Indigenous Peoples Profile Lao People's Democratic Republic

24680 Public Disclosure Authorized Indigenous Peoples Profile Lao People's Democratic Republic James R. Chamberlain Charles Alton Arthur G. Crisfield Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized CARE International, Vientiane Prepared for the World Bank August 30, 1996 PART ONE The findings, interpretations, judgments, and conclusions expressed in this paper are those of the author(s) and should not be attributed to the World Bank, to its affiliated organizations, or to members of the Board of Executive Directors or the governments they represent. The World Bank does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this report and accepts no responsibility whatsoever for any consequence of their use. Furthermore, the information provided in the report does not imply on the part of the World Bank any judgment on the legal status of any territory or the endorsement or acceptance of such boundaries. Copies of this paper are available from: Svend Jensby EASES, Room MC8-114 Indigenous Peoples Profile Lao People's Democratic Republic James R. Chamberlain Charles Alton Arthur G. Crisfield CARE International, Vientiane Prepared for the World Bank August 30, 1996 PART ONE It was not important that they survive. What mattered was that they should bear Some lineament or character, Some affluence, if only half-perceived In the poverty of their words Of the planet of which they were part. Wallace Stevens myci6 6vap aivopomol Pindar Preface The current interest that is being shown toward the indigenous peoples in Laos may well turn out to be one of the most important directions for the development of the country that has evolved to date. The willingness on the part of donor agencies to engage in the study of these many arid vraried cultures indeed parallels that which has been accorded to biodiversity.in studies of the environment, a fact which cannot be viewed as accidental in a holistic frame of reference where the role of human symbolic systems as determiners of the fate of our planet's ecology is cen- tral and incontrovertible. It indicates that the era of thinking in terms of the tradi- tional philosophical dilemma of man versus nature is being superseded, even in the eyes of economists, by an awareness of the necessary unity between what some might portray as the real and the symbolic, and a focus on the gap that has existed between them in human thinking. To capture the spirit of the "indighne" in the world of today, of his sense of loss of belonging, of his bewilderment in the face of greed, of his longing for the order and coherence of a culture that once provided warmth and comfort, is perhaps beyond the capability of this profile. Such reports are always directed at social goals, towards the greater good of the majority, and only rarely do they touch upon the state of mind of the individual. But it is the individual who lives in our thoughts and in our minds, the mother nursing her child, understanding and knowing so much of the natural world and yet being so little understood. In this light our profile of the indigenous peoples of Laos can only be seen as opening of the door a slight way on that understanding. But perhaps, amid all of .the unavoidable empha- sis on complexity and diversity, there is an underlying simplicity that might sur- prise us if we are open enough, and caring enough, and patient enough. Is there still time? Thus the purpose of our study is intricate and in some respects elusive. Our discourse and our metaphors are new and unfamiliar to the audience of developers and planners whose interests are characteristically physical or targeted amor- phously and aculturally at the "community." Our intellectual presence in the realm of indigenous peoples betokens the priorness of ethnic identity. And our effort, when carried to its ultimate logical conclusion, is aimed at the inclusion of indigenous thought in decisions that affect the lives and well-being of indigenous populations. This is no small matter, but we wish to express the hope that the directions which we have outlined will be considered and pursued to the degree that is deemed feasible by donor agencies. James R. Chamberlain September 1, 1996 ii Acknowledgments The writers of this report wish to thank the representatives of the many organizations who contributed their time, shared with us their knowledge and experiences, and provided us with numerous written materials. In addition we would like to acknowledge the efforts of Mike Carroll, Choychien Sacteurn, and the staff of CARE for their time and support. Particular thanks go to Anna Gillespie for her work on the bibliography. In preparation for the finalization of the report we are especially indebted to Concepcion del Castillo of the World Bank whose careful reading and comments on the first draft inspired many major improvements in the content and in the text. iii Contents CHAPTER 1 hItroduction I Introduction I Indigenous People 2 Official ermiinology 3 Highlander and Lowlander 4 The Present Report 6 CHAPTER 2 Th1( CiUrrei BaSe o ifnifilaion 9 Review of the Fixisting State of Knowledge 9 Recent Work 10 AvailabIe Resources 11 CHAPTER 3 Ethizolinguistic Classification 13 Classification 13 Tai-Kadai 14 Ilmong-Mien 17 Austroasiatic 18 ibeto-Burmese 19 Contents 20 --tai-K;idai 21 Be-Tai 22 Southwestern Tal 23 IImong-Mien 24 Contents iv Contents AuNiwis :ili- 25 Klinmuic 26 Palaungic 27 Katuic 28 Victic 29 Bahnaric 30 Sino-Tibclan 31 Census Categories 32 CHAPTER 4 Society and Ethnicity 35 Society and Ethnicity 35 Lao National Identity 36 The State an(i Ethnic Minoritics 36 Ethnic Conflicts 37 Separatism and Sedentarization 38 CHAPTER 5 Indigenous Peoples And Rural Development 41 Agrictiimc mid tic linvirouncim 41 lind and Naiural Iewrce~m, Use 41 Sunnary of Development Txpericices 51 Population Groiith 52 lind Allocaian and (And Use .52 Relocatimi From Highland Areas 53 Pood Security 55 Potential Ethnic ConflicIts 58 Equity Cnsviderations 59 Government & Infrastructure & Services 59 Indigenous Knowledge and Development 60 Rice Production Data by Province 66 CHAPTER 6 Indigenous Peoples and Education 69 Ntioil Policics 69 The Right to Education 69 tanguage Policy 70 Ehicational Opportunity and Partiripation 71 Educational Programs for Minorities since 1975 74 On-piiiiv Oropr:i ms for 1fiiorilivs 77 Mar t.o v 77 (t/her l)onr Assxistanic 79 Annotatcd I;ihliograpliy of Education Documenis 82 V Contents Contents I'mr,imw, I)ato 85 CHAPTER 7 Indigenous People on the Nakai Plateau:A Case Study 87 5 I/hr ' i Nsa)n lid, 'rt.' v ,,or.servation Are (iiNIt( A) N J 11e Nakai Plateau 93 The Ethnic Groups 97 Wetic 99 Katitir 101 lIti-Keadlai 102 H'nong 103 Ethno-Historical Settlement Pattern 103 Social Status 104 Mobility 105 Concuvions 106 The Ethnicity Factor 107 The Case of the Bo and Other Shifts in Ethnicity 107 Final Comments on The Nakai Experience 109 L,essonr I.arned 110 CHAPTER 8 Conclusions and Reconmendations 113 Final Comments 113 lhica ion 115 Rescurch Nccds 116 lndigenus Knowvledgqc 117 Participation 117 Social Anwlysis 117 A etafo-antiropologicalConunent II An Fthnographic Clearinghouse 119 CHAPTER 9 Bibliography 123 Introduction 123 Bibliographics: 123 References: 125 Contents vi Contents iji Contentsç CHAPTER 1 Introduction Itroduction- This report is written in response to the World Bank's request for an assessment of the situa- tion regarding indigenous peoples in the Lao PDR in accordance with Operational Directive 4.20 which outlines the Bank's need for: A. adopting broader definitional criteria than the existing OMS to reflect the diversity of def- initions and sensitivities found in member countries (para. 3-5); B. ensuring that indigenous peoples are not adversely affected by Bank projects and that the social and economic benefits they receive are in harmony with their cultural preferences (para. 6); C. addressing issues concerning indigenous peoples in economic and sector work (para. 11); D. including project components on indigenous peoples in Bank financed projects (para. 13); E. ensuring the "informed participation" of indigenous people in the preparation of development plans and in the design and implementation of projects (paras. 8, 14-15). In consideration of these needs, the report will focus on -- to the extent that is possible given the present state of our knowledge - both the technical ethnographic, ethnological, and ethnolinguistic aspects of the peoples of Laos as well as the real experiences of implementors of projects directly involving minority populations. Introdiction I Indigenous People Indigenous People Since the term 'indigenous people' is ambiguous and may cause confusion, particularly in Laos where the ethnic Lao comprise only about 30-35% of the population, throughout this report the terms 'minority' or 'ethnic minority' will be used to designate non-ethnic Lao groups. The term 'ethnic Lao' will be used to refer to the ethnolinguistic group that speaks a language technically defined as Lao, as opposed to other lowland Tai speaking minorities that are frequently lumped together under the rubric of "lowland Lao" in both lay and professional discourse surrounding Laos, a practice which serves to inflate official population statistics for the clilt irally domilinant11 group. ind] which does not do juslice to the elnic diversity and pride of lowland groups such as Thuy Neua, Thay Phouan, or Phou Thay, Black Tii and Red Tai, even though these languages, because of frequent contact, are to a degree mutually intelligi- ble with Lao. Also, in establishing the tone for this study, the unique circumstances surrounding the national language cannot be overly emphasized. That is, while "Lao" is the official language of the country, it has never been explicitly defined in terms of pronunciation.

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