The Giáy people (

Vietnamese Vietnamese may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Vietnam, a country in Southeast Asia ** A citizen of Vietnam. See Demographics of Vietnam. * Vietnamese people, or Kinh people, a Southeast Asian ethnic group native to Vietnam ** Overse ...

: ''người Giáy'' ), occasionally called the Nhang, are an ethnic group 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 ...

and

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

. Most live in the mountainous northern provinces of

Lào Cai Lào Cai () is a city in the Northwest region of Vietnam. It is the capital of Lào Cai Province. The city borders Bảo Thắng District, Bát Xát District, Sa Pa and the city of Hekou Yao Autonomous County, in Yunnan province of southwes ...

Hà Giang Hà Giang () is a city located on the banks of the Lô River in the Northeast region of Vietnam. It is the capital of Hà Giang Province. The city has an area of 135.33 km2 and a population of 55 559 inhabitants. The population is compose ...

Lai Châu Lai Châu () is a city in the Northwest region of Vietnam. It is the capital city of Lai Châu Province. The city borders Phong Thổ District, Sìn Hồ District và Tam Đường District. History Lai Châu, or Muang Lay (Vietnamese: Mư� ...

, and

Cao Bằng Cao Bằng () is a city in northern Vietnam. It is the capital and largest settlement of Cao Bằng Province. It is located on the bank of the Bằng Giang river, and is around away from the border with China's Guangxi region. According to the 2 ...

. In 2019 the population was 67,858.

Language

The Giáy speak the

Bouyei language The Bouyei language (autonym: Haausqyaix, also spelled ''Buyi'', ''Buyei'' or ''Puyi''; ; vi, tiếng Bố Y or ) is a language spoken by the Bouyei ethnic group of Southern Guizhou Province, China. Classified as a member of the Northern Tai gr ...

, a member of the

Tai language family The Tai or Zhuang–Tai languages ( th, ภาษาไท or , transliteration: or ) are a branch of the Kra–Dai language family. The Tai languages include the most widely spoken of the Tai–Kadai languages, including Standard Thai or Sia ...

. Literacy is low in their native language, however, most Giáy can also speak and write

, which they learn in primary school.

Culture

The Giáy traditionally cultivate rice in

paddy fields A paddy field is a flooded field of arable land used for growing semiaquatic crops, most notably rice and taro. It originates from the Neolithic rice-farming cultures of the Yangtze River basin in southern China, associated with pre-Aust ...

using simple technology. Water buffalo are raised as draft animals and are used to plow the land. Chickens and pigs are raised for food. Corn and cassava are also grown (sometimes on land too steep to use for rice cultivation) as feed for livestock. Giáy make their clothing from cotton. Women usually wear a brightly colored five-panel blouse which buttons under the right arm and features a contrasting collar and cuffs. Women also wear colorful

plaid Plaid () may refer to: Fabric * Full plaid, a cloth made with a tartan pattern, wrapped around the waist, cast over the shoulder and fastened at the front * A synonym for tartan in North America * A plaid shirt, typically of flannel and worn du ...

headscarves. Men traditionally wear simple tunics and turbans. Both men and women wear loose indigo trousers. Western dress is now common among many Giáy, especially men. Giáy society is patriarchal. Children carry the last name of their father. The eldest son in a family (or son-in-law if they have no sons) is responsible for caring for his parents; he continues to live in the family home even after he is married. Traditionally, the Giáy treated farmland as communal property. Although today it is becoming more common for each family to own a separate plot of farmland, planting and harvesting are still done as a community. On the snake day of the first lunar month, the Giáy celebrate Roóng Poọc, a festival to mark the start of the rice season. They serve dishes called ''lạp siềng'' and ''lò nùng''. They sing ''vương'' and ''phướn''.

Religion

The Giáy traditionally worship their ancestors, as well as

animistic Animism (from Latin: ' meaning 'breath, spirit, life') is the belief that objects, places, and creatures all possess a distinct spiritual essence. Potentially, animism perceives all things—animals, plants, rocks, rivers, weather systems, hum ...

spirits that govern the heavens, the soil, the kitchen, and others. Each Giáy village has a grove called a ''đoong xía'' that is sacred. Offerings are made twice per year at the biggest tree in the grove, to ensure the favor of the spirit that governs over the village.

References

External links

Ethnologue entry''Giay in Laos'' Joshua Project
Ethnic groups in Vietnam {{Ethno-stub