But the fact is that the complexity of the origins of the Thai cannot be encompassed by a simple, straightforward explanation. However, what I can do is try to make sense of the dense historical and ethnological background of the people of Thailand, and give you all the information you need to come to your own conclusion on what seems most plausible, according to the evidence.
The country is home to 75 percent Thai, 14 percent ethnic Chinese, four percent Malay Muslims, one percent Khmer Cambodian , one percent Kui, one percent Karen, and. Thai-Isan people are often considered culturally distinct from those found in central Thailand, some considering them closer to the people of Lao. This is an over generalisation, though, and has more to do with geographical proximity than descent. There are many people originally from Central or Southern Thailand living in Northeast Thailand, who speak the regional dialect.
Indeed, there are parts of Northeast Thailand where other languages are spoken by minorities, such as Khmer by the Northern Khmer Thai-Khmer. While people may be considered of Lao or Cambodian descent, they are still part of the Tai group, which we'll get into in a moment. There are also notable ethnic Thai-Chinese communities living throughout Thailand, including the Northeast, but particularly in the South.
However, we know that the majority of Thai-Chinese established themselves in Thailand over three waves of migration, dating back to the 13th Century:. Slightly more than half of the ethnic Chinese population in Thailand trace their ancestry to eastern Guangdong Province. This is evidenced by the prevalence of the Minnan Chaozhou dialect among the Chinese in Thailand.
A minority trace their ancestry to Hakka and Hainanese immigrants. Source: Wikipedia. Moreover, if we look at Thailand as a whole, we see there are many cultural distinctions in different areas of the country.
For example, parts of the the South have a deep-rooted Malay influence, and in the North we see a mix of numerous tribes, many of whom have descended from neighbouring countries along the foothills of the Himalayas.
So rather than trying to generalise where a particular group of people in a particular area of Thailand have descended from originally , we are trying to identify a common heritage between those whose families have lived in Thailand, and indeed the immediate surrounding region, for many centuries.
And interestingly, as you'll note in the next section, the history explains how these different sub-groups are tied together. Genetically, Thai people descend from the Tai ethnolinguistic group speakers of a common Tai language who are also found in other Southeast Asian countries and in China. As the Tai group spread, so did their language, becoming the mother-tongue of both Thailand and Laos.
As the group settled in different regions of the country and started communities, the ethnic subgroups of modern-day Thailand were created. Most of the groups populate central and southern Thailand, due to their original settlement near the Chao Phraya River, which winds its way through modern-day Bangkok.
The supposition above may provoke controversy, depending on what you believe about the origin of Thai people.
The Mongolians origin theory was initiated by American missionary W. Dodd, who made Thailand his home for 32 years. Though both are interesting theories, modern-day scholars have debunked them, noting that neither the Mung nor the Tai could have survived a crossing of the unforgiving Gobi desert.
In addition, the Tai culture was known for its extensive knowledge of agriculture and cultivation. It seems unlikely that such a civilization would suddenly become nomadic. This theory got its start with linguist Terrien de La Couperie, a Frenchman who had been tasked with the study of ancient Chinese records. After studying the complex linguistic patterns of both China and Thai, La Couperie concluded that the Tai people originated in central China, pointing to the uncanny similarities in language between the Mung people who represented an ethnic minority in their home province of Szechuan and the Tai people who later populated Southeast Asia.
Critics have pointed out that the document La Couperie studied is a replication — not an original — and its information has not been verified, largely debunking his theory in academic circles. Later, Thai Prince Damrong corroborated this theory but suggested that the Tai people settled in the area between China and Tibet in 44 B.
Once in Yunnan, the groups separated into separate tribes. In the s, Thai theorist Phraya Anuman Raja-Thon suggested that the Tai people originated in central China, as well, but this time in the Yangtze basin, migrating from Szechuan to the east.
Though this theory has been explored extensively, anthropologists point to key physical, lifestyle and cultural differences between central Chinese populations and modern-day descendants of the Tai people. In , an English explorer named A. After exploring Southeast Asia from Burma to India, he proposed that a similar lifestyle and language between the regions made the connection between the two groups likely, if not certain. Adapting this theory, a German anthropologist named Wolfram Eberhard concluded that the Tai originated in Kwangtung, but eventually migrated through Yunnan to Vietnam, founding the Tan Kingdom and then the Nan Xiao.
This theory has been discussed at length, and while some sociologists and anthropologists still believe that the South China Origins Theory holds true, it is still hotly debated.
Benedict then predicted that a group Mon-Khmer pushed the Tai into southern China nearly 4, years ago, but that they later migrated back into Burma, Northern Thailand, Laos, and Northern Vietnam between and 1, years ago. Researcher H. Quaritch Wales attempted to prove that the Tai people had originated in Thailand itself by using skulls he found and studied in Kanchanaburi Province, which dated back to 50 A.
He compared them to modern-day Thai skulls and concluded that the two were extremely similar, theorizing that the Tai people had occupied Thailand for the past two millennia. This idea was corroborated by Sud San-Vichien, a physiologist who compared ancient bones from Kanchanaburi and Rajaburi provinces with bones from modern-day ethnic Thais, concluding that they were virtually identical.
He, too, concluded that modern-day Thailand was the original home of the Tai ethnolinguistic group. To corroborate, archaeologists and anthropologists have found evidence of continuity in culture, tradition, physiology, and civilization. A researcher named Somsak Punta-Sombun determined this after exploring the interwoven relationship of genetics and blood type.
He found that ethnic Thai and Chinese people have dissimilar genetics and that there was a much closer relationship between Thai and Javanese civilizations. He even presumed that the Tai group may have lived in Java. To allow us to provide a better and more tailored experience please click "OK". Sign Up. Travel Guides. Videos Beyond Hollywood Hungerlust Pioneers of love. Kyle Hulme.
Their friendliness. They make an effort to communicate. They accept different lifestyles. They offer unbeatable hospitality. Man, don't you hate it when you always think of a good comeback after an incident has already happened? And it's not just at the airport. Instead of being impressed that I know Bangkok's full name and taking it as solid proof that I'm Thai, it's always met with the usual "But you don't look Thai!
Never mind that I vote, pay taxes, contribute to society with my thought-provoking articles, try to save face when it benefits me, am krengjai in most situations, can eat spicy food like the best of them, know what "eieiei" and "" are, and have a ridiculously long Thai last name that gets butchered constantly; for some, it seems the definition of being "Thai" is still superficial and limited to physical appearance.
I feel stupid even having to type this next sentence, since I learned this simple lesson when I was about 2 years old, but perhaps it bears repeating: People come in all shapes, sizes, and smells!
There's no point trying to impose your self-created constructs on others, because we're all different and hopefully constantly evolving. Coming up with any sort of national identity is difficult, but that doesn't mean we need to promote the common link among Thai people as the fact that we all smile! And more importantly, trying to slap on a very narrow view of what Thai people are supposed to look like is just annoying, and often times, even offensive.
They adapt and blend in Thai society well due to the welcoming nature of the Thais. The only distinction to separate the ethnic Chinese from other Thais is physical appearance. However, there have never been any restrictions upon religious freedom. Thai people celebration of life is relevant of influential from Buddhism, Brahmanism and Chinese ritual mixed. Wedding ceremony show the celebration when using holy water blessing which is Brahmanism and Buddhist monk blessing in the morning.
Other celebration and ritual such as Ordination ceremony , welcoming new born babies and funeral are also similar. Package Tour. Thai people and Thai culture. Origin of the Thai population There are many theories explaining the origin of Thai people. Thai people : Ethnicity T hai ethnicity is divided into 4 groups. Thai features and appearance Generally, Thais have dark brown skin, black hair and a compact build. Thai Disposition Thai people are generally easy going almost laid back, tolerant of other cultures, non-aggressive, and smile a lot.
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