The Pacoh are a minority ethnic group, part of the
Katuic peoples The Katuic peoples live mainly in central Vietnam's Truong Son region and the highlands of south eastern Laos and speak the Katuic languages. The peoples include the Katu, Ta Oi, Pacoh, Bru (Van Kieu) in Vietnam and the Kuy. The Katuic groups i ...
.
Etymology
The name Pacoh may mean 'mountaineers'. Alternate names for Pacoh are: Bo, Pako, and Van Kieu.
Distribution
They live mostly in an extremely remote mountainous area of
Laos, near the
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 ...
border. There are approximately 17,000 Pacoh in Laos, and approximately 35,000 Pacoh worldwide.
In Laos, the Pacoh live in the northern portion of
Saravan Province (
Sa Mouay District) and the southern portion of
Savannakhet Province (
Nong District).
Other Pacoh live 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 ...
where they are considered a part of the
Ta Oi minority. In Vietnam, the Pacoh (
Khas Pakho) number approximately 15,000 (1973) and are found in the highlands of
Thừa Thiên-Huế Province.
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]
Industry
Their main industry is
slash-and-burn agriculture
Slash-and-burn agriculture is a farming method that involves the cutting and burning of plants in a forest or woodland to create a field called a swidden. The method begins by cutting down the trees and woody plants in an area. The downed veget ...
.
Religion
Most Pacoh are animists. They pray to many gods, ghosts and deities. Every village has a spirit-house on its outskirts.
Language
Pacoh speak the
Pacoh language.
References
{{Ethnic groups in Laos
Ethnic groups in Laos
Ethnic groups in Vietnam