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As we are well aware that nearly no country in the world has its population constituted by one race or a single ethnic group. In fact, all nations are constituted by many different ethnic groups which are endowed with national characteristics of different dialects, custom, tradition, belief and culture. Through each period of history, through the communication, generosity, unity and helping each other among the ethnic groups there has been some change, but of course, it still encompasses diversified traces inheriting fro the span of century like their dialect, customs, traditions, beliefs and other. Ethnic group is a mater of complexity for our world today. How ever, it is significant and meaningful for the strength and firm monolith of a nation.
As far as the Lao P.D.R is concerned, despite being a small nation, with is total territory of 236.800 square meters and its population of over 5 million people, it is composed of any ethnic groups having numerous particularities which are not the same with those of other countries in the world.
1. The Lao P .D.R is a country which is constituted by many ethnic groups which live their livelihood in between each other from the north to the south, no one ethnic group has ever exploited or conquered another ever since; they have lived together in peace, no one ethnic group has lived its livelihood separately in a large territory. Each ethnic group has a common character of being a part of a unified nation and had its own particularities.
2. all ethnic groups of the Lao P.D.R have contributed with their strength and forces to protect and develop the nation, have a firm traditional of unity and concord, especially since the country has been under the leadership of the Lao peoples’ revolutionary party, the process of relationship and concord among the ethnic group with in the nation had been firm and rapid.
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3. all ethnic groups of the Lao P.D.R have a common socio-economic base, but the level of the development has been stepped up with an unequal rhythm, in particular.
4. the ethnic groups of the Lao P.D.R have a common culture, the Lao culture is a harmonized and ultimate combination of all ethnic groups, the lao spoken and written languages (national language) is a common language, hw ever, each ethnic groups still preserves its own dialect, custom and culture of its own.
5. the origin of some ethnic groups of the Lao P.D.R has been identical with that of some ethnic groups living in the neighboring countries
1. To classify the names of the ethnic groups of the Lao P.D.R in compliance with the ethnographic principles and to suit also their actual preference as well as to limit and step toward eradicating the names which have the sense of humiliation and look down on the ethnic people.
2. To increase the sense of unity and equality among ethnic people, build awareness and encouragement for the ethnic people to be proud of their own while living as a part of the Lao national community. Enhance the national spirit and unanimity, diminish the traces of suspect among the ethnic people to combat the division and sabotage activity of any hostile as well as together protect and develop the country.
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3. To preserve and promote fine custom, tradition and culture which is unique for each ethnic group. In the contrary, to limit, solve and remove all obstacles which impede the development, unity and mutual assistance among the ethnic groups in compliance with the policy guideline of the Party and Government.
4. To provide with important information about ethnic affairs to the Party and Government as well as to all parties to consider and include in the policy guideline, development planning and the implementation of various plans for each ethnic group in a accordance with the particularities and actual fact of all ethnic locality.
1. It is expected to be able to preliminarily define and acknowledge that how many. Ethnic groups actually live in the Lao .P.D.R. How many braches is each ethnic groups constituted of. The calling of their name will comply with the basic principles of the ethnography and suit the preference they like to be called. And at the same time the humiliation, look down on will be limited, solved.
2. The role of each ethnic group will be upheld, causing the ethnic people to be proud of their own being within the Lao national community. The implementation of equal right own their among the ethnic groups will be ensured, the monolithic unity and concord among the ethnic groups within the Lao national community will be firmly enhanced and the sense of mastery as well as the valiant traditional including the particularities in each ethnographic aspect will be developed. At the same time, the trace of suspect and conflicts among the ethnic groups will be solved and the division and sabotage activities of the hostile forces will be defeated.
3. the acknowledgement of the fine custom, tradition, art and culture of each ethnic group will be promoted and preserve the solution to them.
4. It will be beneficial and useful information for the Party and Government as well as all parties in considering the policy guideline and policy plan for each aspect to each ethnic group to suit the ideology, custom, traditions and culture of each ethnic group which.
The ethnographic research being done in the countries of Europe, American and Latin America has attracted people’s interests for longtime, while in the Asia and Pacific region, in particular, in the developing countries as well as the Least developed countries the interest has been gained recently.
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For the Lao P.D.R, ethnographic research has gained more interest since the period of having the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party as the Leader. Due to the far sightedness of the Party, the ethnographic affair has become of importance and strategic for the strength of the nation. Therefore, the Party has paid constant and close attention to the ethnographic affairs, which can be seen, after the establishment of the Liberal Lao Front (Neolao Issara) on the 13 August 1950, staffs of all ethnic groups were mobilized to take part in the leadership of the Liberal Lao Front and the Opposition Government (Lutthabarn Lao Tottarn). By 1970 which was the period of preparation for the second party congress, therefore, to ensure that the essence suited the actual fact which was the turning point in the Lao revolution. The central level Lao front for national construction discussed and nominated a committee t carry out the research on the Lao society and assigned to that committee to study and define the name of the ethnic group within the Lao national community with the purpose to enhance the sense of monolithic unity, serve the political course in the movement of struggling for national liberation and independence. To fulfill the said purpose, the committee for Lao Society Research carried out its study and classification of the ethnographic name based on the settlement, language and political meaning which grouped Laos on three main groups (Sohnsard) of 68 ethnic groups as follows:
Means the people living and settling in the plains and by the river banks, comprised of 12 ethnic groups such as: Lao, phouan, leu, T’ai dum, T’ai deng, T’ai khao, T’ ai meuy, T’ ai neua, T’ai Nyee, Yung and seak.
Means people living and settling on mountain slopes with the altitude of over 700 meters high above sea level, composed of 36 ethnic groups such as: KHAMU,SAMAED, BID, PHONG, PUAK, YRU,PHOUNOY, KASENG, DOY,PHAI, MAKONG, KATANG, PAKOH, LAWAIN, LAWAE, NYAHERN, TRUI, SOO, SAPUAN, SOK, TREW, TALIANG, TAOY, ALUCK, KATOO, YAE, SUAY, CHENG, DARKKUNG, LAWEE, LAWUCK, OY, TONGLEUANG, KADO, THIN and SARMTAO ethnic groups.
- Kooks or Takoon (Clan, family line): is a primary form of community which was constituted by individuals having the same blood line.
- Laoh or Sahakoksid (Tribe): is a unification of many individual or clans having the same blood line due to the need for livelihood and production, some people call as Sahaphun koksid or many koksid.
- Sohnphao ( Ethnic ) is a group of people which have a common dialect or language, origin and historical background, culture and is believed to succeed from the same ancestors ancestors ( some nearly have its territory ).
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