The Lahu people (; ; Lāhùzú; ) are an ethnic group native to China, Myanmar, and the rest of Mainland Southeast Asia.

Etymology

The Chinese name "Lahu" is a phono-semantic matching of the Lahu endonym, and literally means "to drag favour from heaven" (拉, lā, "to drag"; 祜, hù, "blessing, favour"). It replaced the older and more-offensive "Luohei" (猓黑) as the official Chinese name for the Lahu people.

Distribution

The Lahu are one of the 56 ethnic groups officially recognized by the People's Republic of China, where about 720,000 live in Yunnan province, mostly in Lancang Lahu Autonomous County. In Thailand, the Lahu are one of the six main groups categorized as hill tribes.

Subgroups

The Lahu divide themselves into a number of subgroups, such as the Lahu Na (Black Lahu), Lahu Nyi (Red Lahu), Lahu Hpu (White Lahu), Lahu Shi (Yellow Lahu) and the Lahu Shehleh. Where a subgroup name refers to a color, it refers to the traditional color of their dress. These groups do not function as tribes or clans - there are no kin groups above that of the family. Lahu trace descent bilaterally, and typically practice matrilocal residence.

Bradley (1979) lists the following Lahu ethnic subgroups.

;Black Lahu

  • Lahu Na
  • Meuneu (Shan, 'north country')
  • Meun Pulon
  • Shehvi (Hsenwi)
  • Bawfa (Shanised)
  • Hkahka: (known only to Bradley's Akha informants)
  • Panai (known only to Bradley's Akha informants)
  • Divergent Lahu Na dialects
  • Kaishin: (Chinese 'exchange hearts')
  • Hpu: ('white')thumb|Flag of the Lahu people
  • Hu:paw
  • Kulao
  • Namhpehn (hpeh)
  • Lalaw (na)
  • Laba
  • Huli
  • Lahu Nyi ('red')
  • Nyi
  • thumb|238x238px|right|A Burmese depiction of the Lahu Na (Black Lahu)Venya ('go to town')
  • Kulao: (not the same as Hpu: type Lahu Kulao)
  • Shehleh (Red Lahu name)
  • Laho Na ('black') / Shehleh
  • Laho Namoe
  • Laho A:leh

;Yellow Lahu

  • 'Like Black Lahu'
  • A:ga / A:do'aga (Black Lahu name)
  • A:hpube:le: (Yellow Lahu 'bent gourd'; own name)
  • Shi: Bankeo:
  • Laho Shi
  • Banlan (black name)
  • Menhke (yellow name)

;Divergent

  • Lahu Meh
  • Lahu Lawmeh
  • Lahu Velon ('big town')

;Unclassified

  • Kawsung (Kucong?)
  • Pawla
  • Khapaw
  • Cili
  • Senling
  • Nambawpe
  • Si Pyeng ('yellow-Pyeng')
  • Si Pü ('yellow - white')
  • Hai (Chinese 'black' ?)

;Non-Lahu (some have "become" Lahu)

  • Micha (Lisoid group)
  • Bana (Akoid group)

Language

The Lahu language is part of the Loloish branch of the Lolo–Burmese subgroup of the Tibeto-Burman family (itself a member of the Sino-Tibetan language family). Like most of its relatives, it is a strongly isolating language with subject–object–verb word order, and a set of numeral classifiers. There are seven tones, and consonants cannot close syllables. The language spoken by the Lahu Shi is notably divergent from that spoken by the other groups. In Thailand, Lahu Na often serves as a lingua franca among the various hill tribes. Written Lahu uses the Latin alphabet. Among Christian villages, the language has been enriched by loanwords from English, Latin and Greek via Bible translation, plus neologisms in the areas of hygiene, music and education.

Names

Lahu people used to have just a given name, until the Chinese Government gave them surnames. About 90% of the Lahu people are either named Lee or Zhang, two of the most common Chinese surnames. Lahu given names are made of two syllables: one that shows the gender and one that gives information on the day of birth, based on the zodiac. For example, a person born on the Ox day will be named “Zanu” if he is a boy and “Nanu” if she is a girl.

Notes

References

Citations

Sources

  • Phạm Huy. 1997. Một phần chân dung: dân tộc La Hủ (nhật ký điền dã). Lai Châu: Sở Văn Hóa Thông Tin Lai Châu.
  • Video documentary about Lahu Opium People
  • Lahu/Mussur in Thailand
  • Lahu Bible
  • Lahu Audio Resources FEBC
  • Lanu names
  • Lahu ethnic group in Vietnam