Khmu (kha, ksa, tayhat, futhen; vietn. Khơ Mú, Xá Cẩu, Pu Thênh, Tày Hạy, Mứn Xen , Laos. ຂະ ມ Thai. ขมุ , whale. 克 木 ) are people in Southeast Asia . The total number is about 440 thousand people.
| Khmu | |
|---|---|
| Modern self | alternative names: kha, ksa, tayhat, futhen, mu, khamuk |
| Abundance and area | |
| Total: 440,000 (estimate) | |
| Southeast Asia : Thailand , Laos , Myanmar , Vietnam , China | |
| Tongue | Khmu |
| Religion | animism , theravada buddhism |
| Related peoples | lamet |
They live in Laos (384,000 people), northern Thailand (40,000 people), in Vietnam (16,000 people), as well as in Myanmar and China . They are among 54 officially recognized peoples of Vietnam . Khmu in the special literature is sometimes referred to the group of mountain monks.
Content
Settlement area
Khmu - the oldest ethnic layer in the north-east of Indochina , occupy the middle belt of the mountains. In Northern Laos, the nationality is settled on a large territory, but very scattered. They occupy the middle belt of the mountains, leaving the very summits of Miao and Yao ; the rest of the nation inhabits Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar and China . Khma and Lamet are aware of themselves as closely related peoples (Ngo Duc Thinh 1999: 278).
Language
They speak the Khmu language of the Mon-Khmer branch of the Austro-Asiatic family . Dialects: Khmu, Khang and Khao. The basic unit of Khmer language is a cross between the Sino-Tibetan Kornoslog and the Indonesian root word. Word change in the Khmu language is absent [1] .
Household
Khmu engaged in slash-and-burn farming with dry rice as the main crop, river fishing, hunting, and forest gathering. Wood chopping with an ax and a long knife. To loosen the land Khmu use an iron hoe. Sown with planting cola. The rest of the economy Khmu is the same as that of the Lamas. Most of the virgin jungle in the territory inhabited by the Khmu people have already been burned, and bamboo and grass imperatives have appeared on the site of the forests. The main crafts - weaving , pottery , manufacture of metal jewelry [2] .
Clothing and appearance
The clothes are close to Thai , Thai and Lao . Clothes are made from commercially available fabric. It consists of an unstitched skirt and a blouse for women, pants and a jacket for men. Turbans are worn on the head. Representatives of the Khmu ethnicity have a face tattoo. It used to be widespread blackening of teeth. They also wear a lot of purchased silver and copper jewelry [3] .
Settlements and social organization
The settlements have a disorderly layout and are equal in size to 15 houses located around the communal house. Pile wooden dwelling; but sometimes semi-welded and terrestrial. In their design, most parts are made of bamboo. Roof - straw or palm leaf. The house has a small veranda. People usually live in small families, but there are also large family dwellings. The master bedroom with the hearth is fenced. In the guest part of the house, located in front of the entrance, there is another hearth. The interior of the house is characterized by wooden and wicker rattan benches. They feed mainly on sticky rice, steamed, corn , manioc , taro, less meat. Preserved the custom of drinking through the nose. For some time they were in feudal dependence on Thai. Communities were headed by hereditary leaders [1] .
Generic Relationship System
The village is a territorial community headed by an elected or hereditary leader. Land plots are owned by small and large families. In Khmu preserved childbirth , belonging to which is important in marriage. The choice of the bride is often determined by the desire of the parents of the young man. After the wedding, he settles for 3-4 years in the house of his wife's parents, after which he builds his own house [4] .
Beliefs
Khmu has developed animistic beliefs, in Laos - Buddhists . Preserved cults of ancestors , the spirits of the earth, sky, water, rice and others. Totemic representations have also been preserved, which are expressed, in particular, in various food taboos. There is a myth among the people about the origin of them from the pumpkin, similar to the myth of the Thai peoples of Laos. According to this myth, Khma first came out of the pumpkin. Khmu highly appreciate the bronze drums, which are used in rites and festivals [1] .
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 3 A. A. Huber (ed.). Peoples of Southeast Asia. M .: Science, 1966.
- А. Mukhlinov A.I. Austro-Asiatic Peoples of Vietnam // Small People of Indochina. M .: Science, 1983. P.168-180.
- ↑ Ivanova E.V. The Clothing of the Peoples of Thailand // The Clothing of the Peoples of Foreign Asia, Moscow: Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography, 1976.
- ↑ Pham Quang Hoan. Family and marriage of the mountain mon-Khmer of South Vietnam. Abstract of dissertation for the degree of candidate of historical sciences. M., 1983.
Literature
- Huber A. A. (ed.). Peoples of Southeast Asia. M .: Science, 1966.
- Ivanova Ye. V. Clothes of the Peoples of Thailand // Clothes of the Peoples of Foreign Asia, Moscow: Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography, 1976.
- Mukhlinov A.I. Austro-Asiatic Peoples of Vietnam // Small People of Indochina. M .: Science, 1983. P.168-180.
- Ngo Duc Thinh, Chesnov Ya. V. Khmu // Peoples and Religions of the World / Chapters. ed. V.A. Tishkov . M .: Great Russian Encyclopedia, 1999. p. 278-279.
- Fam Quang Hoan. Family and marriage of the mountain mon-Khmer of South Vietnam. Abstract of dissertation for the degree of candidate of historical sciences. M., 1983.
Links
- Khmu language in Ethnologue. Languages of the World .