The term Kra–Dai peoples or Kra–Dai-speaking peoples refers collectively to the

ethnic group An ethnicity or ethnic group is a group of people with shared attributes, which they collectively believe to have, and long-term endogamy. Ethnicities share attributes like language, culture, common sets of ancestry, traditions, society, re ...

s of southern

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

and

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...

, stretching from

Hainan Hainan is an island provinces of China, province and the southernmost province of China. It consists of the eponymous Hainan Island and various smaller islands in the South China Sea under the province's administration. The name literally mean ...

Northeast India Northeast India, officially the North Eastern Region (NER), is the easternmost region of India representing both a geographic and political Administrative divisions of India, administrative division of the country. It comprises eight States and ...

and from southern

Sichuan Sichuan is a province in Southwestern China, occupying the Sichuan Basin and Tibetan Plateau—between the Jinsha River to the west, the Daba Mountains to the north, and the Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau to the south. Its capital city is Cheng ...

Laos Laos, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic (LPDR), is the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by Myanmar and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the southeast, and Thailand to the west and ...

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

and parts of

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

, who not only speak languages belonging to the Kra–Dai language family, but also share similar traditions, culture and ancestry.

Origin

Chamberlain (2016) proposes that the Kra–Dai language family was formed as early as the 12th century BCE in the middle of the Yangtze basin, coinciding roughly with the establishment of the Chu state and the beginning of the

Zhou dynasty The Zhou dynasty ( ) was a royal dynasty of China that existed for 789 years from until 256 BC, the longest span of any dynasty in Chinese history. During the Western Zhou period (771 BC), the royal house, surnamed Ji, had military ...

. Following the southward migrations of Kra and Hlai (Rei/Li) peoples around the 8th century BCE, the Yue (Be-Tai people) started to break away and move to the east coast in the present-day

Zhejiang province ) , translit_lang1_type2 = , translit_lang1_info2 = ( Hangzhounese) ( Ningbonese) (Wenzhounese) , image_skyline = 玉甑峰全貌 - panoramio.jpg , image_caption = View of the Yandang Mountains , image_map = Zhejiang i ...

, in the 6th century BCE, forming the state of Yue and conquering the state of Wu shortly thereafter. According to Chamberlain, Yue people (Be-Tai) began to migrate southwards along the east coast of China to what are now Guangxi, Guizhou and northern Vietnam, after Yue was conquered by Chu around 333 BCE. There the Yue (Be-Tai) formed the Luo Yue, who moved into

Lingnan Lingnan (; ) is a geographic area referring to the lands in the south of the Nanling Mountains. The region covers the modern China, Chinese subdivisions of Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Hong Kong & Macau and Northern Vietnam. Background The ar ...

and Annam and then westward into northeastern Laos and Sip Song Chau Tai, and later became the Central-Southwestern Tai, followed by the Xi Ou, which became the

Northern Tai The Northern Tai languages are an established branch of the Tai languages of Southeast Asia. They include the northern Zhuang languages and Bouyei of China, Tai Mène of Laos and Yoy of Thailand. Languages Ethnologue ''Ethnologue'' distingui ...

). Tao et. al (2023), however, suggests that the Kra-Dai language family originated from coastal south China, around the Fujian, Guangdong and Guangxi provinces, and underwent a radial expansion into the Guizhou-Yunnan region, Hainan Island, and Mainland Southeast Asia. This language dispersal might also be associated with environmental change and demographic changes. Kra–Dai peoples are thought to originate from

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

, where they spoke a dialect of proto-Austronesian or one of its descendant languages. The Kra–Dai-speaking peoples migrated to southern China, where they brought with them the Proto-Kra–Dai language. Like the Malayo-Polynesians, they may originally have been of Austronesian descent. Unlike the Malayo-Polynesian group who later sailed south to the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

and other parts of maritime Southeast Asia, the ancestors of the modern Kra–Dai people sailed west to mainland China and possibly traveled along the

Pearl River The Pearl River (, or ) is an extensive river system in southern China. "Pearl River" is often also used as a catch-all for the watersheds of the Pearl tributaries within Guangdong, specifically the Xi ('west'), Bei ('north'), and Dong ( ...

, where their language greatly changed from other

Austronesian languages The Austronesian languages ( ) are a language family widely spoken throughout Maritime Southeast Asia, parts of Mainland Southeast Asia, Madagascar, the islands of the Pacific Ocean and Taiwan (by Taiwanese indigenous peoples). They are spoken ...

under the influence of

Sino-Tibetan Sino-Tibetan (also referred to as Trans-Himalayan) is a family of more than 400 languages, second only to Indo-European in number of native speakers. Around 1.4 billion people speak a Sino-Tibetan language. The vast majority of these are the 1.3 ...

and Hmong–Mien language infusion. However, no archaeological evidence has been identified which would correspond to this Daic expansion in its earliest phases. Aside from linguistic evidence, the connection between Austronesian and Kra–Dai can also be found in some common cultural practices. Roger Blench (2008) demonstrates that dental evulsion, face tattooing, teeth blackening and snake cults are shared between the Taiwanese Austronesians and the Kra–Dai peoples of southern China. Overall, most theories suggest that Kra-Dai peoples descend from a local Austronesian-related lineage in continental southeast China, ranging from Zheijiang to Guangdong, with additional gene flow from an

Austroasiatic The Austroasiatic languages ( ) are a large language family spoken throughout Mainland Southeast Asia, South Asia and East Asia. These languages are natively spoken by the majority of the population in Vietnam and Cambodia, and by minority popu ...

-related lineage. Alternatively, they descend from

Yangtze River The Yangtze or Yangzi ( or ) is the longest river in Eurasia and the third-longest in the world. It rises at Jari Hill in the Tanggula Mountains of the Tibetan Plateau and flows including Dam Qu River the longest source of the Yangtze, i ...

basin farmers, similar to Austronesians, and later mixed with Yellow River farmers and Hmong-Mien groups. Kra-Dai speakers in Guangxi, especially Zhuang and Dong peoples, are believed to be related to the

Baiyue The Baiyue, Hundred Yue, or simply Yue, were various ethnic groups who inhabited the regions of southern China and northern Vietnam during the 1st millennium BC and 1st millennium AD. They were known for their short hair, body tattoos, fine swo ...

peoples living in the

region. In fact, genetic characteristics of the Baiyue lineage are well-preserved in Kra-Dai groups from southern China and Southeast Asia. File:Genesis of Daic languages and their relation with Austronesians.png, Proposed genesis of Daic languages and their relation with Austronesian languages ( Blench, 2018) File:Kra-Tai-Migration1.png, Kra-Dai migration route according to James R. Chamberlain (2016). File:Gerner Tai-Kadai migration route.png, Kra–Dai migration route according to Matthias Gerner's ''Northeast to Southwest Hypothesis''.

Linguistic subdivisions

There are five established branches of the Kra–Dai languages, which may not directly correspond to ethnicity: * the

Tai peoples Tai peoples are the populations who speak (or formerly spoke) the Tai languages. There are a total of about 93 million people of Tai ancestry worldwide, with the largest ethnic groups being Dai people, Dai, Thai people, Thai, Isan people, Isan, ...

of China and much of Southeast Asia (including most notably the Thai, Lao, Isan, Shan and Zhuang, and Saek people of Laos and Thailand) * the Hlai people and Be people of China, especially on Hainan * the Kra peoples of China and Vietnam (also known as the Geyan peoples) * the Kam–Sui peoples (which may or not include the Biao people) in central China The Lakkia people of Guangxi Autonomous Region of China (''Tai Lakka'' in neighboring portions of Vietnam) are ethnically of Yao, but speak a Kra–Dai language called '' Lakkia''.Lakkia on Ethnologue
/ref> These Yao were likely in an area dominated by Tai speakers and assimilated an early Kra–Dai language (possibly the language of the ancestors of the Biao people). * The Lingao people in

Hainan Province Hainan is an island province and the southernmost province of China. It consists of the eponymous Hainan Island and various smaller islands in the South China Sea under the province's administration. The name literally means "South of the Sea" ...

of China speak a Kra–Dai language called '' Be'' or ''Lincheng,'' although the ethnicity of the Lingao traces back to the Han nationality.Lingao on Ethnologue
/ref>

Geographic distribution

The Kra-Dai have historically resided in

, continental

and parts of northeastern

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

since the early Kra-Dai expansion period. Their primary geographic distribution in those countries is roughly in the shape of an arc extending from northeastern India through southern China and down to Southeast Asia. Recent Kra-Dai migrations have brought considerable numbers of Kra-Dai peoples to

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

, the

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a Federal monarchy, federal elective monarchy made up of Emirates of the United Arab E ...

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

and

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

as well. The greatest

ethnic diversity Multiculturalism is the coexistence of multiple cultures. The word is used in sociology, in political philosophy, and colloquially. In sociology and everyday usage, it is usually a synonym for ''ethnic'' or cultural pluralism in which various ...

within the Kra-Dai occurs in China, which is their prehistoric homeland. The Kra peoples are clustered in the

Guangxi Guangxi,; officially the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the China, People's Republic of China, located in South China and bordering Vietnam (Hà Giang Province, Hà Giang, Cao Bằn ...

Guizhou ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = , image_map = Guizhou in China (+all claims hatched).svg , mapsize = 275px , map_alt = Map showing the location of Guizhou Province , map_caption = Map s ...

Yunnan Yunnan; is an inland Provinces of China, province in Southwestern China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 47.2 million (as of 2020). The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders the Chinese provinces ...

Hunan Hunan is an inland Provinces of China, province in Central China. Located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze watershed, it borders the Administrative divisions of China, province-level divisions of Hubei to the north, Jiangxi to the east, Gu ...

and

provinces of China, as well as the Hà Giang, Cao Bằng,

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 southwe ...

and

Sơn La Sơn La (; Tai Dam: ) is a city in the north-west region of Vietnam. It is the capital of Sơn La Province. It is bordered by Thuận Châu District, Mường La District, and Mai Sơn District. History In the era of the Sip Hoc Chau Tai, ...

provinces of

. The Kam–Sui peoples are clustered in

as well as neighboring portions of northern

and

List of Kra–Dai-speaking peoples per country

China

southern China Northern China () and Southern China () are two approximate regions that display certain differences in terms of their geography, demographics, economy, and culture. Extent The Qinling–Daba Mountains serve as the transition zone between ...

, people speaking Kra-Dai languages are mainly found in

Guangdong ) means "wide" or "vast", and has been associated with the region since the creation of Guang Prefecture in AD 226. The name "''Guang''" ultimately came from Guangxin ( zh, labels=no, first=t, t= , s=广信), an outpost established in Han dynasty ...

, and

. According to statistics from the fourth census taken in China in 1990, the total population of these groups amounted to 23,262,000. Their distribution is as follows: * Dai (or Tai) have a population of about 19 million, mainly inhabiting

and parts of

and

provinces. * Kam-Sui (Kam-Shui) have a population of about 4 million and live mainly in Hunan, Guizhou, and in Guangxi. * Kra have a population of about 22,000 and live mostly in Yunnan, Guangxi and Hunan. The following is a list of the Kra–Dai ethnic groups in China:

=Tai and Rauz peoples

= * Thai (Central Thai) * Bouyei * Tai Chong ( tai chong) * Dai ( tai léu), including the Lu, Han Tai, Huayao Tai and Paxi people * Tai Dam * Dong (, ), including the Northern and Southern Dong people * E ( ĕe) * Tai Eolai ( Tai eo laai) *Fuma ( ''Fū ma'') * Hongjin Tai * White Thai people * Tai Kaihua ( tai kăi hŭa) * Kang * Tai Lai ( tai laai) * Minggiay ( ming-gia) * Mo *

Isan people The Isan people (, , ; , ; , ; ) or literally Northeastern people are an ethnic group native to Isan, Northeastern Thailand with an estimated population of about 22 million. Alternative terms for this group are ''T(h)ai Isan'', ''Thai-La ...

* Tai Nuea ( tai nĕua), including the Tai Mao and Tai Pong people * Pachen ( bpaa chayn) * Tai Payee ( tai bpaa yêe) * Pemiayao ( bpay-mia wor) * Pulachee ( bpoo-laa jee) * Pulungchee ( bpoo-lung-jee) * Puyai ( bpôo) *

San Chay The San Chay people (; also called Sán Chỉ) live in Tuyên Quang Province of the Northeast region of Vietnam, as well as some nearby provinces. The Pinghua language is a form of Chinese language. Their population was 201,398 in 2019. Many l ...

(also referred to as the Cao Lan people) * Shan ( yài tai), including the Cun () * Tay () * Thuchen ( dtoo chayn) * Thula ( dtù-laa) * Tai Ya people ( tai yàa) * Yoy ( tai yói) * Tay (including the Tho people) * Zhuang ( jûang), including the Buyang, Dianbao, Pusha, Tulao, Yongchun and Nùng () people

=Li/Hlai people

= The Li/Hlai reside primarily, if not completely, within the

=Kra peoples

= The Kra peoples are clustered in the

and

provinces of China, as well as the Hà Giang, Cao Bằng,

and

provinces of

=Kam–Sui peoples

= * Bouyei of

Guizhou Province ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = , image_map = Guizhou in China (+all claims hatched).svg , mapsize = 275px , map_alt = Map showing the location of Guizhou Province , map_caption = Map s ...

(including Ai-Cham, Mak and T'en, although most Bouyei are ''nuclear'' Tai) * Dong of

and

Provinces (also referred to as the Kam people) * Mulao of

* Maonan of Guangxi Province * Shui of

and

Provinces (also referred to as the Sui people)

Cao Miao people

The Cao Miao people of

and

Provinces speak a Kam–Sui language called ''Mjiuniang'', although it is believed that the people are of Hmong–Mien descent.

Kang people

The Kang people of

Yunnan Province Yunnan; is an inland Provinces of China, province in Southwestern China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 47.2 million (as of 2020). The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders the Chinese provinces ...

(referred to as Tai Khang in Laos) speak a Kam–Sui language, but ethnically descend from the

Dai people The Dai people ( Burmese: ရှမ်းလူမျိုး; ; ; ; , ; , ; zh, c=, p=Dǎizú) are several Tai-speaking ethnic groups living in the Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture and the Dehong Dai and Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture ...

=Biao people

= The Biao people are clustered in the

Guangdong Province ) means "wide" or "vast", and has been associated with the region since the creation of Guang Prefecture in AD 226. The name "''Guang''" ultimately came from Guangxin ( zh, labels=no, first=t, t= , s=广信), an outpost established in Han dynasty ...

.Biao at Ethnologue
/ref>

=Lakkia people

= The Lakkia are an ethnic group clustered in the Guangxi Province of

and neighboring portions of

, whose members are of Yao descent, but speak a Tai–Kadai language called ''Lakkia''. These Yao were likely in an area dominated by Tai speakers and assimilated an early Tai–Kadai language (possibly the language of the ancestors of the Biao people).

=Lingao people

= The Lingao people are an ethnic group clustered in the

whose members are classified as Han under China's nationality policy, but speak a Tai–Kadai language called ''Lincheng''.

Laos

=Nuclear Tai peoples

= * Tai DaengEthnologue report for Laos
/ref> * Tai Dam * Tai Gapong * Tai He * Tay Khang * Tai Kao * Kongsat *

Kuan Kuan may refer to: ;Ethnic groups * Khuen people, an aboriginal people of Laos * Khün, a Tai ethnic group in southeast Asia ;Other uses * Fan Kuan (990–1020), Chinese landscape painter of the Song dynasty *Lee Kuan Yew (1923–2015), foundin ...

(Population of 2,500 in Laos) * Tai Laan * Tai Maen * Northern Thai (

Lanna The Lan Na kingdom or the Kingdom of Lanna (, , "Kingdom of a Million Rice Fields"; , , ), also known as Lannathai, was an Indianized state centered in present-day Northern Thailand from the 13th to the 18th centuries. The cultural developme ...

) * Lao (Population of 3,000,000 in Laos) * Lao Lom * Tai Long * Dai (Population of 134,100 in Laos including the Lu people)) * Northeastern Thai (including the Lao Kaleun and Isan people) * Tai Nuea * Nùng * Nyaw * Tai Pao * Tai Peung * Phuan (Population of 106,099 in Laos) * Phutai (Population of 154,400 in Laos) * Pu Ko * Rien * Tai Sam * Tayten * Yoy * Zhuang (including the

Nùng people The Nùng (''pronounced as noong'' Help:IPA, uːŋ are a Central Tai languages, Central Tai-speaking ethnic group living primarily in northeastern Vietnam and southwestern Guangxi. The Nùng sometimes call themselves Thổ, which literally m ...

) * Shan * YangThe Research and Classification of the Ethnic Groups in Laos
/ref> * Thai (Central Thai)

=Kam–Sui peoples

= The Kam–Sui peoples are clustered in

as well as neighboring portions of northern

and

=Saek people

= The center of the Saek population is the

Mekong River The Mekong or Mekong River ( , ) is a transboundary river in East Asia and Southeast Asia. It is the world's List of rivers by length, twelfth-longest river and List of longest rivers of Asia, the third-longest in Asia with an estimated l ...

in central Laos. A smaller Saek community makes its home in the

Isan Northeast Thailand or Isan (Isan language, Isan/, ; ; also written as Isaan, Isarn, Issarn, Issan, Esan, or Esarn; from Pāli ''isāna'' or Sanskrit ईशान्य ''īśānya'' "northeast") consists of 20 provinces in northeastern Thai ...

region of northeast

, near the border with Laos.

Thailand

=Nuclear Tai peoples

= *Chiang Saeng **Central Thai ( ThaiThe Thai and Other Tai-speaking Peoples
/ref> and Khorat Thai) ** Northern Thai (Tai Wang,

and Thai Yuan) ** Southern Thai (including the Tak Bai Thai people) ** Tai Dam ** Tai Daeng ** Phuan ** Tai Song *Lao–Phutai ** Lao (

Lao Loum The Lao Loum (; , , ) is an official Lao People's Democratic Republic designation for lowland dwelling Tai peoples, including the majority Lao people. The Lao Loum, literally meaning 'lowland Lao', are the inhabitants of the river valleys and ...

, Lao Ga, Lao Lom, Lao Ti, Lao Wiang and Lao Krang) ** Northeastern Thai ( Tai Kaleun and Isan) ** Phutai ** Nyaw *Northwestern Tai ** Shan ** Lu ** Tai Nuea (including the Tai Mao people) * Tai Bueng * Tai Gapong * Khün * Lao Ngaew *Nyong * Yoy

=Saek people

= The center of the Saek population is the

in central Laos. A smaller Saek community makes its home in the

region of northeast

, near the border with Laos.

Vietnam

=Nuclear Tai peoples

= * Buyei * Tày Tac * Tai Chong * Tai Daeng * Tai DamThai Ethnic Group in Vietnam
/ref>
/ref> * Giáy * Tai La * Tsun-Lao * Tai Kao * Lao * Dai * Tai Man Thanh * Nang * Zhuang (including the

) * Phutai * Tai Taosao * Tay (including the Tho people) * Tai Do (including the Tay Muoi and Tay Jo people) * Tai Yung * Ka Lao * Thu Lao * Tai So * Tai Chiang * Tai Lai * Pu Thay * Tai Hang Thong *

(also referred to as the Cao Lan people) * Lu * Yoy

=Kra peoples

= * En people * Gelao * Lachi * Laha * Qabiao * Sui

Myanmar

* Shan (including the Khamti people) * Dai (including the Lu people) * Lao * Tai Khun * Tai Yong * Tai Nuea (including the Tai Mao people) * Tai Laeng * Tai Phake * Thai (Central Thai) * Tai Piw * Tenasserim Thai

Cambodia

* Thai (Central Thai) (including the Thai descent in Koh Kong) * Lao * Shan * Kula

India

The following groups are found in

Assam Assam (, , ) is a state in Northeast India, northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra Valley, Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . It is the second largest state in Northeast India, nor ...

: * Ahom * Tai Phake * Khampti * Khamyang * Aiton * Turung

Genetics of Kra–Dai-speaking peoples

Li (2008)

The following table of Y-chromosome DNA haplogroup frequencies of modern Kra-Dai speaking peoples is from Li, et al. (2008).

Full genome analysis

The core Kra-Dai population from southern China has more Late Neolithic Fujianese-related ancestry (39.0%–53.9%) than Neolithic Mekong-related ancestry (24.9%–32.3%), which was similarly observed for present southeastern Han Chinese (28.9%–40.3% for Late Neolithic Fujianese and 21.8%–25.2% for Neolithic Mekong). Alternatively, they could be modeled as having Atayal-related and Tibetan-related ancestry, with Atayal-related ancestry being estimated at ~3–38%. Other studies estimate their Atayal-related ancestry at 50%, with the rest being Yellow River-related. It's also suggested that Kra-Dai groups derive ancestry from southeastern Asians (represented by Paiwan and other Taiwanese aborigines), northern East Asians (represented by Late Neolithic Shimao) and southern East Asians (represented by Dushan). The first two components contributed to the Kra-Dai genome in similar proportions. There's also evidence of strong affinities between Kra-Dai groups and ancient Guangxi populations, such as ''GaoHuaHua'', ''BaBanQinCen'', ''LaCen'' and ''ShenXian''. Kra-Dai groups from Guangxi, for example, cluster with the 1,500 year old ''BaBanQinCen'' population, who have Dushan-related ancestry (5%–64%), northern East Asian-related ancestry (19%–40%) and southern East Asian-related ancestry (5%–72%). Kra-Dai groups like the Gelaos (from Daozhen,

Guiyang Guiyang; Mandarin pronunciation: ; Chinese postal romanization, alternatively as Kweiyang is the capital of Guizhou, Guizhou province in China. It is centrally located within the province, on the Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau, eastern part of the Yun ...

, Longlin or

Zunyi Zunyi ( zh, s=遵义 , t=遵義 , p=Zūnyì) is a prefecture-level city in northern Guizhou province, People's Republic of China, situated between the provincial capital Guiyang to the south and Chongqing to the north, also bordering Sichuan to t ...

), Dong (from

Qiandongnan Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture ( zh, s=黔东南苗族侗族自治州 , p=Qiándōngnán Miáozú Dòngzú Zìzhìzhōu; Hmu language: ; Kam language: ), also known as Southeast Qian Autonomous Prefecture of Miao and Dong and sh ...

), Longli Bouyei and

Zhuang share more alleles with Ancient Northern East Asian-related groups, who are closely related to Neolithic millet farmers from the Yellow River basin. However, Longli Bouyei and Qiandongnan have slightly more Ancient Southern East Asian-related ancestry. Meanwhile, groups like Dai, Hlai and other Kra-Dai groups in Southeast Asia share more alleles with Ancient Southern East Asian-related groups, who are closely related to coastal southern East Asians, from the Neolithic to modern period.

Miao Miao may refer to: * Miao people, linguistically and culturally related group of people, recognized as such by the government of the People's Republic of China * Miao script or Pollard script, writing system used for Miao languages * Miao (Unicode ...

and Han Chinese, who have high affinities with Kra-Dai groups themselves, are also suggested to be the ancestors of Zhuang and Dong people. Hlai people are considered to be one of the most isolated Kra-Dai groups, with minimal foreign admixture. They could be modeled as having Austronesian-related ancestry and to a lesser extent, Austroasiatic-related and Northeast Asian-related ancestries. In particular, they cluster with Austronesians that harbor more divergent ancestry, such as the Ami, Atayal, and Kankanaey. Compared to other Kra-Dai groups, the Hlai did not heavily mix with ancient Guangxi populations and Han Chineseand tenuously have no

Denisovan The Denisovans or Denisova hominins ( ) are an extinct species or subspecies of archaic human that ranged across Asia during the Lower and Middle Paleolithic, and lived, based on current evidence, from 285 thousand to 25 thousand years ago. D ...

introgression. However, there is evidence of substantial Han Chinese admixture in some Hlai. In addition, the Kinh Vietnamese diverged from Hlai much earlier than the Dai diverged from Hlai. Other studies suggest that Longli Bouyei and Qiandongnan Dong, who cluster with Kinh Vietnamese, are equally as good as Hlai in representing the ancestral Kra-Dai population. They cluster with Iron Age Taiwanese populations like Gongguan and Hanben, along with Neolithic to Bronze Age Fujianese populations like Xitoucun and Tanshishan. A common haplogroup among Kra-Dai peoples is O1a-M119, which increases further east in China. It is also more common among Taiwanese aborigines than Austronesian populations from Southeast Asian islands. Haplogroup O1b1a1a (O-M95) is likewise common in groups like Hlai, Dai and Kinh Vietnamese. Maternal haplogroups B, C and D are common for Kra-Dai peoples in Mainland Southeast Asia whilst M7b and M7c are common for all Austronesians and Kra-Dai peoples.

Contributions to East and Southeast Asian populations

There is evidence that Kra-Dai ancestry represents the 'southern ancestry' that was introduced in the ancestors of Han Chinese although this ancestry increases further south in China. Han Chinese from Fujian and Guangdong show excessive ancestries from Late Neolithic Fujianese sources (35.0–40.3%), which are more significant in modern Ami, Atayal and Kankanaey (66.9–74.3%), and less significant in Han Chinese from Zhejiang (22%), Jiangsu (17%) and Shandong (8%). This suggests a significant genetic contribution from Kra-Dai-speaking peoples, or groups related to them, to southern Han Chinese. Other studies confirm the strong affinities between Guangdong Han and Kra-Dai peoples, along with ancient population admixture between Guangdong Han and Ami and Atayal, which is also present in

Han and the ancestors of Taiwanese Han. Guangxi Han, who possess the lowest Northern East Asian ancestry among Han subgroups (33.8 ± 4.8%), are believed to descend from Kra-Dai speakers who adopted Chinese dialects. Both Guangxi and Hainan Han are also closely related to Guangdong Han.However, there is evidence that Han Chinese from northern Guangxi have more Southeast Asian-related ancestry, which is closely related to Austronesian, Kra-Dai and Austroasiatic groups, than those from southern Guangxi. Kra-Dai groups in Guangxi could be modeled as a mixture of ancestries related to Dushan (5%–64%), northern East Asians (19%–40%) and southern East Asians (5%–72%). Overall,

Cantonese Cantonese is the traditional prestige variety of Yue Chinese, a Sinitic language belonging to the Sino-Tibetan language family. It originated in the city of Guangzhou (formerly known as Canton) and its surrounding Pearl River Delta. While th ...

, Taiwanese Han and Fujianese are considered to be the most southern-shifted Han subgroups. Southern Chinese also significantly share a genetic component that's more abundant in Dai and Kinh Vietnamese. Among Kra-Dai groups in northeast Thailand near the Laos border, there is 95% Lao-related ancestry although Bru have <1% Lao-related ancestry due to being an isolated Austroasiatic group. Lao-related ancestry makes up >50% of the ancestry of central Thai whilst southern Thai have 66% Nayu-related ancestry, which is a mixture of Austroasiatic, Austronesian and Kra-Dai. Zhuang-related ancestry also makes up 41% of the ancestry found in Kra-Dai groups in northern Thailand. These findings reflect historic migrations of Kra-Dai groups to Thailand via Laos or the heavy assimilation of Laotians by Thais. Among mainland Southeast Asians, Laotians and Kinh Vietnamese have the highest affinities with Kra-Dai groups in China although both are mixed with indigenous mainland Southeast Asian groups to a lesser extent.

Notes

References

Works cited

* Presented at the 12th EURASEAA meeting Leiden, 1–5 September 2008. * * * *

Origin

Linguistic subdivisions

Geographic distribution

List of Kra–Dai-speaking peoples per country

China

=Tai and Rauz peoples

=Li/Hlai people

=Kra peoples

=Kam–Sui peoples

=Biao people

=Lakkia people

=Lingao people

Laos

=Nuclear Tai peoples

=Kam–Sui peoples

=Saek people

Thailand

=Nuclear Tai peoples

=Saek people

Vietnam

=Nuclear Tai peoples

=Kra peoples

Myanmar

Cambodia

India

Genetics of Kra–Dai-speaking peoples

Li (2008)

Full genome analysis

Contributions to East and Southeast Asian populations

Notes

References

Works cited

Further reading