White Tai (in Tai Dón, ꪼꪕꪒꪮꪙꫀ, ; in Thai language and Lao language Tai Khao; in Vietnamese language Tai Dón or Thái Trắng, in Chinese language Dai Duan) is an

ethnic group An ethnic group or an ethnicity is a grouping of people who identify with each other on the basis of shared attributes that distinguish them from other groups. Those attributes can include common sets of traditions, ancestry, language, history, ...

Laos Laos (, ''Lāo'' )), officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic ( Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ, French: République démocratique populaire lao), is a socialist ...

, Vietnam and

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

. In Vietnam they are called Tai Dón or Thái Trắng and are included in the group of the

Thái people Cài () is a Chinese-language surname that derives from the name of the ancient Cai state. In 2019 it was the 38th most common surname in China, but the 9th most common in Taiwan (as of 2018), where it is usually romanized as "Tsai" (based on ...

, together with the Thái Đen ("Black Tai"), Thái Đỏ ("Red Tai"), Phu Thai, Tày Thanh and Thái Hàng Tổng. The group of the Thái people is the third largest of the fiftyfour ethnic groups recognized by the Vietnamese government. They emigrated to Vietnam and

from Yunnan (

)

Geographic Distribution

There are approximately 280,000 White Tai in Vietnam (2002), 200,000 in Laos (1995) and 10,000 in Yunan province, China (1995).Tai Dón.
Ethnologue.

History

The White Tai migrated from China to Laos several centuries ago, settling along the Red and Black Rivers.
/ref>Forbes, Andrew, and Henley, David: ''Vietnam Past and Present: The North'' (History and culture of Hanoi and Tonkin). Chiang Mai. Cognoscenti Books, 2012. ASIN: B006DCCM9Q.

Language

The White Tai speak a language called ''Tai Khao'', also called ''Tai Dón''. It is a Tai–Kadai language.

Family

Men are the heads of White Tai households, although division of labor is nearly equal.

Religions

* Animism (60%) * Theravada Buddhism (38%) * Christianity (2%) The White Tai believe in multiple personal souls and hold ceremonies to recall those souls to strengthen their character.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tai Don people Ethnic groups in Vietnam Ethnic groups in Laos Ethnic groups in China Tai peoples