The Phunoi ( th, ผู้น้อย; Lao: ຜູ້ນ້ອຍ; also spelled ''Phu Noi'' or ''Phounoi'', and called Côông, ''Cống'', or formerly ''Khong'' in
Vietnam
Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...
) are a tribal people of
Laos
Laos (, ''Lāo'' )), officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic ( Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ, French: République démocratique populaire lao), is a socialist ...
,
Northern Thailand
Northern Thailand, or more specifically Lanna, is geographically characterised by several mountain ranges, which continue from the Shan Hills in bordering Myanmar to Laos, and the river valleys which cut through them. Though like most of Thailand ...
, and
Vietnam
Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...
. They are related to the
Mpi people and the
Bisu people.
Etymology
"Phunoi" means "little man" in various Tai languages and is not this ethnic group's original name, which is probably "Khong".
Distribution
There are approximately 35,600 Phunoi in Laos and 1,300 in Vietnam (the 1960 census indicated that there were approximately 6,500 at that time). In Laos, many Phunoi live in
Phongsali Province (around the town of
Phongsali
Phongsali or Phongsaly ( lo, ຜົ້ງສາລີ) is the capital of Phongsaly Province, Laos. It is the northernmost provincial capital in Laos, opposite Attapeu in the south. The town has about 8,000 inhabitants. It lies at approximately 1,4 ...
),
Louang Namtha Province, and
Houaphanh Province. Some also live in
Luang Phrabang Province and
Vientiane Province, the remnant of those serving in the Royal Lao Armed Forces.
Culture
They speak
Phunoi
The Phunoi ( th, ผู้น้อย; Lao: ຜູ້ນ້ອຍ; also spelled ''Phu Noi'' or ''Phounoi'', and called Côông, ''Cống'', or formerly ''Khong'' in Vietnam) are a tribal people of Laos, Northern Thailand, and Vietnam. They are r ...
, a
Tibeto-Burman language that is classified as one of the
Loloish languages
The Loloish languages, also known as Yi in China and occasionally Ngwi or Nisoic, are a family of fifty to a hundred Sino-Tibetan languages spoken primarily in the Yunnan province of China. They are most closely related to Burmese and its relat ...
. The community is divided into several clans, each with its own
taboo
A taboo or tabu is a social group's ban, prohibition, or avoidance of something (usually an utterance or behavior) based on the group's sense that it is excessively repulsive, sacred, or allowed only for certain persons.''Encyclopædia Britannica ...
s and customs for
ancestor worship. Their primary occupation is
slash-and-burn agriculture. They also produce a variety of handicrafts, most notably
rattan
Rattan, also spelled ratan, is the name for roughly 600 species of Old World climbing palms belonging to subfamily Calamoideae. The greatest diversity of rattan palm species and genera are in the closed-canopy old-growth tropical forests of ...
baskets and mats.
References
Further reading
* The Akha and Phu Noi Minorities of Laos in the 1920s. Henri Roux. 2011. White Lotus Press.
External links
Vietnam National Administration of Tourism
{{Authority control
Ethnic groups in Laos
Ethnic groups in Vietnam