MYTHOLOGIES OF THE KHMU PEOPLE

The Khmu (/kəˈmuː/; Khmu: /kmm̥uʔ/ or /kmmúʔ/; Lao: ກຶມມຸ [kɯ̀m.mūʔ] or Lao: ຂະມຸ [kʰámūʔ]; Thai: ขมุ [kʰāmùʔ]; Vietnamese: Khơ Mú; Chinese: 克木族; Burmese: ခမူ) are an ethnic group of Southeast Asia. The majority (88%) live in northern Laos where they constitute the largest minority ethnic group, comprising eleven percent of the total population. Alternative historical English spellings include Kmhmu, Kemu, and Khammu, among others. The Khmu can also be found in southwest China (in Xishuangbanna in Yunnan province), and in recent centuries have migrated to areas of Burma, Thailand and Vietnam (where they are an officially recognized ethnic group). In the People’s Republic of China, however, they are not given official recognition as a separate “national” group, but are rather classified as a subgroup of Bulang. The endonym “Khmu” is suspected to stem from their word kymhmuʔ meaning “people”. Khmu also often refer to their ethnicity as pruʔ.

The Khmu people have, for centuries, maintained their traditional culture, they have their own language, customs, beliefs and their own identity which make them different from other ethnic groups. The Khmu also have a rich language filled with fascinating legends and beautiful music. The Khmu people are made up of clans called “ Snta,” each of which identifies itself with a totemic ancestral being. They are then classified into three groups or lineages, those of which are quadruped, birds and plants.

The following are the five major cultural aspects of the Khmu people:

The Khmu kindship and family organization.
The religion.
The health.
The language.
The New Year

The Khmu, pronounced kəˈmu, people is a large minority ethnic groups that is spread across the central highlands of Asia including sections of Northern and Central Laos, Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar (formerly Burma) and Southwestern China. Throughout their range, they are recognized as a separate ethnic group with the exception of those living in China where they fall under the official designation of undistinguished ethnic peoples (rough translation from Chinese). They are known by various names including Khamu, Kemu, Khammu or Khơ Mú depending on the specific area where they live but as would be expected, share a common language with only slight variations in dialects being noted and generally recognizable customs across the entire region.

The Khmuic peoples are aboriginal to Laos and surrounding areas. Most Khmuic peoples live in northern Laos and neighboring areas in Vietnam, although they can also be found in Thailand, Burma and China. The Khmuic peoples are believed to have migrated by land from China to Laos, where they have resided for at least 4,000 years. Some 10,000 years ago, they were probably part of a largely homogeneous ethnicity, now referred to as the Austro-Asiatic peoples, with a homeland somewhere within the borders of the modern-day People’s Republic of China. The prevalence of Y-DNA Haplogroup O among Austro-Asiatic peoples suggests a common ancestry with the Sino-Tibetan, Austronesian, and Hmong–Mien peoples some 35,000 years ago in China. Haplogroup O is a subclade of Y-DNA Haplogroup K, which is believed to have originated approximately 40,000 years ago somewhere between Iran and Central China. In addition to the ethnicities previously mentioned, the progenitor of Haplogroup K was the patrilineal ancestor of nearly all modern Melanesians and Native Americans. Haplogroup K, in turn, is a subclade of Y-DNA Haplogroup F, which is believed to have originated in Northern Africa some 45,000 years ago. In addition to the ethnicities previously mentioned, the progenitor of Haplogroup F was probably the ancestor of all Indo-Europeans.

Khmu’ is the name of an ethnic group in Laos (an ethnic of the Mon-Khmer group) who speak the Mon-Khmer language. They are the native people of the country of Laos and are one of the three largest ethnic groups in Laos. According to the latest research of the Laos ethnic group by Laurent Chazee in 1991, the Khmu’ people represent 32% of the total population, about 1.4 million. In the 13th century, about the year 1230, an ethnic group called the Lao, immigrated from the southern portion of China into the territory now known as Laos. They came and invaded the territory as conquerors, driving some of the native inhabitants into the remote mountainous areas of their land and enslaved the rest of them. These highland outcast, known as the Khmu’ maintained their ethnic distinctiveness and lived as a secluded minority, far away from civilization. The isolation meant that the Khmu’ were excluded from the benefits of full citizenship of Laos. Since then, they have lived as a stigmatized minority and have been unjustly branded as being a lower people in comparison to the ruling class of the Laotians. There are several derogatory names that the Lao have used when referring to the Khmu’, some of which are: Kha, Laotheung, Lao-Kang, Thai Hai, and Khmu’. Kha is an insulting word some Laotians used to belittle the Khmu’ like the N-Word we hear today in modern America. It is a term which directly translates to slave, due to the treatment of our ancestors as slaves. Another term Lao-Theung was a word that means, people who live in the mountains. Lao-Kang is a word that means, people who lives between the top and bottom of a mountainous area, the mountain slope. The word Thai Hai means people who live off the land by cultivating rice on mountainous fields, through the process known as slash and burn. Our real name is “Khmu’” which means “real people” or “human being”. The Khmu’ in Laos, tend to lack educational skills that would help them succeed-about 98% are illiterate due to the lack of education.

The word Khmu and its different derivation such as Khammu or Khamu mean “real people” or “human being”. The Khmu are an ethnic group of Southeast Asia. The majority (90%) live in northern Laos. In Laos, they constitute the largest minority ethnic group covering the eleven per cent of the total population. The Khmu or Khammu are settled on mountain slopes and in upland valleys in the north and central Laos and the north part of Thailand. The Khmu are an agricultural society, but they are also involved in gathering, hunting, trapping and fishing. Khmu’s principal crops are corn, rice, bananas, sugar cane, cucumbers, sesame and vegetables. Houses and villages are considered ritualized spaces: entire Khmu villages have fences and gates which separate the Khmu from their granaries and barns. Altars are placed outside the perimeter to ward off natural phenomena such as fires and storms. Traditional Khmu house must be laid long along the direction from east to west, so don’t intersect the path of the sun. In addition, each home must have a door in the east and another one facing to the north or south; a large outside balcony connected from the east door and a lean room with east or north door.

History of the Khmu People

This area has had some very rough times in its history (the first number one statistic, Laos contains the most heavily bombed area of land on our entire earth), but knowing just makes an experience like this all the more incredible. You will surely notice how in the present, daily life here is so full of calmness, so much beauty in coexistence of people from so very different histories. For its quite modest size, Laos has a giant amount of people diversity. Again, on a per-capita basis, it is the number one most diverse country in the entire world. All of these groups have their own totally distinct languages (over a hundred named languages in Northern Laos alone) and huge differences among their small but distinct identities!

The Khmu ethnic group inhabits large parts of Northern and central Laos, Vietnam and Thailand. In Laos, they represent the most important Môn-Khmer ethnic group. Their territory stretches from Phongsali to Pakxane in Bolikhamxay Province, but the Khmu are mostly found living in groups throughout the provinces of Luang Prabang, Oudomxay, northern Sayabury, southern Phongsali, eastern Luang Namtha, also in the center and west of Houaphan and Xieng Khouang and north of Vientiane. This ethnic minority is divided into many subgroups which are not easily identified ethnically, amongst them are the Môn-Khmer, Ou, Lu, Rok, Me, Keun, Kheng, Khouene, Khongsat. The Nguan and the Kha Bit who are closely related to the Khmu are attributed to the Lamet and the Samtao, which are quite different ethnic groups.

Khmu [kʰmuʔ] is the language of the Khmu people of the northern Laos region. It is also spoken in adjacent areas of Vietnam, Thailand and China. Khmu lends its name to the Khmuic branch of the Austroasiatic language family, the latter of which also includes Khmer and Vietnamese. Within Austroasiatic, Khmu is often cited as being most closely related to the Palaungic and Khasic languages. The name “Khmu” can also be seen romanized as Kmhmu, Khmu’, Kammu, or Khamuk in various publications or alternatively referred to by the name of a local dialect. Khmu has several dialects but no standard variety. Dialects differ primarily in consonant inventory, existence of register, and the degree to which the language has been influenced by the surrounding national language(s). Dialects are, for the most part, mutually intelligible; however communication can be difficult between speakers of geographically distant dialects. The dialects of Khmu can be broadly categorized into two groups, Western Khmu and Eastern Khmu.

Khmu is a member of the Khmuic branch of the Austroasiatic language family. It is spoken mainly in northern Laos, and also in nearby parts of Vietnam, Thailand and China. In 2015 there were 708,000 speakers of Khmu in Laos. There were 72,900 speakers in Vietnam in 2009, 7,000 speakers in China in 2010, 6,250 speakers in Thailand in 2007, and in 2010 there were about 8,000 speakers of Khmu in the USA. There are two groups of Khmu dialects: Western and Eastern. Dialects spoken in neighbouring areas are more or less mutually intelligble, however speakers of more distant dialects may have difficulties communicating with each other. The written language is based on Eastern dialects. Khmu was first documented by French scholars in the late 19th century. Other scholars have studied the language since the 1950s. Ways to write it with Latin and Lao alphabets have been developed. The Lao script is currently used when teaching the language in schools in Laos.

The Khmu are native to Lao and represent nearly a third of the country’s population. Khmu means “real people” or “human being”. In the 13th century, the Lao ethnic group immigrated to the areas occupied by the Khmu, who retreated to the highlands. The Khmu have continued to live in relative isolation, practicing animist religion and cultivating rice and foraging in forest, much as they have for centuries. Ock Pop Tok began collaborating with Khmu communities in 2004, following an introduction through Dr. Phouvieng, a Luang Namtha-based physician and brother of our co-founder Veomanee Douangdala. Working in the field, he realized that there were mutual opportunities for the remote communities and his sister’s enterprise, Ock Pop Tok. Dr. Phouvieng started buying a variety of handicrafts such as tapestry cotton skirts, jungle vine bags and bamboo paper. He then sent them to us. In turn we sent back comments and requests asking could the bags be bigger, could the paper be wider and so on. Thus, began a dialogue between Khum villages in Luang Namtha about how to integrate utility and modern design elements for sale to an increasing tourist market in Luang Prabang. Today, we have several Khmu collaborators in Luang Namtha and Oudomxay province producing piet bags and pouches.

The Khmu’ people are made up of clans called “Sunta,” each of which identifies itself with a totemic ancestral being. They are then classified into three groups or lineages, those of which are quadruped, birds and plants. The Khmu’ are animist, and believe in many different spirits, that could affect their lives. The French introduced Christianity to the Khmu’ people in the 1940’s, while fighting the Japanese in Southeast Asia. After World War II, the British and later the American continued the missionary work started by the French. As a result of these influences, the Khmu in the United States are about 50% Catholic, 40% Christian, and 10% other religions. Khmu’ families are usually large, having an average of five children per household. The Khmu’ are taught to be friendly, honest, respectful and peaceful. Problems or feelings of sadness are to be kept inside, not to be shown to the others. Traditional Khmu’ people believe illness is caused by natural or supernatural phenomena. Treatments for illness include ingestion or application of herbal remedies, abdominal massage, herbal body massage, rituals and incantations. The shaman or spiritual healer performs ceremonies to invoke help from the spirit world in curing the ill. Khmu’ words are written in the emergent of standard Roman-based Khmu’ orthography, derived from initial efforts of Catholic missionaries in 1950. The alphabet of Khmu’ writing has 28 consonants and 20 vowels.

1. Quadruped Lineages may included clans such as: The Civet cat, Tiger, Buffalo, Pangolin and so on.

2. Bird Lineages may include clans such as: Fork-tail, Horn-bill, Kite, Kingfisher, and so on.

3. Plant Lineages do not have as many clans as the other lineages. One example would be a black fern.

Sunta is used as family names in Khmu’ culture. Marriage within the same clan or Sunta is prohibited.

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The Khmuic peoples are believed to have migrated by land from China to Laos, where they have resided for at least 4,000 years. Some 10,000 years ago, they were probably part of a largely homogeneous ethnicity, now referred to as the Austro-Asiatic peoples, with a homeland somewhere within the borders of the modern-day People’s Republic of China. The prevalence of Y-DNA Haplogroup O among Austro-Asiatic peoples suggests a common ancestry with the Sino-Tibetan, Austronesian, and Hmong–Mien peoples some 35,000 years ago in China. Haplogroup O is a subclade of Y-DNA Haplogroup K, which is believed to have originated approximately 40,000 years ago somewhere between Iran and Central China. In addition to the ethnicities previously mentioned, the progenitor of Haplogroup K was the patrilineal ancestor of nearly all modern Melanesians and Native Americans. Haplogroup K, in turn, is a subclade of Y-DNA Haplogroup F, which is believed to have originated in Northern Africa some 45,000 years ago. In addition to the ethnicities previously mentioned, the progenitor of Haplogroup F was probably the ancestor of all Indo-Europeans.

Laos is the number one most diverse country in the entire world. A total population of less than seven million people, Laos is made up of no less than 86 different groups.

The Khmu ethnic group inhabits large parts of Northern and central Laos, Vietnam and Thailand. In Laos, they represent the most important Môn-Khmer ethnic group. Their territory stretches from Phongsali to Pakxane in Bolikhamxay Province, but the Khmu are mostly found living in groups throughout the provinces of Luang Prabang, Oudomxay, northern Sayabury, southern Phongsali, eastern Luang Namtha, also in the center and west of Houaphan and Xieng Khouang and north of Vientiane. This ethnic minority is divided into many subgroups which are not easily identified ethnically, amongst them are the Môn-Khmer, Ou, Lu, Rok, Me, Keun, Kheng, Khouene, Khongsat. The beliefs and the religion of the Môn-Khmer family are related to the well-known Pumpkin story which explains their origins. The memories and the stories told in Houn district show that the Khmu Rok have been living in the region for more than 400 years. In many stories, relations with the Lao and the importance of Bronze Drums are recurring subjects, unfortunately, this knowledge is only found with the elderly people who are worried about losing their traditions.

Today the Khmu people, whose ancestors are considered to be the original inhabitants of Laos, are the second-largest ethnic group in the country. They are traditionally known for their intimate knowledge of the forest and its products, which have always been a vital part of the Khmu’s artisan culture. Although many of their traditional handicraft skills have died out over the past decades, they still make bags using the strong Liana vine, which they harvest from the wild, then dry, twist into rope, and crochet. Mrs Pid is the head of her village handicraft group which consists of 25 – 30 families. Her family, like most Khmu living in rural areas, practises subsistence farming. When not in the field, Mrs Pid dedicates a large amount of time to practising her craft. Making handicrafts has become recognised in her community as providing an important source of supplemental income.

The Khmu Ou are easily the largest ethnic minority group in Laos. They live across a widespread area in northern Laos, spanning eleven provinces. The largest concentrations are found in Houaphan, Phongsali and Vientiane provinces. Nearly all the Khmu people in Laos are Khmu Ou. There are several clans among the Khmu Ou. Each clan is named after a bird, mammal or vegetable. Members of the clan are not allowed to kill, eat or harm the animal or vegetable that their clan represents. In most locations the Khmu Ou live at the base of mountains and in forest valleys 400-800m (1,310-2,620 feet) above sea-level. They often live with or near the Hmong, Iu Mien, Lao and Pong. For centuries the Khmu Ou have been animists, worshiping various deities. Some of their principal spirits include the ‘King spirit’, the spirit of the house, forest, rivers, rice, and livestock.

The Tha River is the jungle’s lifeblood; its fruitful waters home to a myriad of creatures which feed the Khmu, allowing them to raise their people in the wild. Phonxay village market marks the start of my time in Northern Laos. Rattan cages rattle with poultry, and bustling bodies weave in and out of fruit and vegetable mounds. The sound of locally caught tilapia fish thrashing around in the boot of our van signals the beginning of a 30-minute drive to Nam Ha National Protected Area. Once there, we tread carefully through a humid rice field while the sticky heat of the day prickles at my forehead. Tom, our trekking guide, is unyielding – in fact, he looks nonchalant as he leads us towards the forest edge. I cast my mind to home and prepare to be amazed by a land of unparalleled beauty. Hiking into the depths of a bamboo forest, we clamber under low-hanging vegetation and fallen logs while witnessing its hidden inhabitants. Rustling among tropical flora and fauna, crested finchbill warble and monkeys leap between the woody vines. As we descend along a trail, I watch as a battalion of giant red ants march near my feet. Tom starts a wood fire and, with his machete, cuts several banana leaves to lay on the forest floor. Heady and intoxicating, the smell of barbecued fish mingles with the sunlight as lunch is served.

The Khmu ethnic group is the largest indigenous population in northern Laos, and is among the world’s most enduring cultures. One piece of Khmu culture that was nearly lost is the Nature Bag, made from a vine they harvest from the forests surrounding their villages. Nature Bag was traditionally used to carry a day’s harvest. The design has been passed down for generations, but cheap plastic import bags from China nearly decimated the craft. The Nature Bag project has saved the ancient Khmu craft and provided economic opportunities for these remote, isolated tribes. The knowledge and skill used in the bag’s craftsmanship rests exclusively with the Khmu. Khmu artisans enjoy working from home while nurturing their children and preserving traditional social interaction within their villages.