The Lao Ga ( th, ลาวกา, , ), are a

Tai Tai or TAI may refer to: Arts and entertainment *Tai (comics) a fictional Marvel Comics supervillain *Tai Fraiser, a fictional character in the 1995 film ''Clueless'' *Tai Kamiya, a fictional character in ''Digimon'' Businesses and organisations ...

sub-ethnic group of

Lao people The Lao people are a Tai ethnic group native to Southeast Asia, who speak the eponymous language of the Kra–Dai languages. They are the majority ethnic group of Laos, making up 53.2% of the total population. The majority of Lao people adhere ...

Location

The Lao Ga are only found in Ban Thap Luang (บ้านทัพหลวง), Ban Rai District,

Uthai Thani Province Uthai Thani ( th, อุทัยธานี, ), one of Thailand's seventy-six provinces (''changwat'') lies in lower northern Thailand. Neighbouring provinces are (from north clockwise) Nakhon Sawan, Chai Nat, Suphan Buri, Kanchanaburi and ...

. The Lao Ga speak a dialect of the

Lao language Lao, sometimes referred to as Laotian (, 'Lao' or , 'Lao language'), is a Kra–Dai language of the Lao people. It is spoken in Laos, where it is the official language for around 7 million people, as well as in northeast Thailand, where i ...

, and number around 1,900.

Alternate names

They are also known as ''Lao Gao'' (Thai: ลาวเกา) or just plain ''Ga'' referencing the creaky, crow-like way of speaking peculiar to their dialect of Lao. ''Gao'' literally means ''scratchy'', another attribute of the way Lao Ga speakers come across. Naturally, these terms are offensive.Hattaway, Paul. (2004). ''Peoples of the Buddhist World: A Christian Prayer Guide.'' Pasadena: William Carey Library.

History

Like many

Isan Northeast Thailand or Isan ( Isan/ th, อีสาน, ; lo, ອີສານ; also written as Isaan, Isarn, Issarn, Issan, Esan, or Esarn; from Pali ''īsānna'' or Sanskrit ईशान्य ''īśānya'' "northeast") consists of 20 prov ...

people and more specifically, other ethnic Lao groups of Central Thailand, the Lao Ga are descendants of slaves and forced

corvée Corvée () is a form of unpaid, forced labour, that is intermittent in nature lasting for limited periods of time: typically for only a certain number of days' work each year. Statute labour is a corvée imposed by a state for the purposes of ...

labourers brought after the Siamese conquest of the successor kingdoms of Lanxang, mostly from the region of

Vientiane Vientiane ( , ; lo, ວຽງຈັນ, ''Viangchan'', ) is the capital and largest city of Laos. Vientiane is divided administratively into 9 cities with a total area of only approx. 3,920 square kilometres and is located on the banks of ...

. This makes them historically related to the Lao Wiang. Although many Lao groups assimilated into the greater Thai population (unlike in

where their large numbers and close contact with other Lao peoples in Laos prevented complete

Thaification Thaification, or Thai-ization, is the process by which people of different cultural and ethnic origins living in Thailand become assimilated to the dominant culture of Thailand, that of central Thailand. Thaification was a step in the creation ...

), the Lao Ga were able to maintain their Lao language and traditions.

Culture

The Lao Ga practise Therevada Buddhism with various amounts of animism and ancestor veneration. Their culture is very similar to the Lao people from which they descend.

References

{{Ethnic groups in Thailand Tai peoples Ethnic groups in Thailand