Tai Bueng
Encyclopedia
The Tai Bueng are an ethnic group
in Thailand
. They are also referred to as Lao Bueng (ลาวเบิ้ง).
(อำเภอพัฒนานิคม) in Lopburi Province
.
policies. Their distinctive dress consists of chong kaben (a type of pantaloon) with a silver belt. In other ways, they are very similar to surrounding Thai people and the Lao from which they descend. Admittedly, very little has been studied about the Tai Bueng language and culture.
from the Lao city of Mueang Uthen (เมืองอุเทน), now located in Nakhon Phanom province
along the Mekong River and modern-day Lao border. Although their arrival into Central Thailand is a mystery, it is possible that like other Lao-speaking tribal Tai groups, the Tai Bueng were enslaved or forced into corvée
labour and forcibly removed to where they are now.
Ethnic group
An ethnic group is a group of people whose members identify with each other, through a common heritage, often consisting of a common language, a common culture and/or an ideology that stresses common ancestry or endogamy...
in Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
. They are also referred to as Lao Bueng (ลาวเบิ้ง).
Geographic distribution
The Tai Bueng are located in two villages of Amphoe Phatthana NikhomAmphoe Phatthana Nikhom
Phatthana Nikhom is a district of Lopburi Province in central Thailand.-Geography:Neighboring districts are Chai Badan and Tha Luang of Lopburi Province, Muak Lek, Wang Muang, Kaeng Khoi, Chaloem Phra Kiat and Phra Phutthabat of Saraburi Province, and Mueang Lop Buri and Khok Samrong of...
(อำเภอพัฒนานิคม) in Lopburi Province
Lopburi Province
Lop Buri is one of the central provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Phetchabun, Chaiyaphum, Nakhon Ratchasima, Saraburi, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, Ang Thong, Sing Buri and Nakhon Sawan.-Geography:...
.
Culture
The Tai Bueng have maintained their unique culture despite being located in the heart of Thailand and heavy ThaificationThaification
Thaification is the process by which people of different cultural and ethnic origins living in Thailand become assimilated to the dominant Thai culture, or more precisely, to the culture of the Central Thais...
policies. Their distinctive dress consists of chong kaben (a type of pantaloon) with a silver belt. In other ways, they are very similar to surrounding Thai people and the Lao from which they descend. Admittedly, very little has been studied about the Tai Bueng language and culture.
History
The Tai Bueng believe they are descendants of ethnic LaoLao people
The Lao are an ethnic subgroup of Tai/Dai in Southeast Asia.-Names:The etymology of the word Lao is uncertain, although it may be related to tribes known as the Ai Lao who appear in Han Dynasty records in China and Vietnam as a people of what is now Yunan Province...
from the Lao city of Mueang Uthen (เมืองอุเทน), now located in Nakhon Phanom province
Nakhon Phanom Province
Nakhon Phanom is one of the north-eastern provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Mukdahan, Sakon Nakhon and Bueng Kan. To the north-east it borders Khammouan of Laos.-Geography:...
along the Mekong River and modern-day Lao border. Although their arrival into Central Thailand is a mystery, it is possible that like other Lao-speaking tribal Tai groups, the Tai Bueng were enslaved or forced into corvée
Corvée
Corvée is unfree labour, often unpaid, that is required of people of lower social standing and imposed on them by the state or a superior . The corvée was the earliest and most widespread form of taxation, which can be traced back to the beginning of civilization...
labour and forcibly removed to where they are now.