Thai people
Thai people, formerly known as Siamese, are the main ethnic group of Thailand. They are part of the larger Tai group of peoples living in Southeast Asia, southern China and north-east India. They speak the Thai language, which has several regional variations.[1] Most Thai people are followers of Theravada Buddhism.
"Thai people" usually refers to central and southern Thai (Tai Siam),[2][3][4][5][6] northern Thai (Lanna) and Isan people.[7][8] However, the term has a loose meaning and can sometimes refer to any person from Thailand, not only ethnic Thais.
About 60 million live in Thailand. Large populations have lived in Laos, Malaysia, Cambodia and Myanmar for many years.
Thai people most likely originally come from the province of Guangxi in China.[9] Tai peoples began to move south some time between the 8th and 10th centuries.[10][11] They settled in the valley of the Chao Phraya River. They became heavily influenced by Mon and Khmer and became Buddhist.[12] Early Thai states included the Sukhothai Kingdom and Suphan Buri Province. The Thai were called "Siam" by the Khmer, and were ruled by the Khmer Empire. The Thai people began growing in power after they built Ayutthaya.
References
- ↑ Antonio L. Rappa. Language Policy and Modernity in Southeast Asia: Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand (2006)Springer. p. 114–115.
- ↑ Cheesman, P. (1988). Lao textiles: ancient symbols-living art. Bangkok, Thailand: White Lotus Co., Thailand.
- ↑ Fox, M. (1997). A history of Laos. Cambridge, U.K.: Cambridge University Press.
- ↑ Fox, M. (2008). Historical Dictionary of Laos (3rd ed.). Lanham: Scarecrow Press.
- ↑ Goodden, C. (1999). Around Lan-na: a guide to Thailand's northern border region from Chiang Mai to Nan. Halesworth, Suffolk: Jungle Books.
- ↑ Wijeyewardene, G. (1990). Ethnic groups across national boundaries in mainland Southeast Asia. Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies.
- ↑ David Levinson. Ethnic Groups Worldwide: A Ready Reference Handbook (1998)Oryx Pres. p. 287. ISBN 1573560197.
- ↑ Barbara A. West. Encyclopedia of the Peoples of Asia and Oceania (2009)Facts on File. p. 794. ISBN 1438119135.
- ↑ Luo, Wei. GIS Mapping and Analysis of Tai Linguistic and Settlement Patterns in Southern China. Geographic Information Sciences 6 (2) (December 2000). DeKalb: Northern Illinois University. p. 129–136. Retrieved May 28, 2013.
- ↑ Pittayaporn, Pittayawat (2014). Layers of Chinese Loanwords in Proto-Southwestern Tai as Evidence for the Dating of the Spread of Southwestern Tai. MANUSYA: Journal of Humanities, Special Issue No 20: 47-64.
- ↑ Du Yuting. Did Kublai Khan's Conquest of the Dali Kingdom Give Rise to the Mass Migration of the Thai People to the South?. Journal of the Siam Society JSS Vol. 77.1c (digital) (1989)Siam Heritage Trust. Retrieved March 17, 2013.
- ↑ Charles F. Keyes. Cultural Diversity and National Identity in Thailand. Government policies and ethnic relations in Asia and the Pacific (1997)MIT Press. p. 203.