Nyaw
Nyaw or Tai Nyaw (also Yo, Jo or Yaw, Thai ไท ญ้ อ [ tʰɑj jɔ̂ː ]) are an ethnic group in Thailand and Laos that spans provinces of the Isan (including Nong Khai , Sakon Nakhon , Nakhon Phanom ) and parts of the provinces of Bolikhamsai and Khammuan are scattered across Laos. They belong to the group of the Tai peoples .
history
The Tai Nyaw believe they come from peoples from northernmost Laos and from Tonkin or from the Xishuangbanna Province in Yunnan . However, their language is most closely related to Lao dialects spoken east of Luang Prabang .
language
Nyaw is one of the Tai Kadai languages . The language code according to ISO 639-3 is nyw. Originally not a written language , Nyaw is now rendered using Thai characters when required , but not according to the rules of the Thai language .
Nyaw is very similar to the Lao / Isan languages of its neighbors and has only minor differences in tones and accents . Phu Thai comes closest to their present-day settlement areas . Most Nyaws can communicate fluently in Thai and Lao .
The number of Nyaw speakers is around 50,000.
religion
The Tai Nyaw people practice the Theravada - Buddhism , but one thing still remains animist beliefs exist. Characteristic is the worship of spirits who care for the well-being of their settlements, called "Phu Chao" ( Thai ผู้ เจ้า [ pʰûː tɕâw ]) in Nyaw . A very similar idea guides the establishment of the modern San Lak Mueang in the Thai provincial capitals.
literature
- Paul Hattaway: Peoples of the Buddhist World. A Christian Prayer Diary. Piquant, Carlisle 2004, ISBN 1-903689-90-2 .