk or novice. Unlike many Buddhist groups in Thailand, the Lao Ti say 'they do not believe in any of the supernatural spirits inhabiting the surroundings. Because of their disbelief, they neither have shamans or religious practitioners to please these spirits nor do they make any sacrifices.


Prayer Points

Scripture Prayers for the Lao Ti in Thailand.


Profile Source:   Peoples of the Buddhist World, Asia Harvest  Copyrighted ©   Used with permission  

People Name General Lao Ti
People Name in Country Lao Ti
Alternate Names Lao Di
Population this Country 200
Population all Countries 200
Total Countries 1
Indigenous Yes
Progress Scale 1
Unreached Yes
Frontier People Group Yes
Pioneer Workers Needed 1
People ID 19261
ROP3 Code 115536
ROP25 Code 304598
ROP25 Name Lao
Country Thailand
Region Asia, Southeast
Continent Asia
10/40 Window Yes
National Bible Society Website
Persecution Rank Not ranked
Location in Country They inhabit just two villages (in Ratchaburi Province in western Thailand), Ban Goh and Nong Ban Gaim in the Chom Bung District.   Source:  Peoples of the Buddhist World, 2004
Country Thailand
Region Asia, Southeast
Continent Asia
10/40 Window Yes
National Bible Society Website
Persecution Rank Not ranked
Location in Country They inhabit just two villages (in Ratchaburi Province in western Thailand), Ban Goh and Nong Ban Gaim in the Chom Bung District..   Source:  Peoples of the Buddhist World, 2004

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Ethnolinguistic map or other map

Primary Religion: Buddhism
Major Religion Percent
Buddhism
100.00 %
Christianity  (Evangelical 0.00 %)
0.00 %
Ethnic Religions
0.00 %
Hinduism
0.00 %
Islam
0.00 %
Non-Religious
0.00 %
Other / Small
0.00 %
Unknown
0.00 %
Primary Language Language unknown (200 speakers)
Language Code xxx   Ethnologue Listing
Language Written Unknown
Total Languages 1
Primary Language Language unknown (200 speakers)
Language Code xxx   Ethnologue Listing
Total Languages 1
People Groups Speaking Language unknown

Primary Language:  Language unknown

Bible Translation Status:  Unspecified

Resource Type Resource Name Source
None reported  
Photo Source Copyrighted © 2024  Operation China, Asia Harvest  All rights reserved.  Used with permission
Profile Source Peoples of the Buddhist World, Asia Harvest  Copyrighted ©  Used with permission 
Data Sources Data is compiled from various sources. Learn more.



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