Thai People - Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

Thai people at cremation ceremony

Regions with significant populations

Thailand approx. 50,600,000[1]

Vietnam 1,550,423[2] (2009)

United States 237,583[3] (2010)

Laos 180,000[4]

Taiwan 74,770[5] (2011)

Malaysia 70,000[6] (2014)

Australia 61,910[7] (2014)

Germany 52,849[8](2007)

Japan 41,279[9] (2010)

Sweden 38,129[10] (2014)

South Korea 30,760[11] (2009)

Hong Kong 30,000[12]

Saudi Arabia 23,000[13]

Canada 10,500[14] (2006)

Denmark 8 580[15] (2012)

Finland 7,500

Languages

Thai languages (Siamese, Southern Thai, Lanna,

Isan)

Religion

Predominantly Theravada Buddhism. Minority

others

Related ethnic groups

Thai

Thai peopleFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Thai people, formerly known as Siamese, are the mainethnic group of Thailand and are part of the larger Taiethnolinguistic peoples found in Thailand and adjacentcountries in Southeast Asia as well as southern China andnortheastern India. Their language is the Thai language,

which exists in different regional variants,[16] and isclassified as part of the TaiKadai family of languages, andthe majority of Thai are followers of Theravada Buddhism.

"Thai people" usually includes Central and Southern Thai

(Siamese proper, or Tai Siam[17][18][19][20][21]), Northern

Thai (Lanna) and Isan people.[22][23]

The term Thai people has a loose meaning and sometimesalso refers to the population of Thailand in general, and notonly to ethnic Thais.

Contents

1 History

2 Geography and demographics3 Culture and society4 Religion5 See also6 Notes7 References8 External links

History

There have been many theories proposing the origin of theTai people, of which the Thai are a subgroup. Especially theassociation of the Tai people with the Kingdom of Nanzhaothat has been proved to be invalid. Linguistic studies

suggested[24] that the origin of the Tai people lies around theChinese Province of Guangxi, where the Zhuang people arestill a majority. The ancient Tai people should be the part ofChinese Nanyue, referred to by Han leaders as "foreignservant" (Chinese: ), synecdoche for a vassal state. TheQin dynasty founded Guangdong in 214 BC, initiating thesuccessive waves of Chinese migrations from the north for

Thai people - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thai_people

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other Tai peoples (e.g. Lao people, Shan people,

Dai people, Zhuang people, Ahom people); Thai

Chinese

hundred years to come.

With the political and cultural pressures from the north, some

Tai people migrated south[25] where they met the classicalIndianized civilizations of Southeast Asia. According tolinguistic and other historical evidence, the southwestward migration of Tai-speaking tribes from Guangxi took

place sometime between the 8th-10th centuries.[26]

The Tais from the north gradually settled in the Chao Phraya valley from the tenth century onwards, in lands ofthe Dvaravati culture, assimilating the earlier Austroasiatic Mon and Khmer people, as well as coming intocontact with the Khmer Empire. The Tais who came to the area of present-day Thailand were engulfed into theTheravada Buddhism of the Mon and the Hindu-Khmer culture and statecraft. Therefore, the Thai culture is a

mixture of Tai traditions with Indic, Mon and Khmer influcences.[27]

Early Thai chiefdoms included the Sukhothai Kingdom and Suphanburi. The Lavo Kingdom, which was thecenter of Khmer culture in Chao Phraya valley, was also the rallying point for the Thais. The Thai were calledSiam by the Angkorians and they appeared on the bas relief at Angkor Wat as a part of the army of Lavokingdom. Sometimes the Thai chiefdoms in the Chao Phraya valley were put under the Angkorian control understrong monarchs (including Suryavarman II and Jayavarman VII) but they were mostly independent.

A new city-state known as Ayutthaya, named after the Indian city of Ayodhya, was founded by Ramathibodiand emerged as the center of the growing Thai Empire starting in 1350. Inspired by the then Hindu-basedKhmer Empire (Cambodia), the Ayutthaya Empire's continued conquests led to more Thai settlements as theKhmer Empire weakened after their defeat at Angkor in 1431. During this period, the Thai developed a feudalsystem as various vassal states paid homage to the Thai kings. Even as Thai power expanded at the expense ofthe Mon and Khmer, the Thai Ayutthaya faced setbacks at the hands of the Malays at Malacca and werechecked by the Toungoo of Burma.

Other peoples living under Thai rule, mainly Mon, Khmer and Lao, as well as Chinese, Indian or Muslimimmigrants continued to be assimilated by Thais, but at the same time they influenced Thai culture, philosophy,economy and politics. Most of today's Thais are of mixed descent. Therefore, Thai ethnicity is rather a question

of cultural identity than of genetic origin.[28] The biggest and most influential group are Thais of Chinese

origin. The share of Thais who are of full or partly Chinese descent is at about 40 percent.[29]

Though sporadic wars continued with the Burmese and other neighbors, Chinese wars with Burma andEuropean intervention elsewhere in Southeast Asia allowed the Thai to develop an independent course bytrading with the Europeans as well as playing the major powers against each other in order to remainindependent. The Chakkri dynasty under Rama I held the Burmese at bay, while Rama II and Rama III helpedto shape much of Thai society, but also led to Thai setbacks as the Europeans moved into areas surroundingmodern Thailand and curtailed any claims the Thai had over Cambodia, in dispute with Burma and Vietnam.The Thai learned from European traders and diplomats, while maintaining an independent course. Chinese,Malay, and British influences helped to further shape the Thai people who often assimilated foreign ideas, butmanaged to preserve much of their culture and resisted the European colonization that engulfed their neighbors.Thailand is also the only country in Southeast Asia that was not colonized by European powers in modernhistory.

The concept of a Thai nation was not developed until the beginning 20th century under King Rama VI(Vajiravudh). Before this era, Thai did not even have a word for 'nation'. He also imposed the idea of"Thai-ness" (khwam-pen-thai) on his subjects and strictly defined what was "Thai" and "un-Thai". Authors ofthis period re-wrote the Thai history from an ethno-nationalist viewpoint, disregarding the fact that the concept


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Thai People Abroad.

of ethnicity had not played an important role in South East Asia until the 19th century.[30][31] This newlydeveloped nationalism was the base of the policy of "Thaification" of Thailand which was intensified after theend of absolute monarchy in 1932 and especially under the rule of Field Marshal Plaek Phibunsongkhram(19381944). Minorities were forced to assimilate and regional peculiarities of Northern, Northeastern and

Southern Thailand were repressed in favour of one homogenous "Thai" culture.[32] As a result, many citizens of

Thailand do not distinguish between their nationality (san-chat) and ethnic origin (chuea-chat).[28]

Geography and demographics

The vast majority ofthe Thai people livein Thailand, althoughsome Thais can alsobe found in otherparts of SoutheastAsia. About 60million live in

Thailand alone,[1]

while thousands canalso be found in theUnited States, Laos,Taiwan, Malaysia,Singapore,Cambodia, Burma,the United Kingdom,Australia, Sweden,Norway, Libya and the United Arab Emirates.

Culture and society

The Thais can be broken down into various regional groups with their own regional varieties of Thai. Thesegroups include Central Thai (also the standard variety of the language), the Isan (more closely related to theStandard Lao of Laos than to Standard Thai), Lanna Thai and Southern Thai. Modern Central Thai has becomemore dominant due to official government policy, which was designed to assimilate and unify the disparate Thaiin spite of ethnolinguistic and cultural ties between the northeastern Thai people and the people from Laos forexample.

The modern Thai are predominantly Theravada Buddhist and strongly identify their ethnic identity with theirreligious practices that include aspects of ancestor worship, among other beliefs of the ancient folklore ofThailand. Indigenous arts include muay Thai (kick boxing), Thai dance, makruk (Thai Chess), and nang yai(shadow play).

Religion

Thais predominantly (more than 90%) avow themselves Buddhists. The variant of Buddhism practised inThailand is part of the Theravada branch. Since the rule of King Ramkhamhaeng of Sukhothai and again sincethe "orthodox reformation" of King Mongkut in the 19th century, it is modeled on the "original" Sri Lankan


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Theravada Buddhism. The Thais' folk belief however is a syncretic blend of the official Buddhist teachings,

animistic elements that trace back to the original beliefs of Tai peoples, and Brahmin-Hindu elements[33] from

India, partly inherited from the Hindu Khmer Empire of Angkor.[34]

The belief in local, nature and household spirits, that influence secular issues like health or prosperity, as well as

ghosts (Thai: phi, ) is widespread. It is visible e.g. in so-called spirit houses (san phra phum) that may befound near many homes. Phi play an important role in local folklore, but also in modern popular culture, like

television series and films. "Ghost films" (nang phi) are a distinct, important genre of Thai cinema.[35]

Hinduism has left substantial and present marks on Thai culture. Some Thais worship Hindu gods like Ganesha,Shiva, Vishnu or Brahma (e.g. at Bangok's well-known Erawan Shrine). They do not see a contradiction

between this practice and their primarily Buddhist faith.[36] The Thai national epic Ramakien is an adaption ofthe Hindu Ramayana. Hindu mythological figures like Devas, Yakshas, Nagas, gods and their mounts (vahana)characterise the mythology of Thais and are often depicted in Thai art, even as decoration of Buddhist

temples.[37] Thailand's national symbol Garuda is taken from Hindu mythology as well.[38]

A characteristic feature of Thai Buddhism is the practice of tham bun ("merit-making"). This can be donemainly by food and in-kind donations to monks, contributions to the renovation and adornment of temples,

releasing captive creatures (fish, birds) etc. Moreover, many Thais idolise famous and charismatic monks,[39]

who may be credited with thaumaturgy or with the status of a perfected Buddhist saint (Arahant). Other

significant features of Thai popular belief are astrology, numerology, talismans and amulets[40] (often images of

the revered monks)[41]

Besides Thailand's 2 million Muslim Malays, there are an additional 2 million ethnic Thais who profess Islam,especially in the South, but also in Greater Bangkok. As a result of missionary work, there is also a minority ofapproximately 500,000 Christian Thais: Catholics and various Protestant denominations.

See also

ThailandPeopling of ThailandMalaysian SiameseThai AmericanThai BritishThai cultureThai folkloreThais in TaiwanThais in Hong KongThai marriageList of Thai actressesList of Thai actorsList of Thai people

Notes

References


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"CIA - The World Factbook" (https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/th.html#People).Cia.gov. Retrieved 2012-08-29. "75% of 67,497,151 (July 2013 est.)"

1.

"[1] (http://www.gso.gov.vn/default_en.aspx?tabid=476&idmid=4&ItemID=10802)", 2009 Vietnam Population andHousing Census, General Statistics Office of Viet nam

2.

Elizabeth M. Hoeffel, Sonya Rastogi, Myoung Ouk Kim, and Hasan Shahid, "The Asian Population: 2010(http://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/briefs/c2010br-11.pdf)", 2010 Census Briefs, United States Census Bureau,March 2012, p. 14.

3.

http://www.crc.nsw.gov.au/statistics/Sect1/Table1p08Aust.pdf4.

10012 (http://www.immigration.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=1109891&

ctNode=29699)

5.

Nop Nai Samrong (8 January 2014). "SIAMESE MALAYSIANS: They are part of our society"(http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:cMUSFXYAEp0J:www2.nst.com.my/7-day-news/wednesday/siamese-malaysians-they-are-part-of-our-society-1.457322+&cd=2&hl=en&ct=clnk). New StraitsTimes. Archived from the original (http://www.nst.com.my/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/siamese-malaysians-they-are-part-of-our-society-1.457322) on 18 April 2015. Retrieved 10 January 2014.

6.

Australian Bureau of Statistics. "Estimated Resident Population by Country of Birth - 1992 to 2014"(http://stat.abs.gov.au//Index.aspx?QueryId=1093#) (ABS.stat). http://www.abs.gov.au/. Retrieved 9 February 2015.

7.

http://www.destatis.de/jetspeed/portal/cms/Sites/destatis/Internet/EN/Content/Statistics/Bevoelkerung/AuslaendischeBevoelkerung/Tabellen/Content100/AlterAufenthaltsdauer,property=file.xls

8.

http://www.e-stat.go.jp/SG1/estat/List.do?lid=0000010748289. "Utrikes fdda i riket efter fdelseland, lder och kn. r 2000 - 2014" (http://www.scb.se/sv_/Hitta-statistik/Statistikdatabasen/Variabelvaljare/?px_tableid=ssd_extern%3aUtrikesFoddaR&rxid=a485a851-3570-4919-a302-3aeb860fbfe7). Statistics Sweden. Retrieved 15 March 2015.

10.

[2] (http://www.clair.or.jp/j/forum/pub/docs/367.pdf) 11. http://www.cityu.edu.hk/searc/WP44_03_Hewison.pdf12. http://eng.mol.go.th/inform_dec1107_5.html13. http://www12.statcan.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/hlt/97-562/pages/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo=PR&Code=01&Data=Count&Table=2&StartRec=1&Sort=3&Display=All&CSDFilter=5000

14.

http://www.statistikbanken.dk/statbank5a/default.asp?w=102415. Antonio L. Rappa; Lionel Wee (2006), Language Policy and Modernity in Southeast Asia: Malaysia, the Philippines,Singapore, and Thailand, Springer, pp. 114115

16.

Cheesman, P. (1988). Lao textiles: ancient symbols-living art. Bangkok, Thailand: White Lotus Co., Thailand.17. Fox, M. (1997). A history of Laos. Cambridge, U.K.: Cambridge University Press.18. Fox, M. (2008). Historical Dictionary of Laos (3rd ed.). Lanham: Scarecrow Press.19. Goodden, C. (1999). Around Lan-na: a guide to Thailand's northern border region from Chiang Mai to Nan.Halesworth, Suffolk: Jungle Books.

20.

Wijeyewardene, G. (1990). Ethnic groups across national boundaries in mainland Southeast Asia. Singapore:Institute of Southeast Asian Studies.

21.

David Levinson (1998), Ethnic Groups Worldwide: A Ready Reference Handbook, Oryx Pres, p. 287,ISBN 1573560197

22.

Barbara A. West (2009), Encyclopedia of the Peoples of Asia and Oceania, Facts on File, p. 794, ISBN 143811913523. Luo, Wei; Hartmann, John; Li, Jinfang; Sysamouth, Vinya (December 2000). "GIS Mapping and Analysis of TaiLinguistic and Settlement Patterns in Southern China" (http://www.niu.edu/landform/papers/JGIS_Tai_Origin.pdf)(PDF). Geographic Information Sciences (DeKalb: Northern Illinois University) 6 (2): 129136. Retrieved May 28,2013. "Abstract. By integrating linguistic information and physical geographic features in a GIS environment, thispaper maps the spatial variation of terms connected with wet-rice farming of Tai minority groups in southern Chinaand shows that the primary candidate of origin for proto-Tai is in the region of Guangxi-Guizhou, not Yunnan or themiddle Yangtze River region as others have proposed...."

24.

Du Yuting; Chen Lufan (1989). "Did Kublai Khan's Conquest of the Dali Kingdom Give Rise to the Mass Migrationof the Thai People to the South?" (http://www.siamese-heritage.org/jsspdf/1981/JSS_077_1c_DuYutingChenLufan_KublaiKhanConquestAndThaiMigration.pdf) (PDF). Journal of the SiamSociety (Siam Heritage Trust). JSS Vol. 77.1c (digital). image 7 of p. 39. Retrieved March 17, 2013. "The Thai peoplein the north as well as in the south did not in any sense "migrate en masse to the south" after Kublai Khan's conquestof the Dali Kingdom."

25.

Pittayaporn, Pittayawat (2014). Layers of Chinese Loanwords in Proto-Southwestern Tai as Evidence for the Dating26.


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Wikimedia Commons has

media related to People of

Thailand.

of the Spread of Southwestern Tai (http://www.manusya.journals.chula.ac.th/files/essay/Pittayawat%2047-68.pdf).MANUSYA: Journal of Humanities, Special Issue No 20: 47-64.Charles F. Keyes (1997), "Cultural Diversity and National Identity in Thailand", Government policies and ethnicrelations in Asia and the Pacific (MIT Press): 203

27.

Thak Chaloemtiarana (2007), Thailand: The Politics of Despotic Paternalism, Ithaca, NY: Cornell Southeast AsiaProgram, pp. 245246, ISBN 978-0-8772-7742-2

28.

Theraphan Luangthomkun (2007), "The Position of Non-Thai Languages in Thailand", Language, Nation andDevelopment in Southeast Asia (ISEAS Publishing): 191

29.

Tejapira, Kasian (2003), "De-Othering Jek Communists: Rewriting Thai History from the Viewpoint of the Ethno-Ideological Order", Southeast Asia Over Three Generations: Essays Presented to Benedict R. O'G. Anderson (Ithaca,NY: Cornell Southeast Asia Program): 247

30.

Thanet Aphornsuvan (1998), "Slavery and Modernity: Freedom in the Making of Modern Siam", Asian Freedoms:The Idea of Freedom in East and Southeast Asia (Cambridge University Press): 181

31.

Chris Baker; Pasuk Phongpaichit (2009), A History of Thailand (Second ed.), Cambridge University Press,pp. 172175

32.

Patit Paban Mishra (2010), The History of Thailand, Greenwood, p. 1133. S.N. Desai (1980), Hinduism in Thai Life, Bombay: Popular Prakashan Private34. Pattana Kitiarsa (2011), "The Horror of the Modern: Violation, Violence and Rampaging Urban Youths inContemporary Thai Ghost Films", Engaging the Spirit World: Popular Beliefs and Practices in Modern SoutheastAsia (Berghahn Books): 200220

35.

Patit Paban Mishra (2010), The History of Thailand, Greenwood, pp. 111236. Desai (1980), Hinduism in Thai Life, p. 6337. Desai (1980), Hinduism in Thai Life, p. 2638. Kate Crosby (2014), Theravada Buddhism: Continuity, Diversity, and Identity, Chichester (West Sussex): WileyBlackwell, p. 277

39.

Timothy D. Hoare (2004), Thailand: A Global Studies Handbook, Santa Barbara CA: ABC-CLIO, p. 14440. Justin Thomas McDaniel (2011), The Lovelorn Ghost and the Magical Monk: Practicing Buddhism in ModernThailand, New York: Columbia University Press

41.

Girsling, John L.S., Thailand: Society and Politics (Cornell University Press, 1981).Terwiel, B.J., A History of Modern Thailand (Univ. of Queensland Press, 1984).Wyatt, D.K., Thailand: A Short History (Yale University Press, 1986).

External links

US Library of Congress Country Studies, Thailand, The Thai andOther Tai-Speaking Peoples (http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?frd/cstdy:@field(DOCID+th0053))

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