The Yang people, also known as the Nhang or Nyang (autonym: '), 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 ...

-speaking

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, ...

Phongsaly Province Phongsaly province ( Lao ຜົ້ງສາລີ), also spelled ''Phôngsali'', is a province of Laos in the extreme north of the country. The capital of the province is the city of Phôngsali. Phongsaly is between Yunnan (China), and Điệ ...

, northwestern

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

. Chazee (1998) reports that they number 5,843 people as of 2015. The Yang are heavily influenced by Tai Lue culture, although the Yang of Namo Nua village,

Oudomxay Oudomxay (alternates: Oudômxai or Moung Xai; lo, ອຸດົມໄຊ) is a province of Laos, located in the northwest of the country. Its capital is Muang Xai. It covers an area of . It borders China to the north, Phongsali province to the ...

province are more heavily influenced by

Tai Dam people The Tai Dam (Tai Dam: , lo, ໄຕດຳ, th, ไทดำ) are an ethnic minority predominantly from China, northwest Vietnam, Laos, Thailand. They are part of the Tai peoples and ethnically similar to the Thai from Thailand, the Lao from Laos ...

culture (Chazee 1998:23).

Jerold Edmondson Jerold Alan Edmondson (born 1941) (Chinese name: 艾杰瑞 Aì Jiéruì) is an American linguist whose work spans four subdisciplines: historical and comparative linguistics, Asian linguistics, field linguistics, and phonetics. He is a leading spe ...

(1997) has reported that the

Buyang people The Buyang people are an officially unrecognized Kra ethnic group living in Wenshan Prefecture, Yunnan and Napo County, Guangxi in China. They are closely related to the Laha, Qabiao, Gelao, and Lachi. The Buyang language is spoken, although ...

of southern

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 ...

claim to have relatives in

Phongsaly 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 ...

province,

. It is not known whether the Yang of Laos are indeed related to the Buyang of China. The Yang Zhuang of southwestern

Guangxi Guangxi (; ; Chinese postal romanization, alternately romanized as Kwanghsi; ; za, Gvangjsih, italics=yes), officially the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (GZAR), is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the People's Republic ...

are also similarly named, as well as some groups in northwestern

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 ...

that are called "Nhắng".

Language

In February 1998, a 300-word basic vocabulary list of the Yang language was documented by Thongphet Kingsada and Tadahiko Shintani in ''Basic vocabularies of the languages spoken in Phongxaly, Lao P.D.R.'' (1999).

History

According to Yang elders of Nam Fa village, Vieng Poukha

District A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...

, the Yang had migrated more than 200 years ago (or more than 4 generations ago) from the Dien Bien Phu area of northern

(Chazee 1998:23). Throughout

today, the Yang practice paddy cultivation near streams in lowlands and valleys, at elevations of between 400 and 800 meters. The Yang of Ay village, Namo District claim to have come from the

Mường Lay Mường Lay is a town of Điện Biên Province in the Northwest The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed o ...

and Mường Sô areas of northern Vietnam over 200 years ago, where they were called "Tai Lay" (Chazee 1998:23). 12 Yang families settled in a part of

traditionally belonging to the Tai Lue people. After two Indochinese wars, the Tai Lue returned from

to reclaim their territory, and settled in Khuang village instead, several kilometers away. There were 3 destructive fires in Ay village, in 1940, 1970, and 1991. After 1991, some families left Ay to form the two villages of Ponxay Savan and Somsavanh nearby, believing Ay to be haunted by malevolent spirits from the 1991 fire.

Distribution

The Yang are distributed in the following villages of

Luang Namtha Luang Namtha (''Luang Nam Tha'') ( Lao: ມ. ຫລວງນໍ້າທາ) is a district as well as the capital of Luang Namtha Province in northern Laos. The city lies on the Tha River (''Nam Tha''). Luang Namtha is a popular tourist desti ...

, and

provinces (Chazee 1998). Kingsada (1999) covers the Yang (') language of Long Ngai Kao village, Bun Neua District,

, Laos.Kingsadā, Thō̜ngphet, and Tadahiko Shintani. 1999 ''Basic Vocabularies of the Languages Spoken in Phongxaly, Lao P.D.R.'' Tokyo: Institute for the Study of Languages and Cultures of Asia and Africa (ILCAA). *

**''Khua District'': Mone Savanh, Hat Xeui **''Gnot Ou District'': Xum Kham, Tha **''Boun Tai District'': Na Mak, Na Tene, Vieng Xai, Long Nam, Long Nay Khao **''Boun Neua District'': Muong Xou *

**''Beng District'': Khone **''Namo District'': Ay, Sonsavath, Ponxay Savan, Namo Neua **''Xay District'': Long Ya *

**''Vieng Poukha District'': Nam Fa **''Nale District'': Nam Huay Yang culture is best preserved in Vieng Poukha and Nale

districts A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''Roman province, provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire ...

(Chazee 1998).

References

*Chazee, Laurent. 1998. ''Rural and ethnic diversities in Laos with special focus on the northern provinces''. Presented for the Workshop on "Rural and Ethnic diversities in Laos with special focus on Oudomxay and Sayabury development realities", in Oudomxay province, 4–5 June 1998. SESMAC projects Lao/97/002 & Lao/97/003: Strengthening Economic and Social Management Capacity, Sayabury and Oudomxay provinces. {{Ethnic groups in China Tai peoples Ethnic groups in Laos