 Thai Kuy Muay Thai fighterBuakaw Banchamek. | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| ~500,000 (est.) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Mainland Southeast Asia | |
| Thailand | 400,000 (2006)[1] |
| Cambodia | 70,302 (2019)[2] |
| Laos | 42,800 (2005)[3] |
| Languages | |
| Kuy,Thai,Isan,Lao, and others | |
| Religion | |
| Animism (orSatsana Phi),Theravada Buddhism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Katuic peoples | |
TheKuy (Khmer:កួយ,Thai:กูย,Lao: ກຸຍ) are an indigenousethnic group of mainlandSoutheast Asia. The native lands of the Kuy range from the southernKhorat Plateau innortheast Thailand east to the banks of theMekong River in southern Laos and south to north central Cambodia.[4] There are also Kuy groups in Vietnam.[5] The Kuy are an ethnic minority in all four countries. Their language is classified as aKatuic language of theMon-Khmer language family. The Kuy are thought by some scholars to be the original inhabitants of parts of Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand.[6] The wordkuy in theKuy language means 'people' or 'human being'; alternate English spellings include Kui, Kuoy, and Kuay, while forms similar tosuay orsuei are derived from the Thai/Laoexonyms meaning 'those who pay tribute' (Thai: ส่วย).[7] TheKuy Ajiang or elephant Kuy in Thailand are known as skilledmahouts, or elephant trainers, and many Kuy Ajiang villages are employed in finding, taming, and selling elephants.[8][9]
The Kuy are found in a region of mainland Southeast Asia roughly between theDangrek Mountains and theMun River, straddling the borders where Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos meet.[6] Although exact population estimates are uncertain, of an estimated 400,000 Kuy people living in these three countries, 220,000 are thought to be in Thailand.[10] In Thailand, the Kuy mainly live in the southernIsan region, encompassing the provinces ofSurin,Buriram,Sisaket,Nakhon Ratchasima, andUbon Ratchathani.[5] In Lao, the Kuy mainly live inAttapeu,Savannakhet,Salavan andChampasak provinces along both banks of the Mekong. Across the Cambodian border, the Kuy live mainly inPreah Vihear,Steung Treng,Siem Reap, and northernKampong Thom with a small population inKratie.[11][12]
In Cambodia, where significant numbers of Kuy also live among the Khmer, they are considered aKhmer Loeu group while in Laos there are counted among theLao Theung ("midland Lao"). In Thailand, Kuy people often live in mixed villages alongside theNorthern Khmer.[citation needed]
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While sharing some similarities, traditional Kuy culture has variations between groups as well as between different countries and many Kuy today have been influenced by the dominant culture of the country in which they live.
Research of the late-19th to early-20th century reported that the Kuy of the time were "vaguely aware" of different clans or tribes within Kuy society, but even by that time consciousness of these divisions was waning.[13] A 1988 study found that modern Kuy were no longer conscious of any clan or tribal affiliation and, among themselves, only recognized differences in dialect and national origin.[13] One exception were the approximately 200[14]Kuy Nheu (ɲə), found in thePhrai Bueng andRasi Salai districts ofSisaket province in Thailand, who were "very conscious of the fact that they were different from all other Kui".[13] Despite this, there are distinct variations in cultural traditions and beliefs between different villages and Kuy communities within Thailand.
Although 20th centuryThaification policies outlawing spirit worship have resulted in most Kuy adopting the local form ofTheravada Buddhism, animism orsatsana phi, involving the veneration of spirits, is the primary religious or cosmological belief for the Kuy in Thailand, alongside Buddhism. The specific spirits worshipped vary. The Kuy Malo and Kuy Malua in Surin and Sisaket provinces, for example, believe in themonitor lizard (takuat) as a symbol of fertility and guardian spirit.[6] The Kuy Mahai in Ubon Ratchathani believe in the spirit of Ahya Chamnak, which serves as a gateway to the forest and grants the community permission to access to the area's natural resources.[6]
Another important Kuy tradition is the Klae Mo healing ceremony.[15] The ritual takes place in the second and third lunar months (January and February) and is led by a ritual leader is a spirit medium called the 'Mae Or'. The Klae Mo ceremony involves traditional song, dance, and spirit possession.[16]
Elephant-related traditions are specific to the Kuy Ajiang or 'elephant Kuy', who captured and trained elephants and primarily live in Surin province. These Kuy traditionally caught elephants along theDangrek mountain range, crossing into Cambodia. However, this practice ended due to geopolitical tension between the two countries in the late 1950s.[17] Some Kuy families still keep elephants for tourism.[17] The Kuy Ajiang venerate their own set of spirits related to this work, specifically the spirit of "Phra KhruPakam", which resides in the Pakam rope—a lasso traditionally used in elephant catching.[18] Kuy elephant wisdom (คชศาสตร์ชาวกูย) was registered on Thailand's national intangible cultural heritage list in 2012.[19]
Kuy people in Cambodia, in particular the Kuy Dek or 'iron Kuy' are known for their role in iron smelting and blacksmithing during the Khmer empire, with archaeological evidence of this practice found in Kuy territory dating back to roughly A.D. 800.[12][20] This practice began to decline during theFrench colonial period, coming to an end in the 1940s due to price competition with suppliers in the West.[20][21]
The Kuy people in Cambodia primarily practice irrigated rice cultivation, although some groups maintain a practice ofshifting cultivation.[21] Some Kuy also raisesilk worms and weavesilk, with some Kuyartisans known for their uniquebasket andtextileweaving skills.[22][23]
Although there is internal variation, central Kuy beliefs revolve aroundanimism, and the belief in local spirits related to the forests and mountains surrounding the Kuy villages, commonly referred to as Ah'ret.[24] The Ah'ret are consulted before key life events, related to farming, collecting resources from the forest, or social occasions such as marriage.[24] Belief in these spirits does not negate Buddhist practice. Seventy-four percent of the Kuy in Cambodia are no longer fluent in Kuy, having adopted Khmer for daily use,[11] and many have all but integrated into Khmer society although a significant portion still participates in traditional Kuy spiritual activities alongside Khmer Buddhism. Women have an esteemed position in Kui society ensuring community cohesion and spiritual beliefs, with female elders known as Yeak Chaeng or Yeak Chheon Chaeng serving as spiritual and ritual leaders.[25]
Today, the Kuy people are actively engaged in efforts to preservePrey Lang forest in Cambodia.[26][27] Prey Lang's name originated from theKuy language and means "the forest (Prey) which belongs to all of us".[28]Organisations includingAmnesty International andCultural Survival have documented how Kuy people have faceddevelopment aggression and been forcefully evicted from their homes due to economic land concessions.[26][29][30] The "spirit forest" in which the Ah'ret live is an integral part of Kuy culture, however, these spaces are increasingly impacted bymining interests as Cambodia develops.[31]
The Kuy are active members of the Cambodian Indigenous Youth Association.[32]
There is limited information on the Kuy in Laos compared to those in Cambodia and Thailand. The Kuy in Lao primarily practicedsubsistence agriculture, utilisingshifting cultivation to grow rice, alongside subsistence hunting and fishing.[33] The Lao government began to implement policies to eliminate this form ofswidden agriculture after becoming a communist country in 1975.[33]
The Kuy language belongs to theAustroasiatic language family, within which several more closely related languages, includingBru,Ta-Oi, and Kuy, among others, make up theKatuic subgroup. Kuy accounts for the largest group of Katuic speakers with recent estimates placing their numbers at 800,000, double the more conservative traditionally accepted estimates.[34] Although it still retains a relatively high number of speakers compared to otherminority languages, the Kuy language is considered endangered.[10] As with other aspects of Kuy culture, however, language use varies based on the country of residence.
Separated by distance, geographical features and political borders, Kuy speakers' speech has evolved into several marked, but mutually intelligible,dialects. In Thailand, two major dialects have been recognized (Kuay and Kuuy), each of which can be further divided into sub-dialects.[13] Cambodian Kuy has been described as having four distinct dialects (Kuy Mla, Kuy Ntua, Kuy Ntra, and Kuy Thmei),[35] while the political situation in Laos has made study of Kuy dialects there difficult.
The Kuy in Thailand have been subject toThaification policies in the past and, while maintaining positive views about their native language (Kuy), most often use the localLao dialect. Thai Kuy are also fluent inCentral Thai and 40 percent also useNorthern Khmer. A majority of monolingual Kuy speakers are in Laos, where approximately 80 percent speak only Kuy. The remaining Kuy of Laos also usesLao. Only 26 percent of the Kuy in Cambodia reported being able to communicate in the Kuy language with the remainder speaking only Khmer.[11] This has been attributed to restrictions on speaking the Kuy language implemented during the Khmer Rouge, and Khmer being the primary language of education.[12]
Although the Kuy language is primarily a spoken one, without a traditional alphabet, the Kui Association of Thailand recently launched a Kui/Kuy writing system, developed by Dr. Sanong Suksaweang.[36] However, most of the Kuy have not learned and have been using their national language scripts as a substitute, that is theThai script in Thailand,Khmer script in Cambodia, andLao script in Laos. The Kuy in Thailand havefolklore explaining why they lack a written script, describing how the Kuy alphabet was once written on buffalo hide, but was eaten by a dog, resulting in the Kuy saying 'ajor jar jim' or 'the dog ate it all'.[15][17]
{{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal= (help)| Lao-Tai | |
|---|---|
| Vietic | |
| Khmeric | |
| Katuic | |
| Bahnaric | |
| Khmu-Palaungic | |
| Hmong–Mien | |
| Tibeto-Burman | |
| Austronesian | |
| Other | |
| General grouping |
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