Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-89wxm Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-07T13:36:17.433Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

4 - A Comparative Study of Structure and Contradiction in the Austro-Asiatic System of the Thai-Yunnan Periphery

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 October 2015

Cholthira Satyawadhna
Affiliation:
National University
Get access

Summary

Three Mon-Khmer-speaking ethnic groups are the subjects of this comparative study: the Lua (Thin) of Nan, the Laveue of northern Thailand, and the Wa of Yunnan. Let me begin by retelling a myth well known among several groups of Tai in the Thai-Yunnan periphery.

Once upon a time there lived five angels in Daowadueng Paradise who were tired of having been angels for so long. Seeing that there were still plenty of land, hills, plains, and trees on the earth unoccupied by humans they felt they should be born as humans and create civilization. Having made this decision, they transformed themselves into a tao pung (Northern Thai: a water gourd), and floated down from paradise to earth. As soon as the gourd landed on a mountain at Thung Na Tao (the “Water Gourd Field”) on the eastern side of Muang Thaeng, it exploded. Kha Tdjε? was the first-born man, Phu Thai Dam was the second, Lao Phung Khao the third. Haw the fourth, and Kaew the fifth. To each, from the gourd was also born a wife of the same race. After a while, they walked down together from the mountain and had their first bath and a drink at a stream, named Nong Hok Nong Hay, the water of which was believed to be sacred. All those who bathed and drank had their bodies clean and their minds clear, and were thus clever enough to rule the country. As the first-born Kha couple were afraid of cold water they did not bathe at Nong Hok Nong Hai, and all the Kha have remained black until now. … Therefore they owned no country.

This origin of the Kha and the “black” label was stamped on them not only by the Phu Tai of Muang Thaeng, as just related. Most Tai-speaking groups have reproduced for centuries the notion that the Kha were too stupid to rule the country.

Type
Chapter
Information
Publisher: ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute
Print publication year: 1990

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure coreplatform@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×