Northern Thai people
ᨤᩫ᩠ᨶᨾᩮᩬᩥᨦ คนเมือง | |
|---|---|
Thai people at a cremation ceremony at Wat Chedi Luang in Chiang Mai | |
| Total population | |
| 6 million | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Thailand Laos (Houayxay, Ton Pheung) Myanmar (Tachileik, Myawaddy) | |
| Languages | |
| Lanna and Central Thai | |
| Religion | |
| Theravada Buddhism, Tai folk religion | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Tai peoples |
The Northern Thai people or Tai Yuan (Thai: ไทยวน, [tʰaj˧ juan˧]), self-designation khon mu(e)ang (Northern Thai: ᨤᩫ᩠ᨶᨾᩮᩬᩥᨦ, คนเมือง pronounced [kʰon˧ mɯaŋ˧] meaning "people of the (cultivated) land" or "people of our community"), are a Tai ethnic group, native to nine provinces in Northern Thailand, principally in the area of the former kingdom of Lan Na. As a Tai group, they are closely related to Tai Lü and Tai Khün with regards to common culture, language and history in contrast to Thailand's dominant Thai ethnic group (referred to as Siamese or Central Thai). There are approximately 6 million Tai Yuan. Most of them live in Northern Thailand, with a small minority 29,442 (2005 census) living across the border in Bokeo Province of Laos. Their language is called Northern Thai, Lanna or Kham Mueang.