DOCSLIB.ORG

Marriage and Family Issues in Five Ethnic Minorities with Very Small

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text

Load more

22 Social Sciences Information Review, Vol.13, No.2, June, 2019 Marriage and family issues in fi ve ethnic minorities with very small populations in Vietnam today Nguyen Thi Tam PhD., Institute of Anthropology, Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences; Email: [email protected] Bui Thi Bich Lan, Nguyen Thi Hong Kinh Bac University Received January 1, 2019; published June 25, 2019 Abstract: Based on a literature review and fi eld research, the paper clarifi es the existing problems and the social challenges of the fi ve sparsely-populated ethnic minorities (O-du, Brau, Ro-mam, Pu Peo and Si La) in Vietnam today, with a focus on marriage and family aspects. Keywords: Ethnic Minorities, Social Issues, Marriage, Family Relationship, O-du, Brau, Ro- mam, Pu Peo, Si La Introduction groups with a population less than 1,000 in Ethnic diversity is a pride, contributing to particular for years, it’s not comprehensive enriching the national cultural identity of to some extent. On the other hand, their low Vietnam, diversifying the world cultural awareness of preserving and promoting picture, but also posing great responsibilities cultural identity inevitably causes cultural to the governing agencies, researchers and loss or distortion. ethnic minorities themselves. The 2009 Literature review coupled with fi eldwork1, Vietnam Population and Housing Census the paper overviews the issues related to show that 53 ethnic minorities account for marriage and family relations of these 14.3% of the national population (Central fi ve ethnic groups today, thereby partly Steering Committee for Population and creating a scientifi c basis for their suitable Housing Census, 2010). Five ethnic and feasible socio-economic development groups with a population that is fewer programs. than 1,000 are O-du (residing in Nghe An), Brau, Ro-Mam (Kon Tum), Pu Peo (Ha Giang) and Si La (Lai Chau). Despite 1 great attention of the Party and the State Field research in 2014-2015 of the Project on cultural exploration and preservation of ethnic paid to both material and spiritual life of groups in Lai Chau hydropower reservoir area by ethnic minorities in general and fi ve ethnic Assoc. Prof. PhD. Nguyen Ngoc Thanh. Marriage and family issues… 23 1. Marriage of whom had a high school diploma, * Child marriage vocational or college certifi cates and above Results from the Survey on the socio- gets married early (Committee for Ethnic economic situation of 53 ethnic minorities Minorities, 2016: 5). in 2015 shows that the average proportion It can be seen that child marriage threatens of under-age married is as high as 26.6%. girls’ lives and health, and it limits their There are fi ve ethnic groups with a very opportunities and future prospects, high proportion of under-age married, including their job prospects, and has long- being O-du (73%), followed by Ro-mam term eff ects on their families (See: Son and Brau (50%), Si La (42%) and Pu Peo Nam, 2016). (11.8%) (Committee for Ethnic Minorities * Consanguineous marriage and General Statistics Offi ce, 2015). It Consanguineous marriage among the can be seen that child marriage is rather smallest ethnic groups that has been alarming and quite common in O-du and Si discussed much in ethnographic/ La people, respectively. According to Tran anthropological studies in recent years, is Thi Mai Lan et al (2015: 11), Si La people a matter which requires special attention. in traditional society do not attach much Some statistics show that although there importance to girl’s virginity. Therefore, has been a tendency to decline, inbreeding those aged 13-15 years can have sexual in these ethnic groups are still at risk intercourse before marriage but will be of resurgence. Statistics of the General subject to heavy customary law if they Department of Population and Family become pregnant. Currently, the fact that Si Planning (Ministry of Health) reveal that La boys and girls in the two villages of Seo the proportion of near-blood married in Hai and Si Hau Chai (Can Ho - Muong Te - ethnic groups of Si La, Pu Peo, Ro-Mam, Lai Chau province) married at the age of 16- Brau is up to 10%. It means that ten in 17 is relatively popular. Some even become every hundred marriages are of inbreeding, parents while being in the fi nal years of which makes these ethnic groups the most secondary school. Because customary laws exposed to a decline in population quality. are no longer as strict as before, Si La girls Cross-cousin marriage is most popular in with illegitimate children are no longer the northern mountainous region and the fi ned. Up to six Si La female students in Central Highlands. From 2004-2011, Lai these two villages became single mothers Chau province had more than 200 people at school age, most of them went to school involved in inbreeding, in which the far away from home. proportion of near-blood married in some In fact, low educational level and limited ethnic minorities with a small population awareness of laws of the ethnic minorities was up to 20% (Cited by the Committee contributes to increasing early marriage, for Ethnic Minority Aff airs, 2014b: 5-6). especially for women in ethnic groups In Kon Tum province where the Brau and with very small population. According to a Ro-mam are largely concentrated, there survey, about one-third of women aged 20- were 56 near-blood married in a total of 49 years (26.9%) without any qualifi cations 350 child marriages (Committee for Ethnic get married before 18, whereas only 1.2% Minority Aff airs, 2014a). 24 Social Sciences Information Review, Vol.13, No.2, June, 2019 On the other hand, recent ethnographic/ * Mixed marriage anthropological studies have yielded more Mixed marriages are an increasing trend positive survey results: inbreeding among in the fi ve ethnic groups with very small ethnic groups with very small populations population thanks to the more expanded have declined greatly, even no longer relationship and exchanges in terms of social survived. Research on the O-du people, space and ethnic composition. Previously, Bui Xuan Dinh (2014) shows that the only members of the same ethnic group practice of clan exogamy and unaccepted and even at the same locality married each marriage among cousins within fi ve other, which is due to traditional practices generations are their typical features and and inferiority complexes of a community basic principles today. Therefore, marriage with very few people. between ethnic groups is a long-standing Currently, people’s awareness and their trend, mainly due to the fact that this group social position are gradually improved. is among those with the fewest people so The process of bringing together creates they are always aware that the O-du people an increasingly close relationship between all carry the same surname of “Lo” so they ethnic groups not only in the fi elds of are blood-related (Bui Xuan Dinh et al, politics, economy, and culture but also 2017: 1227). Pu Peo men and women also expressed quite clearly in marriage default to the principle of lineage exogamy relations. Socio-economic factors impact to avoid unnecessary risks for their married and promote the trend of mixed marriages life (Le Hai Dang et al, 2016: 786). The between ethnic groups with very small Brau’s practice of inbreeding, polyandry, population. levirate, and sororate… has been so far a For Pu Peo people, after Doi moi, the special case. The majority of Brau people reopened borderline, convenient traffi c, and follows the principle of lineage exogamy better learning opportunities have facilitated and ethnic endogamy (Bui Ngoc Quang, the exchanges between the Pu Peo youth 2017: 1164). For Si La people, inbreeding with other ethnic groups. While studying no longer happens in young couples. in boarding schools, participating in social Statistics from the marriage register of the work, trade and festivals in localities, even People’s Committee of Can Ho commune making friends on social networking sites, shows that, from 2007 to 2013, there are many Pu Peo young people have chosen 11 Si La couples getting married but none their spouse, including those from other of them are relatives (Tran Thi Mai Lan et ethnic groups. A survey of Pu Peo people al, 2015: 13). in Dong Van district, Ha Giang province The above statements are completely today reveals that among the male-headed reasonable because the level of awareness, households in Chung Chai village (Pho ethnic relations as well as the pattern La commune), the number of other ethnic of alternating residence will promote households such as Tay, Co Lao, Kinh, the mixed marriage. Therefore, in our and Nung makes up a small percentage, opinion, the near-blood married is no but in Pu Peo families, more than 50% of longer really worrisome as noted on the the total households have diff erent ethnic media over time. women (Hmong, Kinh, Giay, Co Lao, Tay, Marriage and family issues… 25 and Chinese) as a bride (Le Hai Dang et al, complex ethnic composition. In addition 2016: 784-785). to the Brau people, there are members of The period from 2000 onward, many Si La other ethnic groups who come to live after people tend to marry Ha Nhi, Thai, Cong, marriage with Brau people and those who Dao, Kinh, Muong and Tay people in the voluntarily come to live (free migration and region. According to incomplete statistics migration according to the State’s programs of a research group, Can Ho commune has and plans). Their descendants were 22 couples of mixed marriages between born, making it diffi cult to determine the Si La people and those from other ethnic composition of the ethnic group.
Recommended publications
  • A New Method of Classification for Tai Textiles

    A New Method of Classification for Tai Textiles

    A New Method of Classification for Tai Textiles Patricia Cheesman Textiles, as part of Southeast Asian traditional clothing and material culture, feature as ethnic identification markers in anthropological studies. Textile scholars struggle with the extremely complex variety of textiles of the Tai peoples and presume that each Tai ethnic group has its own unique dress and textile style. This method of classification assumes what Leach calls “an academic fiction … that in a normal ethnographic situation one ordinarily finds distinct tribes distributed about the map in an orderly fashion with clear-cut boundaries between them” (Leach 1964: 290). Instead, we find different ethnic Tai groups living in the same region wearing the same clothing and the same ethnic group in different regions wearing different clothing. For example: the textiles of the Tai Phuan peoples in Vientiane are different to those of the Tai Phuan in Xiang Khoang or Nam Nguem or Sukhothai. At the same time, the Lao and Tai Lue living in the same region in northern Vietnam weave and wear the same textiles. Some may try to explain the phenomena by calling it “stylistic influence”, but the reality is much more profound. The complete repertoire of a people’s style of dress can be exchanged for another and the common element is geography, not ethnicity. The subject of this paper is to bring to light forty years of in-depth research on Tai textiles and clothing in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Laos), Thailand and Vietnam to demonstrate that clothing and the historical transformation of practices of social production of textiles are best classified not by ethnicity, but by geographical provenance.
  • Khmuic Linguistic Bibliography with Selected Annotations

    Khmuic Linguistic Bibliography with Selected Annotations

    Journal of the Southeast Asian Linguistics Society JSEALS Vol. 10.1 (2017): i-xlvi ISSN: 1836-6821, DOI: http://hdl.handle.net/10524/52401 University of Hawaiʼi Press eVols KHMUIC LINGUISTIC BIBLIOGRAPHY WITH SELECTED ANNOTATIONS Nathaniel CHEESEMAN Linguistics Institute, Payap University, Thailand Paul SIDWELL Australian National University R. Anne OSBORNE SIL International Abstract: The Khmuic languages represent a branch in the north-central region of the Austroasiatic family. While there are several existing Khmuic bibliographies, namely, Smalley (1973), Proschan (1987), Preisig and Simana (n.d.), Renard (2015), and Lund University (2015), this paper seeks to combine, update and organize these materials into a more readily accessible online resource. A brief overview of Khmuic languages and their linguistic features is given. References are organized according to linguistic domain, with some annotations. An updated language index of a dozen Khmuic languages is also included. Keywords: Austroasiatic, Mon-Khmer, Khmuic, bibliography ISO 639-3 codes: bgk, kjm, xao, kjg, khf, xnh, prb, mlf, mra, tyh, pnx, prt, pry, puo 1. Introduction The Ethnologue, (19th edition), lists thirteen Khmuic languages. Khmuic languages are spoken primarily in northern Laos, but also are found in Thailand and Vietnam. The Khmuic language family is a Sub-branch of the Austroasiatic linguistic family that is dispersed throughout Southeast Asia. Since the early 1970s, five major bibliographies on Khmuic languages have been produced. Most of these focus on Khmu, the largest Khmuic language group. Smalley (1973) wrote the first major Khmuic bibliography that gives readers a mid-twentieth century snapshot of Khmu. This work was an expansion of Smalley’s earlier listings of major Khmu works found in Outline of Khmuˀ structure (Smalley 1961a).
  • United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Evaluation and Policy Analysis Unit and Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific

    United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Evaluation and Policy Analysis Unit and Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific

    UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES EVALUATION AND POLICY ANALYSIS UNIT AND REGIONAL BUREAU FOR ASIA AND THE PACIFIC Reintegration programmes for refugees in South-East Asia Lessons learned from UNHCR’s experience By Brett Ballard EPAU/2002/01 April 2002 Evaluation and Policy Analysis Unit UNHCR’s Evaluation and Policy Analysis Unit (EPAU) is committed to the systematic examination and assessment of UNHCR policies, programmes, projects and practices. EPAU also promotes rigorous research on issues related to the work of UNHCR and encourages an active exchange of ideas and information between humanitarian practitioners, policymakers and the research community. All of these activities are undertaken with the purpose of strengthening UNHCR’s operational effectiveness, thereby enhancing the organization’s capacity to fulfil its mandate on behalf of refugees and other displaced people. The work of the unit is guided by the principles of transparency, independence, consultation and relevance. Evaluation and Policy Analysis Unit United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Case Postale 2500 CH-1211 Geneva 2 Dépôt Switzerland Tel: (41 22) 739 8249 Fax: (41 22) 739 7344 e-mail: [email protected] internet: www.unhcr.org All EPAU evaluation reports are placed in the public domain. Electronic versions are posted on the UNHCR website and hard copies can be obtained by contacting EPAU. They may be quoted, cited and copied, provided that the source is acknowledged. The views expressed in EPAU publications are not necessarily those of UNHCR. The designations and maps used do not imply the expression of any opinion or recognition on the part of UNHCR concerning the legal status of a territory or of its authorities.
  • A Study from the Perspectives of Shared Innovation

    A Study from the Perspectives of Shared Innovation

    SUBGROUPING OF NISOIC (YI) LANGUAGES: A STUDY FROM THE PERSPECTIVES OF SHARED INNOVATION AND PHYLOGENETIC ESTIMATION by ZIWO QIU-FUYUAN LAMA Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of The University of Texas at Arlington in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT ARLINGTON May 2012 Copyright © by Ziwo Qiu-Fuyuan Lama 2012 All Rights Reserved To my parents: Qiumo Rico and Omu Woniemo Who have always wanted me to stay nearby, but they have also wished me to go my own way! ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The completion of this dissertation could not have happened without the help of many people; I own much gratitude to these people and I would take this moment to express my heartfelt thanks to them. First, I wish to express my deep thanks to my supervisor, Professor Jerold A Edmondson, whose guidance, encouragement, and support from the beginning to the final page of this dissertation. His direction showed me the pathway of the writing of this dissertation, especially, while working on chapter of phylogenetic study of this dissertation, he pointed out the way to me. Secondly, I would like to thank my other committee members: Dr. Laurel Stvan, Dr. Michael Cahill, and Dr. David Silva. I wish to thank you very much for your contribution to finishing this dissertation. Your comments and encouragement were a great help. Third, I would like to thank my language informants and other people who helped me during my field trip to China in summer 2003, particularly ZHANF Jinzhi, SU Wenliang, PU Caihong, LI Weibing, KE Fu, ZHAO Hongying, ZHOU Decai, SHI Zhengdong, ZI Wenqing, and ZUO Jun.
  • The Language Olicy of Minority Languages in Vietnam

    The Language Olicy of Minority Languages in Vietnam

    특집 ••• 사라져 가는 언어들 The language olicy of minority languages in Vietnam LY Toan Thang․Instituteof Linguistics,Hanoi-Vietnam 0. Introduction The most important ethno-linguistic feature of Vietnam is that during about four thousands years, throughout the very long historical period of foundation, protection and development of the country, the ethnic groups in Vietnam were living side by side in peaceful harmony and unity, without any ethno-linguistic war between the Viet and minorities, or between the minorities themselves. In this ethno-linguistic aspect the history of Vietnam is the history of interaction of languages following the tendency of convergence and intergration for forming an ethno-linguistic union in Vietnam. That tendency is strengthened in new historical, political, economic and socio-cultural conditions of Vietnam in XX century. Vietnam is a multiethnic, multicultural and multilingual country comprising 54 ethnic groups(ethnicities): 01 majority the Viet(the 특집 ․ 사라져 가는 언어들 ․ 51 Kinh) and 53 minorities, but about 100 minority languages/dialects. A couple of ethno-linguistic communities, such as the Hoa(Chinese) and the Khmer, have alinguistic relationship with China and Cambodge, in which countries Chinese and Khmer are the national languages. The Tay, Nung and Thai have genetic relations with the Choang(Zhung), Thai, Shan in South China, Laos, Thailand and Burma. The Hmong are about 550 thousands in Vietnam, a few millions in China, a few thousands in Thailand and Laos, and even a few hundreds of thousands Hmong people in USA, Australia and France. Since independence in 1945 the language policy in Vietnam has reflected a strategy of preservation, promotion and development of spoken and written languages, including both Vietnamese and minority languages.
  • 59-04-061 027-078 JSS104 I Coated.Indd

    59-04-061 027-078 JSS104 I Coated.Indd

    Kra-Dai and the Proto-History of South China and Vietnam1 James R. Chamberlain Abstract The onset of the Zhou dynasty at the end of the second millennium BCE coincides roughly with the establishment of the Chǔ (tshraʔ / khra C) fi efdom and the emergence of the ethnolinguistic stock known as Kra-Dai (Tai-Kadai). The ancestors of the Kra family proper, situated in the southwestern portion of Chǔ, began to disperse ostensibly as a result of upheavals surrounding the end of Shang, the beginning of Western Zhou, and the gradual rise of Chǔ into a full-fl edged kingdom by the 8th century BCE. Beginning with this underlying premise and the stance of comparative and historical linguistics, the present paper provides, in a chronological frame, a hopefully more probable picture of the ethnolinguistic realities of China south of the Yangtze and relevant parts of Southeast Asia, including the geography past and present, of language stocks and families, their classifi cation, time-depth, and the possible relationships between them. The focus is primarily on the Kra-Dai stock of language families up until the end of the Han Dynasty in the 2nd century CE, and secondarily up to the 11th century. Attention is given to what can be deduced or abduced with respect to ethnic identities in pre-Yue Lingnan and Annam, and to other questions such as whether or not Kam-Sui should be included under the rubric of Yue and the position of Mường in early Vietnam. Dedication This paper is dedicated to the memory of Grant Evans whose fi nal publications, both in JSS 102 and posthumously in the present volume, have refocused attention on the broader history of the Tais in Southeast Asia and paved the way for a re-examination of old ideas in the light of new evidence.
  • Community Organization Forms of Mon-Khmer Linguistic-Ethnic Groups: an Interdisciplinary Approach

    Community Organization Forms of Mon-Khmer Linguistic-Ethnic Groups: an Interdisciplinary Approach

    Asian Journal of Language, Literature and Culture Studies 3(4): 16-27, 2020; Article no.AJL2C.59120 Community Organization Forms of Mon-Khmer Linguistic-ethnic Groups: An Interdisciplinary Approach Ly Tung Hieu1* 1University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, 10-12 Dinh Tien Hoang Street, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Author’s contribution The sole author designed, analysed, interpreted and prepared the manuscript. Article Information Editor(s): (1) Dr. Suleyman Goksoy, University of Duzce, Turkey. Reviewers: (1) Erasmus Akiley Msuya, University of Dar es salaam, Tanzania. (2) Odingowei M. Kwokwo, Niger Delta University, Nigeria. (3) Lokesh Prasad Dash, India. Complete Peer review History: http://www.sdiarticle4.com/review-history/59120 Received 10 April 2020 Accepted 16 July 2020 Short Communication Published 27 July 2020 ABSTRACT Applying the interdisciplinary approach and the retrospective methods of archeology, ethnography, history, ethnolinguistics, the paper tries to clear the process and status of the Mon-Khmer linguistic- ethnic groups’ community organizations that much changed in the history. Starting from the primitive defense form of hamlets, most of the linguistic-ethnic groups used the adjectives meaning “round” to organize the nouns indicating the forms of hamlet – their fundamental community organization. Particularly, the North Bahnaric sub-branch borrowed the nouns of plây, plâi from Austronesian languages to indicate their hamlets. The larger than the hamlets is forms of village, leaving traces in the nouns of plang of Bahnar, kruang of Bru, làng of Viet and làng of Muong. From forms of the community organization of hamlet and village, Viet-Muong people advanced towards establishing nước “nation” as a supreme administrative-political institution.
  • Ethnic Minority Plan Public Disclosure Authorized

    Ethnic Minority Plan Public Disclosure Authorized

    Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized VIETNAM HIV/AIDS PREVENTION PROJECT Ethnic Minority Plan Plan Minority Ethnic May, 2010 May, IPP99 v2 v2 IPP99 Vietnam HIV/AIDS Prevention Project Ethnic Minority Plan (EMP) TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Executive summary 5 I. Introduction 10 II. Socio-Economic Situation of Ethnic Minorities in Project Locations 14 2.1. General view 14 2.2. Socio-economic features and population structure in project areas 17 2.3. Ethnic minorities in project areas 20 2.4. Basics socio-economic features of some major ethnic minority groups in the Project 22 areas III. Policy framework 31 3.1. WB’s policies toward ethnic minorities 31 3.2. GoV’s policies 31 IV. Constraints that cause Limited Access to HIV/AIDS prevention for Ethnic 35 Minorities V. Community Consultation 39 VI. Ethnic Minority Plan (EMP) 41 VII. Organization and Implementation 51 VIII. Monitoring and Evaluation 52 VIII. Cost Estimation 52 Annex: 53 (i). Community minutes (ii). Some pictures of ethnic minority people in the project areas 54 2 Vietnam HIV/AIDS Prevention Project Ethnic Minority Plan (EMP) ABBREVIATIONS Commune People’s Committee CPC CPMU Central Project Management Unit CSWs Commercial Sex Workers DFID Department for International Development EMP Ethnic Minority Plan IDA International Development Association IDU Intravenous Drug Users IBBS Integrated Biological and Behavioral Surveillance Gov Government of Vietnam HC Health Center HD Health Department HI Health Insurance HS Health services MoH Ministry of Health GoV Government of Vietnam PC People’s Committee PH Preventive Health PHC Preventive Health Center PMU Project Management Unit PPMU Provincial Project Management Unit SWs Sex Workers WB World Bank Executive Summary I.
  • Periodic Report on the Implementation of the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions

    Periodic Report on the Implementation of the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions

    Periodic Report on the Implementation of the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions The Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions was adopted at the 33rd Session of the General Conference of UNESCO in October 2005. Viet Nam officially became member of the UNESCO Convention on 7th August 2007. Currently, 125 countries from all over the world and the European Union are parties to this Convention. By becoming member of the Convention, Viet Nam, which is endowed with the cultural diversity of 54 ethnic groups, can protect and promote its cultural diversity, presenting the richness and abundance of Vietnamese culture to the world and introducing Vietnamese cultural policies as part of the process of international integration. In the 3rd Conference of Parties held in 2011, Viet Nam was elected as one of the new members of the Inter-Governmental Committee of the Convention. As a member of the Committee, Viet Nam has more opportunities to make its voice heard at international cultural forums. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam has designated a representative person, a replacement for the representative person, assistants and experts to participate in the activities of the Inter-governmental Committee. UNESCO has already promulgated guidelines for member states to make their report in accordance with international format and standards on quality evaluation, as well as the data system supporting relevant details.
  • Linguistics and Memory Structures in Tai-Lue Oral Narratives

    Linguistics and Memory Structures in Tai-Lue Oral Narratives

    PACIFIC LINGUISTICS Series B - No. 90 LINGUISTIC AND MEMORY STRUCTURES IN TAI-LUE ORAL NARRATIVES by John F. Hartmann Department of Linguistics Research School of Pacific Studies THE AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY Hartmann, J.F. Linguistics and memory structures in Tai-Lue oral narratives. B-90, x + 239 pages. Pacific Linguistics, The Australian National University, 1984. DOI:10.15144/PL-B90.cover ©1984 Pacific Linguistics and/or the author(s). Online edition licensed 2015 CC BY-SA 4.0, with permission of PL. A sealang.net/CRCL initiative. PACIFIC LINGUISTICS is issued through the Linguistic Circle of Canberra and consists of four series: SERIES A - Occasional Papers SERIES B - Monographs SERIES C - Books SERIES D - Special Publications EDITOR: S.A. Wurm ASSOCIATE EDITORS: D.C. Laycock, C.L. Voorhoeve, D.T. Tryon, T.E. Dutton EDITORIAL ADVISERS: B.W. Bender K.A. McElhanon University of Hawaii University of Texas David Bradley H.P. McKaughan La Trobe University University of Hawaii A. Capell P. MUhlhiiusler University of Sydney Linacre College, Oxford Michael G. Clyne G.N. O'Grady Monash University University of Victoria, B.C. S.H. Elbert A.K. Pawley University of Hawaii University of Auckland K.J. Franklin K.L. Pike University of Michigan; Summer Institute of Linguistics Summer Institute of Linguistics W. W. Glover E.C. Polome Summer Institute of Linguistics University of Texas G.W. Grace Malcolm Ross University of Hawaii University of Papua New Guinea M.A.K. Halliday Gillian Sankoff University of Sydney University of Pennsylvania E. Haugen W.A.L. Stokhof National Center for Harvard University Language Development, Jakarta; A.
  • Ethnobotanical Study on Wild Edible Plants Used by Three Trans- Boundary Ethnic Groups in Jiangcheng County, Pu' Er, Southwest China

    Ethnobotanical Study on Wild Edible Plants Used by Three Trans- Boundary Ethnic Groups in Jiangcheng County, Pu' Er, Southwest China

    Ethnobotanical study on wild edible plants used by three trans- boundary ethnic groups in Jiangcheng County, Pu' er, Southwest China Yilin Cao Agriculture Service Center, Zhengdong Township, Pu'er City, Yunnan China ren li ( [email protected] ) Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0810-0359 Shishun Zhou Shoutheast Asia Biodiversity Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences & Center for Integrative Conservation, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences Liang Song Southeast Asia Biodiversity Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences & Center for Intergrative Conservation, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences Ruichang Quan Southeast Asia Biodiversity Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences & Center for Integrative Conservation, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences Huabin Hu CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Plant Resources and Sustainable Use, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences Research Keywords: wild edible plants, trans-boundary ethnic groups, traditional knowledge, conservation and sustainable use, Jiangcheng County Posted Date: October 23rd, 2020 DOI: https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-40805/v3 License: This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Read Full License Version of Record: A version of this preprint was published on October 27th, 2020. See the published version at https://doi.org/10.1186/s13002-020-00420-1. Page 1/41 Abstract Background: Dai, Hani, and Yao people, in the trans-boundary region between China, Laos, and Vietnam, have gathered plentiful traditional knowledge about wild edible plants during their long history of understanding and using natural resources. The ecologically rich environment and the multi-ethnic integration provide a valuable foundation and driving force for high biodiversity and cultural diversity in this region.
  • Creation and Governance of a Tai Polity in Northern Laos

    Creation and Governance of a Tai Polity in Northern Laos

    Kyoto University Mountain People in the Muang: Creation and Governance of a Tai Polity in Northern Laos Nathan Badenoch* and Tomita Shinsuke** This paper traces the history of Luang Namtha, an intermontane valley basin in northern Laos, based on the narratives of non-Tai ethnic groups that collectively constitute a majority in the region. The narratives demonstrate the possibility of alternative histories of muangg polities, which are a core part of our understanding of Tai social and political organization. These narratives describe a central role for mountain people in the muang, including the formation, population, and develop- ment of what appears to be a Tai polity. This analysis suggests the need to open up our understanding of “traditional” Tai political spaces to accommodate an expanded historical agency for upland groups conventionally circumscribed within their own upland setting. This paper argues that the first step towards a more nuanced under- standing of muangg is recognizing them as cosmopolitan areas in which many sources of power, innovation, and transformation intersect. Keywords: Laos, muang, ethnic minorities, local history, Lanten I Layers of Locality: Digging for Historical Narratives The Lanten, Sida, and Bit people living in the foothills surrounding the town of Luang Namtha in northern Laos tell of how the valley was empty when their forefathers migrated to the area at the end of the nineteenth century. Some even assert that they were the ones who established the current valley settlement and have played a central role in its governance. These claims go against our assumptions about the expected historical development of a small urban center in northern Laos.