.jpg) Laos Plateau des Bolovens weaving in Ban Lao Ngam | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 102,551 | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Vietnam,Laos | |
 Vietnam | 74,173 (2019)[1] |
 Laos | 28,378 (2015)[2] |
| Languages | |
| Katu •Phuong •Vietnamese •Lao | |
| Religion | |
| Animism •Christianity | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Pacoh,Brao,Ta Oi | |
TheKatuic people (alsoCo Tu, Ca Tang;Vietnamese:người Cơ Tu;Katu:Manứih Cơ Tu) are an ethnic group of about 102,551 who live in eastern Laos and central Vietnam. Numbered among theKatuic peoples, they speak aMon-Khmer language. Katuic languages have been developed by Paul Sidwell,[3] but Sidwell's work is not commonly used in Katuic communities due to language barriers.
The Katu in Laos live inSekong Province along the upperSekong River and in the highland basin of the Song Boung river watershed along the border with Vietnam'sQuảng Nam Province andHuế city. There were 28,378 of them in Laos in 2015.[2]
The Vietnamese government's official name for the Katu ethnic group is "Cơ Tu". Within Vietnam, Katu people areindigenous groups recognized by the Vietnamese government and they almost live in the provinces of Thừa Thiên–Huế, Quảng Nam, and Da Nang city. The Katu in Vietnam numbered 50,458 in the 1999 census,[4] 61,588 in the 2009 census, and 74,173 in the 2019 census.[5][1]
The Katu typically serve rice cooked in bamboo stems such aszăr,aví hor,koo dep,koo g'đhoong, andcha chắc, and drink a beverage calledtavak. Their famous dances aretung tung (performed by males) andya yá (performed by females). They playh'roa in ordinary life. Traditional Katu homes are on stilts and those who live on the Laotian border are known for growingjute and weaving.[citation needed] Some 15,000 Katu in Thừa Thiên–Huế speakPhuong, a Katuic dialect often recognized as a separate language.[6] They are also notorious for the wide variety ofAustroasiatic carrying baskets that they have developed. Nowadays, Katu peoples' lives are modernized, and many young Katuic people go to the cities to study and find jobs. Some of them go abroad to advance their education. Dr Tho Alang (Alăng Thớ) is recognized as the first of the Katu people to gain a Doctor of Philosophy (in Management) from the RMIT University (Australia).[7]
| Austroasiatic (Vietic) | |
|---|---|
| Austroasiatic (non-Vietic) | |
| Hmong–Dao | |
| Tai–Kadai | |
| Sino-Tibetan (Chinese) | |
| Sino-Tibetan (Tibeto-Burman) | |
| Malayo-Polynesian | |
| Immigrants and expatriate | |
The 54 officially recognised ethnic groups are ranked by population in their language families according to2019 census
| |
| Lao-Tai | |
|---|---|
| Vietic | |
| Khmeric | |
| Katuic | |
| Bahnaric | |
| Khmu-Palaungic | |
| Hmong–Mien | |
| Tibeto-Burman | |
| Austronesian | |
| Other | |
| General grouping |
|
